Al’s Thanksgiving Tea: What I Am Thankful For (Cheeky Travel Day Edition)

By Al Perrotta Published on November 27, 2024

Welcome in for Al’s Thanksgiving Tea, our chance to add a little fun to your travels and turkey prep.

What I Am Thankful For …

I am thankful for Joe Biden …

… spending so much time and bringing so much attention to the Delaware beaches, which for so long have been overshadowed by the beaches of the Jersey Shore and Maryland’s Ocean City.

… making stairs interesting again.

… getting his revenge on those that forced him off the Democratic ticket.

… and all his inspiring talks with long-dead foreign leaders.

… teaching us that even invisible people deserve a hearty handshake.

I am thankful for Kamala Harris …

… bringing her word salads as a side dish to the real news of the day.

… picking Tim Walz rather than Josh Shapiro.

… teaching us not to be burdened by what has been.

… and all she’s done for Venn diagrams.

… and the cackle. If laughter really were the best medicine, she’d be running the Mayo Clinic.

… being so entertaining. (No wait. That was Maya Rudolph impersonating Kamala Harris.)

I am thankful for Donald Trump …

… even if I don’t have the publishing rights to “YMCA.”

… because I wasn’t much looking forward to World War III.

… because Americans like owning the bragging rights to having the world’s best-looking first lady.

… because the flow of tears from The View when he was reelected eased the dangerously dry conditions in the New York/New Jersey area.

… because how can you not love a guy who even leaves his granddaughter phone messages from “your favorite president”?

… because even those with TDS can’t help but chuckle at the way he says “CHY-naaaah.”

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I am thankful for whoever said, “Wouldn’t having a presidential debate in June be a good idea?”

I am thankful for Fani Willis and Nathan Wade for turning a wretched criminal case against a former president into a bad Lifetime movie.

I am thankful for Hallmark Christmas movies. Having them running while I worked those final madcap weeks before the election reminded me that no matter what happened on Election Day, kissing will still make it snow, hot cocoa from grandma’s ol’ recipe can heal all wounds, and true love finds its way no matter what storm is raging outside.

I Am Thankful for Donald Trump

All kidding and partisanship aside, I am thankful for Donald Trump. Sylvester Stallone recently described him as a second “George Washington.” At first I thought that was a bit over-the-top — like describing a singer, no matter how great, as the New Elvis. But Stallone was right in the sense that at this point, with what he’s been through and what he’s done, Trump has achieved what no other president but Washington has achieved. He’s become a mythical figure during his own lifetime. Trump has always been larger than life, as big as the Big Apple. But this year, he reached another level.

Trump isn’t held in the same reverence as Washington. It’s hard to be that reverent about a wisecracker who serves fries and drives garbage trucks. Washington had an air of public aloofness that left people in awe. Trump leaves them in stitches. It’s the difference between a man who waltzed and a man who swivels his hips to “YMCA.”

Still, like Washington, Trump is iconic, a folk hero, even as he goes about his daily business. Like Washington, people will be talking about him 500 years from now. Kids today will be telling their grandchildren stories about Trump, and unlike stories about Washington, they’ll be able to show the video. “Really, Grandpa? He jumped up and shouted ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’? No way.”

I am thankful we get to experience Trump in real time, follies and failures included.

But Seriously … What I Am Most Thankful For …

I am incredibly thankful for all of you sharing with me a bit of your afternoon (and mornings with The Brew). I know there are many things you can be reading right this moment. After all these years, the idea that you are choosing to read something I wrote still blows my mind. That God would put me in a position to not only bring the latest news to such great people, and perhaps bring light to your day even in a dark season of our nation, is an overwhelming blessing to me. (A terrible shock to my English teachers, but a blessing to me.)

I am reminded of a line from the movie Roxanne: “I would rather be here with you people than with the finest people in the world.”

Seriously …

God bless each and every one of you this Thanksgiving. May His unyielding love fill you, propel you, and prosper you. May tomorrow and the days to come bring restoration to relationships damaged by political passions. May this Thanksgiving kickstart a Christmas season unmatched by any other in terms of generosity, hospitality and newfound peace.

On the Stream Menu…

Turkey, stuffing, ham, corn, cranberry sauce, smashed potatoes … and did I mention turkey? Al’s Afternoon Tea will be on hiatus for the rest of this week.

Safe travels, one and all, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Al Perrotta is The Stream’s Washington bureau chief, coauthor with John Zmirak of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration, and coauthor of the counterterrorism memoir Hostile Intent: Protecting Yourself Against Terrorism.