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Common ground? Inauguration looked at as a starting point by SW Florida leaders

By NATHAN MAYBERG - | Jan 21, 2021

Joe Biden takes the oath of office to become the 46th president Wednesday with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, at his side. mccv/Shutterstock.com

Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States Wednesday, succeeding former President Donald Trump.

In his inauguration speech, Biden stressed a message of unity.

“This is America’s day, this is democracy’s day,” Biden said.

“Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate but of a cause — the cause of democracy.”

Biden said “We’ve learned again that democracy is precious, democracy is fragile and at this hour my friends, democracy has prevailed. So now on this hallowed ground where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transition of power as we have for more than two centuries.”

Biden called for more harmony in politics and addressed the spreading of misinformation.

“Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war and we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured,” Biden said.

The message calling for unity resonated in Southwest Florida, where some of the largest boat parades nationwide had been held in support of Trump.

Cape Coral Councilmember Jennifer Nelson, who recently switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican, called Wednesday’s inauguration “very classy.”

Nelson liked Biden’s message on bipartisanship.

“I hope in the next four years, there is less partisanship,” Nelson said. “I don’t think anything gets done when you are far right or far left.

Nelson said that, as a woman, she was proud that Kamala Harris became the first female vice president.

Cape Coral Councilmember Jessica Cosden, a registered Democrat, said she was “a little worried about what may happen. I was so happy to see it was a peaceful ceremony. It was a beautiful ceremony. The address was inspiring.”

Cosden said she is “hoping we can come together as a country. The polarization is awful, painful and palpable. I’m just hoping we can heal and move forward.”

National political tension had affected her recent and ultimately successful campaign for re-election to council, although Cape Coral City Council seats are non-partisan.

“A lot of that polarization people are feeling at the national level is being felt locally,” she said.

Cosden said she was attacked through social media during her campaign for supporting racial justice and lost friends over politics.

“I lost good friends over partisan issues,” she said.

Lee County Democratic Party Chair Gabriele Spuckes said “the country is breathing a little easier.”

The storming of the Capitol “scared everybody and woke us up,” Spuckes said. “We need somebody like President Biden to unite us.”

Rob Ross, a Cape Coral resident and chairman of the Lee County Democratic Party Environmental Caucus who is running to chair the Cape Coral Democratic Club, said he hopes a new presidential administration will result in some action on the discharges from Lake Okeechobee.

“Hopefully, it will be an impetus for our senators and governor to do something about the discharges that are causing red tide and other additional problems,” Ross said.

Other local leaders took similar views.

Fort Myers Beach Mayor Ray Murphy called Biden’s inauguration “a great day for America. I’m looking forward to the new administration getting some positive things done, working on the pandemic, working on getting people back to work with infrastructure.”

Murphy said he expects to see “a lot of positive results from this team. God knows we need it.”

The mayor said he watched Biden’s speech and said it’s “a very uplifting day for America. You can’t help but feel proud to be an American on a day like today.”

Murphy said the inauguration showed that “the terrorists who stormed the capital — they didn’t win. The peaceful transition of power goes on. That’s the beauty of America.”

District 19 Congressman Byron Donalds (R-Naples), who represents most of Lee County and Collier County, issued a statement on Twitter describing Inauguration Day as “a historic moment for our country and a time when all of us unite around our shared identity as Americans. Throughout our treasured history, we have witnessed the peaceful transition of power as President George Washington envisioned. I feel that attendance at this historic event truly honors our great republic.”

In a series of messages on Twitter, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) posted differing reactions to Biden’s inauguration.

He congratulated Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on their election victory.

“It’s time to focus on moving our nation forward and getting things done that truly serve the best interests of the American people,” he said.

Scott, who is the new chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, had stated Wednesday morning he would be attending the inauguration.

“This ceremony is an important tradition that demonstrates the peaceful transfer of power to our people and to the world.”

By Wednesday afternoon, however, Scott had posted a link to a Newsweek column he posted and stated “Democrats, the media and Big Tech are trying to use the events of Jan. 6th to go after all Republicans and all Trump supporters and silence dissenting views. It is authoritarianism masquerading as the force that will keep America safe.”

U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) stated on Twitter that “a new administration doesn’t mean we are suddenly going to Make America Normal Again. The legitimate anxieties & concerns of tens of millions of Americans must be acknowledged & addressed.”

Rubio did not attend the inauguration, stating that he was “working on addressing the remaining objections to an expedited Senate confirmation of President-Elect Biden’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence.”

The pick, Avril Hines, was appointed by an 84-10 vote. Rubio and Scott both voted to affirm the appointment of Hines.