The Queen’s speech reminds me that America has no leader.
I was taking my trash to the “curb” (2 miles away) when Her Majesty The Queen of England spoke from Windsor Castle on live television to her people. The rest of the world listened in. I heard about the speech on Twitter and it only took a moment to find a video of it, tweeted by @RoyalFamily:
Her Majesty The Queen addresses the UK and the Commonwealth in a special broadcast recorded at Windsor Castle. pic.twitter.com/HjO1uiV1Tm
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) April 5, 2020
I watched it. And I cried.
I cried because I miss the days when Americans had a leader who could speak so eloquently, so selflessly, so encouragingly to the people of our country to help us through difficult times.
I cried because I miss the days when America was a country I could be proud of, with a leader who could actually lead.
As an American, I’m tired of being lied to and treated like an idiot by Trump’s administration. I’m tired of being angry as I sit by helplessly watching the grifter-in-chief enrich himself, his family, and his friends at the expense of taxpayers. I’m tired of poor decisions taking us backwards, step by step, in science and ecological responsibilities. Of broken promises making enemies out of friends. Of a man who is making us the laughing stock of the world every time he opens his mouth.
I’m tired of a president who spews hate and bigotry that divide our country, turning friend against friend and ripping families apart. Of the constant stream of outrageous statements or behaviors to distract the people from what’s really going on behind the scenes — the political maneuvering to take down opponents and get away with whatever he wants.
And I’m sick about the way Trump has handled the entire coronavirus situation, from the moment he first addressed the issue and downplayed its potential consequences to his daily rally substitutes full of lies and misinformation to more recent revelations regarding him sending emergency equipment to red states when blue states were in dire circumstances.
So as I watched the Queen address her people for only the fourth time in her 68 years of reign, all I could think about was how calming and encouraging and adult her words were. She was saying what needed to be said to encourage Britons to do the right thing, to work together to stop the spread of the virus. She was complementing them on their efforts, she was praising the emergency medical workers, she was admitting that it wasn’t going to be easy but by working together they’d all get through it. She was bringing her people together.
She wasn’t downplaying the problem. She wasn’t pointing fingers or making excuses. She wasn’t playing political games. She wasn’t bragging about her ratings on Facebook or complaining that people weren’t being nice to her.
No. That’s because she’s an adult. Because she’s a leader — even if in name only — who knows how to lead.
And that’s why I cried. I cried because that’s what I want to see in America, too.
I can’t wait until we get this orange clown and his cronies out of office.
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Tears are right Maria. You are incredible with words and feelings, as usual, and have expressed my feelings perfectly. Thank you.
Thanks, Sharon. It wasn’t until I saw her speak that I realized how far our standards have fallen. As I type this response, he’s live in the White House, holding one of his rally substitutes. Twitter will be full of his nonsense shortly. I can’t wait to vote him out.
Agree 100%.
I can’t tell you how much I agree with you. Sad, angry, all of it.
Thank you, Maria.
Oh wow! Thank you for posting this. What a wonderful speech from a leader of a nation. Not going to get that level of eloquence from this current admin anytime soon. (So depressing to see the daily happenings in the WH and Congress.)
As much as some Britons like to bash the royals, the Queen herself never once shirked her duties or present a less than noble side of the royalty. Long live Her Royal Highness!
Agreed. She is, by definition, a class act. And I mean that in a good way, of course.
In your your usual eloquent way, you stated what so many Americans feel. Thank you for your comments.
Now let’s vote him out.
I was going to launch into a rather long dissertation on the disaster that is the of the Trump administration, but thought simple is better and offer these two quotes…
1. Rex Tillerson former Secy of State on Trump…He’s a F&*k*ng Moron.
2. Relative to those who continue to support him which is beyond me…Ron White…Ya can’t fix stupid.
Yep. That says enough, I think.
The hate is from the left. The prejudice is from the left. How would you act if all you heard for 3 years was lefty hate….and BS constantly. I can’t believe you’re completely the opposite of reality. The president doesn’t need this shit, he’s got plenty of money, but he does it because he loves this country. He’s got a big ego, So what, all leaders do. Try prying your eyes from CNN for 5 minutes and get a dose of reality. Before this virus I’ll bet you weren’t having a problem with your investments. A business man is what we need. That’s exactly why he’s so successful dealing with other countries and getting us out of being chumps to the rest of the world. He’s not an eloquent speaker. I don’t care if he couldn’t speak at all. He gets the job done regardless. The last clown we had could speak, but was an economics class dropout. I know where you live you have to have that mindset. Too bad you don’t have a clue about reality.
Wake up, Dan. Really: WAKE THE FUCK UP.
And I don’t watch CNN, although I’m sure you watch Fox News.
Some people never wake up.
You can’t fix stupid.
Absolutely % in agreement.
Exact and eloquent Maria. If the virus and it’s consequences weren’t enough to mourn, the current administration is certainly not just unhelpful, it is demoralizing.
Exactly. Now everything on the news is disheartening.
Yes, she was spot on. She is our nation’s loving granny who puts an arm around our shoulders, whatever age we are.
She transcends politics and is loved by left and right alike. When she goes we will be in tatters. Those waiting in the wings are not quite of the same calibre.
Once again, you have nailed a description: “nation’s loving granny.” I don’t think Prince Charles will be up to the task but I’m hoping his son will be. His mom was certainly the right stuff.
Sadly, our nation has a crazy, hateful old uncle.
I cried, too.
Sorta surprised myself.
Yeah. Me, too. I think it’s because we’ve been bottling up our frustrations for so long and half wondering whether our anger is warranted. It is. There are better leaders in the world than Trump. A lot of them.
You are not alone with those emotions. For some reason her broadcast seems to have been watched very widely.
Since last evening I have had emails, phone calls, ‘WhatsApps’ etc from as ar away as India, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Portugal, Holland and Italy, asking what I thought of it. Some of this (Holland, Canada) was routine family contact but the bulk were calls from friends and briefly met travelling companions going back years.
Everyone was positive and loved the direct, sincere and concerned nature of the Queen’s simple message.
It carried a strong thread of hope and optimism, of course, and we certainly need some of that now.