AN EDITED VERSION OF THIS POST APPEARED IN LETTERS TO THE EDITOR IN THE NEW YORK TIMES ON SEPTEMBER 28, 2021 AND IS SCHEDULED TO APPEAR IN THE SEPTEMBER 30, 2021 EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL NEW YORK TIMES
("The UnTrump Presidency Slams Into Trumpness")
While it may not exactly be campaigning in poetry and governing in prose, as Mr. Biden reminds no one of Mr. Obama or Mr. Clinton for his capacity to elevate and captivate, the real lesson learned is that the act of leading this country is hard.
Mr Biden faces a wholly uncooperative Republican opposition who combine obstinacy with fiction in thwarting his intentions; an Afghanistan government that crumbled instantaneously when challenged and greatly amplified the President's miscalculation; an American public that refuses to believe in the power of the vaccine; a border that serves as daily reminder that much of the world is in chaos that we can do little to alter.
That is not to say all has been handled with dexterity, the French fiasco a certain black eye in diplomacy. And yes, the optics certainly superficially invite comparison of 45 and 46. But Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump in the same sentence? I think not.
Mr. Trump's animosities coupled with his incompetence to invite disaster at every turn. Mr. Biden's morality and life long belief in the foundation of government at least gives us reason to hope for a better tomorrow.
And there is poetry in not having Mr. Trump there to remind us how easy it is to squander the riches of a democracy.
14 comments:
So so so agree
EA
One of your BEST
You pulled together so succinctly and eloquently the key factors sizzling in our brains, keeping us off- center and frightened.
BUT- you culminate with “hopefulness..”
Can decency and morality one day be the norm?
Let’s hope 🙏
SG
for whatever reason, if the infrastructure bill does not get enacted, by and large, as is, then we can expect that our nation will become just like the many backwater districts represented by GOP congress(wo)men in their fly-over districts.
If the spending bill holds it up because the Democratic-Progressives do not trust that enacting infrastructure first will impede the enactment of spending, (and they are correct to be be skeptical) then they will have contributed to the demise of America just the same way the great Ralph Nader took away enough votes from Al Gore in Florida in 2000 to pave the way for George W. Bush's election.
As for the GOP--they all voted for Trump in the 2020 election which disqualifies all of them from public discourse.
Amen brother! PB
So well said. You encapsulate the situation perfectly. There is hope that in the ensuing months of Republican subversion, the President will find his voice. At the risk of sounding corny, the country needs a Harry Truman moment of clarity--RE
I’m afraid we haven’t seen the last of trump.
JP
Terrific piece; thank goodness you wrote it after 60 days from your last published letter!
GK
(EDITOR'S NOTE - The Times has a 60 day rule between publication of Letters to the Editor)
Kudos. So we'll written. Great analysis.
HR
A monkey on a rock would be better than 45. Another good letter. The Times is fortunate to have you be so prolific.
International now! I see a Polk in your future
EA
Excellent
FB
Amen!
Bob
You are a star! And not a bad writer either....hahaha...
Great words...
FK
So now I can brag about you on multiple continents!
MV
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