Senator Mitch McConnell was the Republican majority leader who stopped President Barack Obama’s plan to make Merrick Garland a Supreme Court justice, hypocritically claiming it was too close to the next presidential election for Obama’s choice to represent the will of the people. This laid the groundwork for the current Court to toss aside precedent, trash rights and snub its nose at ethics. He’s the guy who acknowledged the criminality and immorality of Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection and the second impeachment, yet refused to support a conviction by the Senate. For years, Mitch McConnell was in a position to do something as Trump ran roughshod over our democracy. Instead, he enabled and accelerated this treacherous period in our history by largely remaining silent. (Note Jane Meyer’s 2020 New Yorker profile in which she called him Trump’s “Enabler-in-Chief.”)
On Thursday, President Joe Biden offered kind words of support for his self-described “friend.” This followed McConnell freezing in front of news cameras after a reporter asked whether he would seek reelection, raising fresh doubts about his health and his ability to perform his duties. “You know, he was his old self on the telephone.,” Biden said, noting that this reaction to a severe concussion suffered in March is “part of the recovery” and “I’m confident he’s going to be back to his old self.”
McConnell’s staff released a letter from the attending physician of Congress saying he was “medically clear to continue his schedule as planned.” But it was Biden’s graceful comments that may have done more to sustain the 81-year-old Republican and his desire to hold onto power (even as conservative outlets like The National Reviewinsist it’s time for McConnell to “step aside”).
This has led me to reflect on the value of a leader who chose to model kindness at a political opponent’s moment of weakness. We all know the ugly ways the previous White House occupant would have exploited such a vulnerability, not just for political advantage but also because he relishes cruelty as a (false) show of strength.
Remembering earlier times, when a simple, public act of decency might have seemed like no big deal, Biden’s grace note is reason for pause. (Yes, the more cynical among us might think 80-year-old Biden’s main concern was to neutralize Republicans and other critics determined to condemn him for his age.)
What do you think? Does Biden deserve our praise or our criticism? Was he missing a chance to take down an opponent or creating a chance to showcase what the country needs most? The moment provokes the deeper question: What kind of leader do you want? And is that the kind of leader who, in this time of trouble, can give the country what it needs? As the election season heats up and minds turn toward the presidential race, it’s worth remembering how profound a change the empathic Joe Biden was for many of us as a response—indeed, an antidote—to the sociopathic malignancy of his predecessor.
As always, I look forward to reading your observations—and for this community to hear and learn from each other. Please do be respectful in your comments.
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*Photos: Mitch McConnell by Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images and Joe Biden by Win McNamee via Getty Images.
I want a communicative leader committed to ethical democratic principles who can gather a diverse team of brilliant, capable civil servants around them to guide and implement our country's progress nationally and in the world. To me their age, gender, race, sexual orientation, faith, ancestry, etc. is inconsequential, but their moral compass and emotional intelligence must be fully operational.
However there comes a time ( beyond our abilities, due to ageing ) ... when it’s time to pass the torch.
As of late, ppl are clinging to power far beyond their capacity.
It’s time to trust the younger generation. Stop with the “ freeze “ moments , stop with the misspoken thoughts, stop with the mumbling, stop with the falling and tripping, stop with the head bowed , just please stop all this.
I’m a Democrat, and my vote will be such. But let us learn to pass the power forward.
Only perfect specimens of human vitality and none with human frailties? That certainly thins the herd. It would seem to also subvert the concept of voter represention. I agree officeholders should be able to carry out their duties. But some of our greatest leaders were not perfect example of mental & physical health. We need representation & leadership with a variety of perspectives. In the 1960s “Don’t trust anyone over 30” quickly faded. Even the guy who coined it was quickly too close to “over 30.”
Most things on the list seem removed from fulfilling the responsibilities of a public office... bowed head (?)... Biden suffered his stroke in 1988. The year he turned 46. Fetterman, a few years older. McConnell and Rep. Cohen of TN both had polio as small children which comes with greater risk of tripping and falls. TFG behaved as he does now all his life.
The House has very young & very senior members. I don’t believe for one moment Pelosi was not up to the Speaker’s job or the ‘younger’ reps would have dealt better with #45. She also had a plan to develop & transition to younger leadership.
Would Mitch be replaced by someone who doesn’t want to shutdown the government? Drama? Promote conspiracies? Or worse?
After his re-election Mitch had the Ky legislature change the process for filling a Senate seat vacated before the end of a term. The Senator’s party chooses (3) candidates for the governor’s appointment. Scary. McConnell is not as scary to me, even with what may be after effects of a concussion. Although I never vote for him & detest his Machiavellian ways, I have a palpable fear of a young energetic arsonist being planted in the Senate.
Europe views US voters as unreliable, thanks to #45. They welcomed Biden - a known entity & well respected. Did not think he could restore US leadership among world powers. They still view US voters skeptically but the view from Europe to India, to Africa etc. is the Biden administration has restored our standing. Our global position is strong. (PEW data, 6/27/2023)
Some have always clung to power for too long, enabled by their voters. How can we change that & not throw the baby (😁) out with the bath water? What sort of Constitutional Amendment is without unintended consequences?
I believe Biden is serving as a highly effective leader. He does not waver under fire. I believe he’s met the mark for what we need at home and globally.
We are in the fight of our lives. On thé verge of losing our democratic way of life.
We can no loger be gentle , quiet, accepting the crazy insanity around. We need young healthy minds, we need high energy to combat this cruel , deranged enemy.
These are no longer normal times. The past 8 years has taught us.
To ignore the lessons, well then maybe we deserve to lay down and be run over to accept the end.
President Biden has gotten more done in his tenure than any president in my lifetime! He is my hero! His unabashed love for his family and our country is a model for us all! The pain he has endured throughout his life and his responses to that pain have brought him to these moments! He understands other people’s pain and struggles; his empathy is a model for us all--he is not weak though as a result of his empathy. I watched him time and again be defeated in his quest to become leader of the US--this is his time! He is the perfect leader for this moment!!!
It made me angry because I despise McConnell, but Biden’s actions reflect those of a true empathetic gentleman, and a model for all of us to emulate. It’s just sad that his decent action is so much of anomaly today.
Of course. Although your comment seems to imply otherwise, his remarks were truthful while avoiding the trap of wading into the business of the Senate and Kentucky.
Absolutely praise. The kind of leader we wants is one who is kind and strong. Who has the moral compass to know the right thing and the strength to do it. I am reminded of how Lincoln insisted on holding the 1864 presidential election, even during the Civil War, because when it was suggested that he suspend the election in view of the current crisis, he said that to do so would be to have already lost what they were fighting for. A similar situation if we lose our decency in the face of Trump and Trumpism, but we must couple it with the strength to overcome Trump and Trumpism as well
In showing support of Sen. McConnell, Joe Biden displayed his preference (his knack) for doing the right thing, and the really right thing. Though knifing O'Connell would have been understandable, and perhaps deserved, Biden is smart enough to know that the devil he does know is better than those currently aligned to replace him. Moreover, that’s inconsistent with his moral compass.
President Biden is a leader in a pool of politicians with a dearth of actual leaders. Mitch McConnell has been an avowed obstructionist since the days of Barack Obama, and announced as much to the world. I really have little to no sympathy for McConnell and his kind. They are destroyers; not builders. We have become a nation at war with itself.
Like it or not, our empire is dying. Having grown up in the 1950s and come of age in the 1960s, I have witnessed the steady decline of our nation. The fabric of the United States is being torn, nearly threadbare. Who will save her/us? I likely will be dead when this country's final death knell has rung. All the better, as I do not savor the thought of witnessing her last breath as a constitutional democratic republic.
I originally voted for Hillary because I wanted her to break that glass ceiling. Honestly, I do not believe she would have put together as strong a team that Biden has. Not certain anyone could. He is a true diplomat as he wades through the daggers that are thrown at him every single day. He has been touched by tragedies so he “gets” the sadness and despair common folk experience. A decent man. Mitch, however, is one I despise. I call him the devil incarnate. He offers nothing but hatefulness while raking in Russia dough for himself.
He had so many better choices after the former guy’s destruction of the normalcy of diplomacy to choose from the best team. And the people we don’t hear about who are in there fighting the internal factions who self identified during the djt term. Makes it easier to do the right thing, when one is predisposed to the right thing anyway. The self identification by the worst of us sure has helped find the best.
Thank you for writing what some of us thought about but could not put into words on paper. You are amazing and a gift that keeps on giving. I appreciate your thoughts and say it over and over please keep writing . Your words are the help in trying to be hopeful.
I agree completely. I am saddened though by MSM failure to acknowledge and commend the empathy with which he approaches others. Not only have his policies improved our lives, but his way of being exemplifies what is best about our country.
I want leaders who represent their people constituents, not their corporate ones. Leaders who take seriously their oaths of office to defend the country from all adversaries, foreign and domestic, especially in this time of so many adverse to constitutional principles such as checks and balances and equal treatment under the law. And I want citizens, not just leaders, to care about those things, real freedom, ie civil rights, and grounded in saving the world and country for future generations.
I choose Joe Biden because he has great empathy and is a real human being. Joe has developed a great capacity to show love and care because he has suffered much. Joe, like the rest of us, is far from perfect, but he displays great strength in not being afraid to admit he has made mistakes. Joe is leading us to the kind of country that I would like to see us become. One that is not a greedy nation, but one that tackles our problems head on, and he demonstrates that when we work together we are truly loving our neighbors as ourselves, and there isn’t any problem we cannot collectively solve where everyone benefits.
President Biden, aside from understanding Mitch, knows better than to weigh in on internal matters in the Senate. There is no perceived benefit to joining the chatter on trying to force Mitch out. If the long shot succeeded, the Senate could devolve into Chaos Chamber II. Biden has more to get done.
Today, DEsantis secure in the knowledge Biden will not threaten to withhold assistance pretended Biden wanted to meet him in still devastated areas rural FL and would have disrupted recovery efforts. Biden undeterred, is continuing with the previously planned itinerary. An itinerary planned in coordination with DEsantis, Biden and FEMA which was announced by FEMA yesterday. Rick Scott, up for re-election, appeared happy to join the president DEsantisless. Biden will do his job regardless.
Calm, stable, empathetic with a vision for the future of the Country. The seasoned leadership we need in salty times. Personal criticism, threats & pettiness do not derail him. He knows how things work. He understands people on all sides of an issue. He is not going to deviate from what needs to be done to engage in nonsense. That’s why Biden was elected and why we still need him.
Joe Biden is a decent human being. He's the kind of person I want to represent me in government. What he said about Mitch is who he is. He could have used Mitch's problems for his own gain, but he didn't and wouldn't. As to his age, I think he's in very good shape. He exercises and takes care of himself. I don't care if he's old; he's younger than me and is doing just fine. I'll be voting for him in 2024.
Here I am because I like getting things off my list of “things that depress me, and wish I could change”. I know that at my age now, I would expect no less from President Biden. I believe he deserves to be in office right now due to his knowledge and kindness for “folks”. He is so real, so right. (Not going to waste my time on Mitch, you have all have covered that)
In all the years that they were constituents, there had to be a bond between the men or at the least just being our President and would never wish bad on many. (Too bad he has to endure the personal attacks everyday from the r’s. Nobody deserves what he is living through.)
“We The People” just want Justice and have this whole attack on us to stop. Our Constitution, Rule of Law and the HATE that has escalated for the last 8 years from “tfg” and all that don’t stand up to him...look where we are. President Biden was “groomed” for this time, we must respect him for all he has done. Yes, we do need younger minds, but, I believe he is where he should be for our Country right NOW. We will get there after this fight is “justified in the Court as it should be. I am, as you, putting a lot of trust that this will happen. That all the powers that have been entrusted to our Justice Department will follow their Oaths and close this “large chapter” for good. 🇺🇸
I am so grateful for leaders like Joe Biden who don't forget the regular people and work each day for the common good. I completely understand to know nothing of how these politicians get votes, only that evidence proves they are guilty criminals. The system needs to be changed to represent the common good and stop having taxpayers pay for contributing millionaire wealth. Citizen's United hurt our country. It is time we institute term limits and a way for citizens to decide who is on the Supreme Court, term limits, and terminated when laws are followed.
They are both products of another time in the Senate - when there was compromise and bipartisan work on issues important to the American people. Obviously for McConnell a Black man as president was a bridge too far- as well as the GOP- so we get the absolute worst human being, the absolute worst president ever because a Black man was president and smarter than most people. Biden doesn’t have to say anything about McConnell’s politics - he said something about his health. Biden is a people person and won’t insult anyone publicly. That’s who he is and who he will always be and why he was elected after the criminal lost.
I agree with most of what you say, except the Obama/McConnell situation. He watches for the right time & buttons to push for more power. Takes the political temp of his caucus & voters. Everything is a potential strength or weakness to be leveraged, preferably without finger prints. GOP in the WH + Elaine gets a Cabinet appointment = Power.
He has no problem promoting Black candidates among his mentees. Former staffer running for gov, Daniel Cameron. McConnell support was crucial for him to become KY’s first Black AG. (DJT put him on a long list of potential SCOTUS nominees.) He may be in the WH queue.
A way to siphon off some Black voters who thought a Black man would be more fair. Worked somewhat in the bid for AG. Won’t happen post-Breonna Taylor case.
These days McConnell is reaping at a most inconvenient time unintended consequences of ideas he proposed as he painted Obama as a prez who wouldn’t work with the GOP - to shift blame. Chaos Caucus desire to defund has GOP fingerprints all over it. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna40007802
Democrats are upset because Mitch did what they would have done in the same situation when Mitch prevented the appointment of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. It's politics, man! These two were friends since they were in the Senate, and I believe this friendship probably allowed for much of what Biden has accomplished in Congress. Back when, there was cooperation and legitimate negotiation and discussion, and compromises, among the leaders of both parties. Nixon and Reagan started the "Southern Strategy" that brought the Dixiecrats into the Republican Party, and then the consistent move they took the GOP to the far right to what we have today, Evangelical radicalism, my way or the highway. I do not believe that Mitch is that much of a right-wing radical, but he is a true conservative and possibly the core of a revitalized Republican Party, if that's possible. The MAGAs have broken the GOP so badly, something else will possibly need to be created.
Graciousness should always be held in high esteem. I sent out a post yesterday on this very theme about Churchill's Eulogy for his bitter rival Neville Chamberlain. I looked at it as a Legacy Test and found it relevant to all of us as we decide our personal behavior.
I enjoy leaders who can follow the social contract of kindness, rather than using "gotchas" to deride someone else. I do not need that in my leaders- I object to campaign slogans where they will fight for our rights, etc. I would rather that they convince others to write those rights into law, figure out a third way to solve problems and not try to cheat the system. I also enjoy someone who can give a great transformational speech to explain things. So candidates with a useful, educated by life or school background, who will do the actual work are important to me. Too many are skilled in obtaining donations for the party, making connections with lobbyists to write laws and who insist on voting one way or the other. The Republican contract really irritates me to this day: selling committee memberships for money is so detrimental to our system that depends on well thought out solutions to ongoing problems. Right now, we have infrastructure problems due to lack of effort, but our future now will be grim due to misuse of resources leading to climate change and allowances for criminals in office. I am old, but will always vote and volunteer for those who are the least of us.
Biden can’t say a word about stepping down because that is a GOP talking point to oust Biden. Biden did the right thing and took the higher road. He let others do the talking for him.
In times where we are on the verge of losing our democracy, this polite protocol can do more damage to our current unstable democracy.
Perhaps J, Biden was projecting his own aging years. The important thing here is that we call out the truth to what appears Mitch needs to step down.
We need to quit placating, and being ‘ nice ‘ to the absurdity of it all.
I will vote démocrate no matter what, but President Biden himself is waning in energy, mental acuity and strength. It pains me to hear his often very weak voice, mumbling, and so forth.
He’s a good man who has served his country well....but it’s time he passes the torch to much younger, much more energised, much more fit.... there are many waiting in the shadows who can beat the living crap outta the maniacal, crazed, would be dictator D Trump.
Our country is in shambles.. we need to quit the Mr. Or MS. Nice guy BS.
Fight fire with fire, as is evidenced ...polite won’t work.
It was Biden’s place to decide McConnell needed to step down? That McConnell is incompetent to be in the Senate &/or no longer competent to be the minority leader?
He should contradict medical opinions to say those things as you believe he is ‘waning in ... mental acuity”? Well, you have provided the substance of likely responses/memes/ads from the GOP who long for such a misstep.
As a practical matter and a matter of law, the president has 0 say. An opposing party would never let it appear they were influenced by the opposition. “Oh, of course... Hey, Mitch, don’t let the door ...” Uh, no. The resulting hostility would slow McConnell’s leaving not move it up. He’s already set a plan for succession if he were to leave during a term.
Responding with advice on that matter would go down as one of the biggest Biden verbal blunder of all time. It would certainly poison the air and the water.
The only tools a president has for working with the House & Senate are: knowledge, good will, his word, compromise and the veto.
On a more distantly related matter the Governor’s race in Ky ... We are trying very hard to hang on to a Dem governor who has a good chance of being re-elected. The GOP is worried. It will be close. Their candidate is a Mitch guy and former staffer. Their campaign advisors would cut off their right arms for a Biden answer along the lines you insist was needed. Other elections around the country are in similar situations.
Although less than a majority of voters these days, there are still many many Boomers voting. I’m in my early 70s. For 20 yrs or so I’ve heard we are ‘in the way’, not keeping up, eventually we became the cause of all problems ... and my fave - selfish for continuing to work as the same folks advocated for ending pensions and social security. Retired, I’m not the only Boomer to find some humor in the shortage of workers these days. A generational tug of war is normal; sometimes more merited than others. Taken too far there are undesirable consequences.
Biden is a good, decent, honorable man. Not sure what good McConnell has done. He has certainly put power and party gain over everything else, certainly over the good of the country. IMO he is amoral and interested in the pursuit of power alone.
I can compare the parties and the participants with levels of soil. The top layer is very thin, doesn't do much though it looks good. This is often where the Democrats take a stand. Polite, understanding but no answer to the problems we face, nothing to excite the populace. Next comes the top soil where fertile ideas can take root and grow, produce a bounty of kindness, charity, moral decency where most Democrats beliefs lie and need to dig deep into it, bring it up to the light of day and give solace and encouragement to the citizenry of what can be. Next comes the subsoil, a place of c;lay where old undesirable ways remain that keep people from moving forward, finding new ways, forming a body stuck together unable to move on, feet of clay.. Last is a layer of stones, rocks, harsh, hurtful, cruel, harmful rhetoric where nothing can grow but hatred, jealousy, causing a stumbling toward nothingness.
One can give charity of thought, kindness to those who have served, praise them for what they have accomplished with their lives. But there comes a time to say adios. Health must win. It is hard to let go. It is hard to see children grow up and leave the nest; it is hard to leave college days and venture on to the unknown; it is hard to leave youth and grow old; it is hard to see a parent die.. It is hard, but also selfish, to hang on to power when capabilities have lessened and for the good of all others, one must step down. So goodbye Mitch McConnell, Diane Feinstein, the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Let Strom Thurmond continue to be the oldest, retiring at age 99 .
Not Biden. He’s a 10 out of 10 for compassion and 1 out 10 for judge of character. McConnell is one of the most effectively evil Americans to ever live. Whether polio or multiple factors caused malignant narcissism, who knows. But as a politician he has only hurt people and will continue to do so posthumously thru SCOTUS. Calling McConnell a friend is so embarrassing. Use you free phone time to see if Lauri Carletons’ surviving children need a friend,as an example. McConnell has a short, painless absence seizure-so what really? Denying McConnell is an American monster leads ( shouldn’t be anyone’s friend ) leads to dangerous consequences.
If I live to vote again, i will vote for Biden out of obligation, not any desire to do it.
Steven, your continued ability to frame the entire octogenarian establishmentarians in a lens that is at least pre-pandemic and at worst a relic from the 80s, when most of these power-freaks were in their 30s/40s, is beyond belief. And you persist in evading any exploration of the frailties of the current occupant of the White House by blaming the "more cynical" - uh, do you mean those of us with eyeballs and a crazy old uncle who acts just like the President? You say many things about the Bad Orange, but literally nothing about Biden. Hmmm
It is easy to say, let’s attack back. And believe me, I have begged for our elected officials to be more vocal against the barrage of attacks by the GOP.
When I saw the video clip of President Biden graciously defending Senator McConnell, I was filled with pride. Saying out loud we are the better citizens.
I want a communicative leader committed to ethical democratic principles who can gather a diverse team of brilliant, capable civil servants around them to guide and implement our country's progress nationally and in the world. To me their age, gender, race, sexual orientation, faith, ancestry, etc. is inconsequential, but their moral compass and emotional intelligence must be fully operational.
I agrée.
However there comes a time ( beyond our abilities, due to ageing ) ... when it’s time to pass the torch.
As of late, ppl are clinging to power far beyond their capacity.
It’s time to trust the younger generation. Stop with the “ freeze “ moments , stop with the misspoken thoughts, stop with the mumbling, stop with the falling and tripping, stop with the head bowed , just please stop all this.
I’m a Democrat, and my vote will be such. But let us learn to pass the power forward.
Seriously....
Only perfect specimens of human vitality and none with human frailties? That certainly thins the herd. It would seem to also subvert the concept of voter represention. I agree officeholders should be able to carry out their duties. But some of our greatest leaders were not perfect example of mental & physical health. We need representation & leadership with a variety of perspectives. In the 1960s “Don’t trust anyone over 30” quickly faded. Even the guy who coined it was quickly too close to “over 30.”
Most things on the list seem removed from fulfilling the responsibilities of a public office... bowed head (?)... Biden suffered his stroke in 1988. The year he turned 46. Fetterman, a few years older. McConnell and Rep. Cohen of TN both had polio as small children which comes with greater risk of tripping and falls. TFG behaved as he does now all his life.
The House has very young & very senior members. I don’t believe for one moment Pelosi was not up to the Speaker’s job or the ‘younger’ reps would have dealt better with #45. She also had a plan to develop & transition to younger leadership.
Would Mitch be replaced by someone who doesn’t want to shutdown the government? Drama? Promote conspiracies? Or worse?
After his re-election Mitch had the Ky legislature change the process for filling a Senate seat vacated before the end of a term. The Senator’s party chooses (3) candidates for the governor’s appointment. Scary. McConnell is not as scary to me, even with what may be after effects of a concussion. Although I never vote for him & detest his Machiavellian ways, I have a palpable fear of a young energetic arsonist being planted in the Senate.
Europe views US voters as unreliable, thanks to #45. They welcomed Biden - a known entity & well respected. Did not think he could restore US leadership among world powers. They still view US voters skeptically but the view from Europe to India, to Africa etc. is the Biden administration has restored our standing. Our global position is strong. (PEW data, 6/27/2023)
Some have always clung to power for too long, enabled by their voters. How can we change that & not throw the baby (😁) out with the bath water? What sort of Constitutional Amendment is without unintended consequences?
I believe Biden is serving as a highly effective leader. He does not waver under fire. I believe he’s met the mark for what we need at home and globally.
Hi Ann, I would like to give you 5 hearts? Well said.
It’s not that simple.
Nothing ever is.
We are in the fight of our lives. On thé verge of losing our democratic way of life.
We can no loger be gentle , quiet, accepting the crazy insanity around. We need young healthy minds, we need high energy to combat this cruel , deranged enemy.
These are no longer normal times. The past 8 years has taught us.
To ignore the lessons, well then maybe we deserve to lay down and be run over to accept the end.
Makes me wanna weep….
That would pretty much leave out to 99% of Republicans in office. McCarthy should be ashamed of himself – it’s only he had shame.
Exactly like Joe Biden. He is doing a great job under unbelievably negative circumstances left by his predecessor's malignancy..
President Biden has gotten more done in his tenure than any president in my lifetime! He is my hero! His unabashed love for his family and our country is a model for us all! The pain he has endured throughout his life and his responses to that pain have brought him to these moments! He understands other people’s pain and struggles; his empathy is a model for us all--he is not weak though as a result of his empathy. I watched him time and again be defeated in his quest to become leader of the US--this is his time! He is the perfect leader for this moment!!!
We need more leaders like Joe Biden.
I want a leader like Biden. He believes in civility, decorum, and bipartisanship.
It made me angry because I despise McConnell, but Biden’s actions reflect those of a true empathetic gentleman, and a model for all of us to emulate. It’s just sad that his decent action is so much of anomaly today.
We can also be decent when we call out the truth .
Of course. Although your comment seems to imply otherwise, his remarks were truthful while avoiding the trap of wading into the business of the Senate and Kentucky.
Absolutely praise. The kind of leader we wants is one who is kind and strong. Who has the moral compass to know the right thing and the strength to do it. I am reminded of how Lincoln insisted on holding the 1864 presidential election, even during the Civil War, because when it was suggested that he suspend the election in view of the current crisis, he said that to do so would be to have already lost what they were fighting for. A similar situation if we lose our decency in the face of Trump and Trumpism, but we must couple it with the strength to overcome Trump and Trumpism as well
Having a moral compass is key.
In showing support of Sen. McConnell, Joe Biden displayed his preference (his knack) for doing the right thing, and the really right thing. Though knifing O'Connell would have been understandable, and perhaps deserved, Biden is smart enough to know that the devil he does know is better than those currently aligned to replace him. Moreover, that’s inconsistent with his moral compass.
It is also why he is able to work with others & accomplish things.
Biden could have told the truth , without knifing Mitch.
It’s called kind truth.
President Biden is a leader in a pool of politicians with a dearth of actual leaders. Mitch McConnell has been an avowed obstructionist since the days of Barack Obama, and announced as much to the world. I really have little to no sympathy for McConnell and his kind. They are destroyers; not builders. We have become a nation at war with itself.
Like it or not, our empire is dying. Having grown up in the 1950s and come of age in the 1960s, I have witnessed the steady decline of our nation. The fabric of the United States is being torn, nearly threadbare. Who will save her/us? I likely will be dead when this country's final death knell has rung. All the better, as I do not savor the thought of witnessing her last breath as a constitutional democratic republic.
Face value. That's the whole story. By its fruit the tree is known.
Every day, both McConnell and Biden show us who and what they are. All you need to do it see what is right in front of your nose.
I choose President Biden.
I originally voted for Hillary because I wanted her to break that glass ceiling. Honestly, I do not believe she would have put together as strong a team that Biden has. Not certain anyone could. He is a true diplomat as he wades through the daggers that are thrown at him every single day. He has been touched by tragedies so he “gets” the sadness and despair common folk experience. A decent man. Mitch, however, is one I despise. I call him the devil incarnate. He offers nothing but hatefulness while raking in Russia dough for himself.
He had so many better choices after the former guy’s destruction of the normalcy of diplomacy to choose from the best team. And the people we don’t hear about who are in there fighting the internal factions who self identified during the djt term. Makes it easier to do the right thing, when one is predisposed to the right thing anyway. The self identification by the worst of us sure has helped find the best.
Thank you for writing what some of us thought about but could not put into words on paper. You are amazing and a gift that keeps on giving. I appreciate your thoughts and say it over and over please keep writing . Your words are the help in trying to be hopeful.
Thank you, Patricia.
I agree completely. I am saddened though by MSM failure to acknowledge and commend the empathy with which he approaches others. Not only have his policies improved our lives, but his way of being exemplifies what is best about our country.
I want leaders who represent their people constituents, not their corporate ones. Leaders who take seriously their oaths of office to defend the country from all adversaries, foreign and domestic, especially in this time of so many adverse to constitutional principles such as checks and balances and equal treatment under the law. And I want citizens, not just leaders, to care about those things, real freedom, ie civil rights, and grounded in saving the world and country for future generations.
I choose Joe Biden because he has great empathy and is a real human being. Joe has developed a great capacity to show love and care because he has suffered much. Joe, like the rest of us, is far from perfect, but he displays great strength in not being afraid to admit he has made mistakes. Joe is leading us to the kind of country that I would like to see us become. One that is not a greedy nation, but one that tackles our problems head on, and he demonstrates that when we work together we are truly loving our neighbors as ourselves, and there isn’t any problem we cannot collectively solve where everyone benefits.
Bidenesque, every single time.
President Biden, aside from understanding Mitch, knows better than to weigh in on internal matters in the Senate. There is no perceived benefit to joining the chatter on trying to force Mitch out. If the long shot succeeded, the Senate could devolve into Chaos Chamber II. Biden has more to get done.
Today, DEsantis secure in the knowledge Biden will not threaten to withhold assistance pretended Biden wanted to meet him in still devastated areas rural FL and would have disrupted recovery efforts. Biden undeterred, is continuing with the previously planned itinerary. An itinerary planned in coordination with DEsantis, Biden and FEMA which was announced by FEMA yesterday. Rick Scott, up for re-election, appeared happy to join the president DEsantisless. Biden will do his job regardless.
Calm, stable, empathetic with a vision for the future of the Country. The seasoned leadership we need in salty times. Personal criticism, threats & pettiness do not derail him. He knows how things work. He understands people on all sides of an issue. He is not going to deviate from what needs to be done to engage in nonsense. That’s why Biden was elected and why we still need him.
My respect for President Biden continues to grow.
Joe Biden is class, grace and dignity personified!
Biden
Joe Biden is a decent human being. He's the kind of person I want to represent me in government. What he said about Mitch is who he is. He could have used Mitch's problems for his own gain, but he didn't and wouldn't. As to his age, I think he's in very good shape. He exercises and takes care of himself. I don't care if he's old; he's younger than me and is doing just fine. I'll be voting for him in 2024.
He did what a good man does. I on the other hand have no kind words for McConnell based on the things described in your blog and then some.
Here I am because I like getting things off my list of “things that depress me, and wish I could change”. I know that at my age now, I would expect no less from President Biden. I believe he deserves to be in office right now due to his knowledge and kindness for “folks”. He is so real, so right. (Not going to waste my time on Mitch, you have all have covered that)
In all the years that they were constituents, there had to be a bond between the men or at the least just being our President and would never wish bad on many. (Too bad he has to endure the personal attacks everyday from the r’s. Nobody deserves what he is living through.)
“We The People” just want Justice and have this whole attack on us to stop. Our Constitution, Rule of Law and the HATE that has escalated for the last 8 years from “tfg” and all that don’t stand up to him...look where we are. President Biden was “groomed” for this time, we must respect him for all he has done. Yes, we do need younger minds, but, I believe he is where he should be for our Country right NOW. We will get there after this fight is “justified in the Court as it should be. I am, as you, putting a lot of trust that this will happen. That all the powers that have been entrusted to our Justice Department will follow their Oaths and close this “large chapter” for good. 🇺🇸
I am so grateful for leaders like Joe Biden who don't forget the regular people and work each day for the common good. I completely understand to know nothing of how these politicians get votes, only that evidence proves they are guilty criminals. The system needs to be changed to represent the common good and stop having taxpayers pay for contributing millionaire wealth. Citizen's United hurt our country. It is time we institute term limits and a way for citizens to decide who is on the Supreme Court, term limits, and terminated when laws are followed.
Decency matters. Intelligence matter. MATURITY matters. Just say NO to a toddler screaming kkkult leader bent on revenge
I think President Biden deserves praise for modeling
kindness and compassion. Trump followers believe
kindness is weakness, but they’re wrong.
They are both products of another time in the Senate - when there was compromise and bipartisan work on issues important to the American people. Obviously for McConnell a Black man as president was a bridge too far- as well as the GOP- so we get the absolute worst human being, the absolute worst president ever because a Black man was president and smarter than most people. Biden doesn’t have to say anything about McConnell’s politics - he said something about his health. Biden is a people person and won’t insult anyone publicly. That’s who he is and who he will always be and why he was elected after the criminal lost.
I agree with most of what you say, except the Obama/McConnell situation. He watches for the right time & buttons to push for more power. Takes the political temp of his caucus & voters. Everything is a potential strength or weakness to be leveraged, preferably without finger prints. GOP in the WH + Elaine gets a Cabinet appointment = Power.
He has no problem promoting Black candidates among his mentees. Former staffer running for gov, Daniel Cameron. McConnell support was crucial for him to become KY’s first Black AG. (DJT put him on a long list of potential SCOTUS nominees.) He may be in the WH queue.
A way to siphon off some Black voters who thought a Black man would be more fair. Worked somewhat in the bid for AG. Won’t happen post-Breonna Taylor case.
These days McConnell is reaping at a most inconvenient time unintended consequences of ideas he proposed as he painted Obama as a prez who wouldn’t work with the GOP - to shift blame. Chaos Caucus desire to defund has GOP fingerprints all over it. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna40007802
Kindness is never out of place.
Democrats are upset because Mitch did what they would have done in the same situation when Mitch prevented the appointment of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. It's politics, man! These two were friends since they were in the Senate, and I believe this friendship probably allowed for much of what Biden has accomplished in Congress. Back when, there was cooperation and legitimate negotiation and discussion, and compromises, among the leaders of both parties. Nixon and Reagan started the "Southern Strategy" that brought the Dixiecrats into the Republican Party, and then the consistent move they took the GOP to the far right to what we have today, Evangelical radicalism, my way or the highway. I do not believe that Mitch is that much of a right-wing radical, but he is a true conservative and possibly the core of a revitalized Republican Party, if that's possible. The MAGAs have broken the GOP so badly, something else will possibly need to be created.
Graciousness should always be held in high esteem. I sent out a post yesterday on this very theme about Churchill's Eulogy for his bitter rival Neville Chamberlain. I looked at it as a Legacy Test and found it relevant to all of us as we decide our personal behavior.
https://robertsdavidn.substack.com/p/churchills-eulogy-for-chamberlain
robertsdavidn.substack.com/about (free)
I enjoy leaders who can follow the social contract of kindness, rather than using "gotchas" to deride someone else. I do not need that in my leaders- I object to campaign slogans where they will fight for our rights, etc. I would rather that they convince others to write those rights into law, figure out a third way to solve problems and not try to cheat the system. I also enjoy someone who can give a great transformational speech to explain things. So candidates with a useful, educated by life or school background, who will do the actual work are important to me. Too many are skilled in obtaining donations for the party, making connections with lobbyists to write laws and who insist on voting one way or the other. The Republican contract really irritates me to this day: selling committee memberships for money is so detrimental to our system that depends on well thought out solutions to ongoing problems. Right now, we have infrastructure problems due to lack of effort, but our future now will be grim due to misuse of resources leading to climate change and allowances for criminals in office. I am old, but will always vote and volunteer for those who are the least of us.
Trump never explained anything. He’s just one puff off smoke after another. Slogans hate bile. He’s inarticulate
As far as McConnell goes, I have only opinion and it does not favor his tenure.
Try to imagine a clone of Rand Paul or Rep. Comer as his replacement. It may make it easier to tolerate.
Biden can’t say a word about stepping down because that is a GOP talking point to oust Biden. Biden did the right thing and took the higher road. He let others do the talking for him.
True. Also true that any leader who did that publicly would make matters worse.
Biden was beyond polite.
In times where we are on the verge of losing our democracy, this polite protocol can do more damage to our current unstable democracy.
Perhaps J, Biden was projecting his own aging years. The important thing here is that we call out the truth to what appears Mitch needs to step down.
We need to quit placating, and being ‘ nice ‘ to the absurdity of it all.
I will vote démocrate no matter what, but President Biden himself is waning in energy, mental acuity and strength. It pains me to hear his often very weak voice, mumbling, and so forth.
He’s a good man who has served his country well....but it’s time he passes the torch to much younger, much more energised, much more fit.... there are many waiting in the shadows who can beat the living crap outta the maniacal, crazed, would be dictator D Trump.
Our country is in shambles.. we need to quit the Mr. Or MS. Nice guy BS.
Fight fire with fire, as is evidenced ...polite won’t work.
J M O.
Thank you
Hey Lori, President Biden may have a weak voice
but so far, he has a strong mind. He has a great
team that has accomplished a lot in 3 years.
(for ordinary people--not the 1% or corporations)
But Biden set the tone, the direction and conveyed
what he wants to accomplish. We need to re-elect him because even if he is unable to complete a second term, his administration and V.P. Harris
will continue to finish the job. Even if another dem
wins the election there’s no guarantee a different
dem president will want to build on President
Biden’s accomplishments or even continue in the same direction.
It was Biden’s place to decide McConnell needed to step down? That McConnell is incompetent to be in the Senate &/or no longer competent to be the minority leader?
He should contradict medical opinions to say those things as you believe he is ‘waning in ... mental acuity”? Well, you have provided the substance of likely responses/memes/ads from the GOP who long for such a misstep.
As a practical matter and a matter of law, the president has 0 say. An opposing party would never let it appear they were influenced by the opposition. “Oh, of course... Hey, Mitch, don’t let the door ...” Uh, no. The resulting hostility would slow McConnell’s leaving not move it up. He’s already set a plan for succession if he were to leave during a term.
Responding with advice on that matter would go down as one of the biggest Biden verbal blunder of all time. It would certainly poison the air and the water.
The only tools a president has for working with the House & Senate are: knowledge, good will, his word, compromise and the veto.
On a more distantly related matter the Governor’s race in Ky ... We are trying very hard to hang on to a Dem governor who has a good chance of being re-elected. The GOP is worried. It will be close. Their candidate is a Mitch guy and former staffer. Their campaign advisors would cut off their right arms for a Biden answer along the lines you insist was needed. Other elections around the country are in similar situations.
Although less than a majority of voters these days, there are still many many Boomers voting. I’m in my early 70s. For 20 yrs or so I’ve heard we are ‘in the way’, not keeping up, eventually we became the cause of all problems ... and my fave - selfish for continuing to work as the same folks advocated for ending pensions and social security. Retired, I’m not the only Boomer to find some humor in the shortage of workers these days. A generational tug of war is normal; sometimes more merited than others. Taken too far there are undesirable consequences.
Biden is a good, decent, honorable man. Not sure what good McConnell has done. He has certainly put power and party gain over everything else, certainly over the good of the country. IMO he is amoral and interested in the pursuit of power alone.
Bingo!
I can compare the parties and the participants with levels of soil. The top layer is very thin, doesn't do much though it looks good. This is often where the Democrats take a stand. Polite, understanding but no answer to the problems we face, nothing to excite the populace. Next comes the top soil where fertile ideas can take root and grow, produce a bounty of kindness, charity, moral decency where most Democrats beliefs lie and need to dig deep into it, bring it up to the light of day and give solace and encouragement to the citizenry of what can be. Next comes the subsoil, a place of c;lay where old undesirable ways remain that keep people from moving forward, finding new ways, forming a body stuck together unable to move on, feet of clay.. Last is a layer of stones, rocks, harsh, hurtful, cruel, harmful rhetoric where nothing can grow but hatred, jealousy, causing a stumbling toward nothingness.
One can give charity of thought, kindness to those who have served, praise them for what they have accomplished with their lives. But there comes a time to say adios. Health must win. It is hard to let go. It is hard to see children grow up and leave the nest; it is hard to leave college days and venture on to the unknown; it is hard to leave youth and grow old; it is hard to see a parent die.. It is hard, but also selfish, to hang on to power when capabilities have lessened and for the good of all others, one must step down. So goodbye Mitch McConnell, Diane Feinstein, the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Let Strom Thurmond continue to be the oldest, retiring at age 99 .
Not Biden. He’s a 10 out of 10 for compassion and 1 out 10 for judge of character. McConnell is one of the most effectively evil Americans to ever live. Whether polio or multiple factors caused malignant narcissism, who knows. But as a politician he has only hurt people and will continue to do so posthumously thru SCOTUS. Calling McConnell a friend is so embarrassing. Use you free phone time to see if Lauri Carletons’ surviving children need a friend,as an example. McConnell has a short, painless absence seizure-so what really? Denying McConnell is an American monster leads ( shouldn’t be anyone’s friend ) leads to dangerous consequences.
If I live to vote again, i will vote for Biden out of obligation, not any desire to do it.
Steven, your continued ability to frame the entire octogenarian establishmentarians in a lens that is at least pre-pandemic and at worst a relic from the 80s, when most of these power-freaks were in their 30s/40s, is beyond belief. And you persist in evading any exploration of the frailties of the current occupant of the White House by blaming the "more cynical" - uh, do you mean those of us with eyeballs and a crazy old uncle who acts just like the President? You say many things about the Bad Orange, but literally nothing about Biden. Hmmm
I’ve never seen Biden do anything crazy. Mean Stupid or criminal
He was mean to Anita Hill.
Ok yes
Perhaps you’re right. But I’m still very upset all these years later she wasn’t believed...or if she was, they didn’t care.
time will tell - feels like the walls are closing in and it's worse than Watergate.
It is easy to say, let’s attack back. And believe me, I have begged for our elected officials to be more vocal against the barrage of attacks by the GOP.
When I saw the video clip of President Biden graciously defending Senator McConnell, I was filled with pride. Saying out loud we are the better citizens.
Anne Sharon,
I’m not engaging in a political debate with you here.
I was merely expressing my point of view.
Have a nice day
Thank D.L. good thoughts.