For many people, 12:01 PM on January 20th,  2021 couldn’t come fast enough and in light of the January 6th insurrection a sigh of relief was apparent as the swearing in of a new president came and went without incident.

As the nation enters into the dawn of a new administration, there will be many discussions about the previous administration’s policies, victories, and accomplishments.

Policies, however, come and go. The efficacy of various administration policies will be discussed ad infinitum. Still, at the end of the day, the question for any president as they leave the oval office is threefold. The first is the state of the economy. What was the state of the economy when they took the oath of office, and what was it when they left?

The second is how did they handle a disaster? Many administrations encounter crises, whether the explosion of the Challenger space shuttle, 911, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy, or the coronavirus pandemic. A president’s response to these crises defines their legacy. President Reagan’s response to the space challenger, President Bush’s initial response to 911, President Obama’s response to Hurricane Sandy shaped the legacy of each of these individuals.

The third is the state of the republic itself. No matter whether they lost or were handing over power after serving two terms, each outgoing President took pride in making sure the state of the republic was strong. America took pride in its modeling of a peaceful transfer of power, which was the ultimate sign that the republic was strong despite ideological differences.

There have been administrations that have faced 1 or 2 of these tests. Some failed, and some succeeded. President Biden enters the Oval Office facing all three of those components.

The economy needs to be rebuilt, the pandemic still rages, and the republic was violently attacked by insurrectionists incited by the United States’ former president.

America is at a crossroads not seen perhaps, since the Civil War.

No doubt there were good signs today. The swearing-in of a president who, even if you disagree with on policy, exudes a sense of decency not seen over the last few years. Even more important, a man who displayed the empathy of someone who understands what it means to experience tragedy. For those who have lost someone to coronavirus, the prayer service was a catharsis needed by the nation. The swearing-in of the first woman of color as Vice President showed that the nation is still moving forward to a perfect union.

The swearing-in of a new president can provide optimism but does not automatically resolve issues. The nation is now experiencing a season of optimism but the hard work will begin, and President Biden will have to be held accountable for his policy and subsequent consequences.

The pomp and circumstance seen today provided a sense of hope, which is needed at this time of the nation’s history.

The words spoken today were apropos to the state of the nation, but those well wishes and kumbaya feelings will be short lived.

As of the day of his inauguration none of his cabinet nominees have been confirmed and in fact one of the senators who voted not to certify the election of President Joe Biden has blocked a quick confirmation of Biden’s nominee for Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. Two thirds of the GOP refused to certify the presidential election.  Kevin McCarthy is still tweeting congratulations to the previous occupant of the Oval Office.  Marco Rubio wouldn’t attend the inauguration because in his words he was “addressing the remaining objections to senate confirmation of President Biden’s nominee for Director of National Intelligence” The nation is still faced with an impending impeachment trial which may reveal further evidence that the country is under even greater threat than seen on January 6th.

Americans have short memories. The insurrection will soon be forgotten and those who added to the chaos may not experience negative consequences of their actions.

One of the challenges is not to let the feel good activities of an inauguration become a false sense of optimism. There is much work to do to repair the nation.

During his inauguration address, President  Biden quoted Psalm 30 “weeping may endure for a night but joy comes in the morning.”

That verse is a statement of optimism in the state of present reality. The nation is now in the midst of the night and weeping continues. Whether joy will come in the morning for this nation will depend on whether the institutions of America truly value the democratic principles that they espouse.

Too often people have espoused the belief that certain things couldn’t happen here. January 6th proved that America is not immune to decay from within.

The reality is that the system worked but it revealed that America is at a crossroads. President Biden will need more than executive orders to heal this nation. He will need the power and influence of the civic society who believe in justice and equality. Churches, synagogues and mosques must begin to reach across traditions to profess the best of their beliefs and traditions. Corporate America must use their influence, as they have begun, to call on officials to lead  by telling the truth as Sen. Mitt Romney admonished his senate colleagues to do.

There is a lot of work to do. Today’s inauguration set a much needed tone. America is sick, physically and spiritually. President Biden has said that if the pandemic is not contained the nation cannot make progress.  If America’s elected leaders can’t come together around this pandemic, the future of the nation will perhaps have reached a point of no return.