What's The Deal?

There was a time when we looked to our leaders for inspiration. New York Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia took to the airwaves to read the comics to his youngest constituents back in 1945. That's the kind of thing that can get an airport named after you. This was during a newspaper delivery strike in the Big Apple, but that didn't stop kids from hearing about the latest adventures of Dick Tracy and Little Orphan Annie. 
During the Great Depression and World War Two, Americans took solace in Franklin Roosevelt's Fireside Chats. These speeches ranged from unemployment to fighting fascism in Europe, renewing calm and confidence in our nation and infusing hope into what was, at the time, a hope vortex. A couple historical notes: FDR was elected to four consecutive terms as President of the United States. His administration instituted major social programs that were progressive for their time and today would most likely be labeled "socialist." The New Deal included the Works Progress Administration, putting millions back to work on roads, bridges and dams. Movie fans can celebrate the projects of the WPA every time they see the Griffith Observatory in Rebel Without A Cause or the Timberline Lodge as the exterior of the Overlook Hotel in The Shining. But aside from building backdrops for films, this program built self-esteem in a country that was depressed. Literally and figuratively. This, by the way, was the guy who came up with that clever bit about having nothing to fear but fear itself. 
That is not where we are right now. My father had a name for the way people tend to gather together at times of crisis. He called it the Potbelly Syndrome, in reference to the times when there was a stove in the general store that townsfolk would gather around and commiserate about the troubles facing the community. Now we've got Zoom meetings. "Don't forget to mute yourself after you're done speaking." Social distance keeps us from huddling together. The other day, a neighbor dropped by, and we hung out on our front lawn, maintaining six feet between us as we pulled weeds together. And all we could talk about was fear and loathing.  How could we have sunk so low, and how could we hope to crawl back out?
The light that we were able to share was our governor, Gavin Newsom. This is the guy who got us all on the stay at home bus early. He's been keeping an eye on the state for us, and giving us the reality check that we need. He's the one who said that he wanted to be as straight with us as he is with his daughter when he guessed that we probably wouldn't be sending kids back to school this year. And no, he hasn't started reading the comics to us over the radio, but his voice is reassuring in a time when that is something that is nearly impossible to find. 
I look forward to the days when we will all gather together once again and build a bridge. Or maybe just hang out at the mall.