We don’t put too much political stuff out – that’s not the point of this website. But I wrote a note of advice to President-Elect Trump after the 2016 election and figured I’d do the same for President-Elect Biden and VP-Elect Harris.
Joe Biden ran on a very simple premise: To Restore the Soul of America. He saw President Trump as an outright danger to the country and saw the path we were heading down as losing our soul. The division, hatred, bigotry, intolerance, nepotism, and crony-capitalism of the Trump era is why Biden chose to run. He cites the now infamous Trump quote about “there were good people on both sides” as his turning point towards running.
So without digging any more into Trump and his failures, let’s begin advising Joe Biden:
Congratulations on your historic victory. You earned more votes than any candidate in history. That’s amazing and shows your appeal. President Trump also earned more votes than any candidate, other than you, in history which shows his appeal. The nation is divided, clearly.
In your various speeches, you talk about being an American President – not one for Democrats or Republicans. Not punishing those who didn’t support you or rewarding those who did. You promise to do what’s best for ALL Americans. Uphold that promise. It’s the most important – especially after the last 4 years.
As tempting as it might be, and as much as your fellow Democrats might scream, your mandate is to rebuild the center. Avoid straying too far left. That’s not the message that’s been sent my the citizens. We want someone to bring us back to an era of collaboration and reaching across the aisle. The Republicans might scoff at that notion in the beginning, but we need to restore decency. If anything your campaign was about being decent to each other.
Get us through the pandemic. Listening to experts sounds pretty logical, but common sense solutions to slow the spread (like masks) have become political statements. I hope we’re not too far down the path to correct this horrible mistake. Continue to set a good example of wearing masks when appropriate and doing your best to socially distance. We got some great news on a vaccine this morning, but getting it dispersed will take a long time. We can’t let down our guards.
Fix healthcare. Obamacare was dismantled by the Republicans when they removed the individual mandate. Fix it, improve it, and get it done. Having healthcare tied to a job or employment slows down our economic engine. Purchasing healthcare in the marketplace is insanely priced. Let’s lower the cost of insurance and healthcare costs while distancing the need to have a job to get decent healthcare. Americans spend the most, per capita, but have pretty middle-of-the-road health outcomes. We’re doing something wrong vs. the rest of the world.
Combat climate change. Rejoin the Paris Climate Accord. It might not be perfect, but moving together as a globe is the only way to solve the problem. Let’s become leaders in sustainability!
Finally, restore our standing in the world. We became the laughingstock of the developed world. We should be the leader. We need to be friends with our friends and not put undue stress on those relationships. Europe isn’t an enemy. They should be at the top of our list. Canada and Mexico as well, obviously, as fellow inhabitants of North America. We should be a shining beacon for the world. Do your best to make that our role once again.
We wish you the best of luck and success in the next 4 years. As the saying goes: Your success is our success. And we need to get a lot done.
Congratulations!