This is an independent opinion. Have one of your own? Email it to hoa@ivn.us

In the recent elections, the U.S. came perilously close to re-electing a man who, after four long years as our president, made it clear that he was an incompetent, authoritarian conman. He presided over a failed pandemic response, greatly increased the budget deficit despite promising to reduce it and dismantled environmental protections that had been in place for decades.

On Saturday, November 7, the presidential election was called for Joe Biden after media outlets projected he won the state of Pennsylvania and thus exceeded the 270 electoral votes he needed to win. But, Biden could not have won without independent voters.

All of the discussion on a blue wave or a red wave -- depending on which side you talk to -- few are talking about the reality of the 2020 election: It was an independent wave.

This is an independent opinion. Have one of your own? Email it to hoa@ivn.us

Let me state this right up front. I dislike political signs. I consider them litter. I cringe when I see them sprouting up like weeds in my neighborhood in the weeks before an election is held. If I could restrict them to being in people’s yards or the windows of homes or businesses, I’d enjoy my neighborhood walks so much more.  

President-Elect Joe Biden repeatedly told voters leading up to Election Day and during his acceptance speech that though he was a proud Democrat, he was going to be a president for all Americans. He passionately called for unity in a time of deep political division.

Yet, the nation’s leading anti-corruption organization, RepresentUs, noted Monday that ending the hyper-partisan divide and addressing policy paralysis doesn’t appear high on the new administration’s priorities.

With California’s junior senator Kamala Harris poised to become America’s first female vice president, a remarkable pattern has taken hold: Once again, a woman from California is making history in the nation’s capital.

“While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last,” Harris vowed in her victory speech Saturday night.