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FROM MY CORNER: An Even Hand

Howell Hurst American News, People Politics

It intrigues me to observe that for the first time in over four years some republicans and some democrats are actually talking to one another in person, and that their thoughts are being reported on by the working press.

A sailing buddy of mine recently asked me if I thought Mr. Biden had any idea how to manage a government. Well, yes, I do think Mr. Biden is a competent manipulator of the gears of our ship of state.

No one, Trump nor Biden, can dominate that big boat. That’s the beauty of it. The U.S. ship of state is so vast and diverse and decentralized, it takes an immensely crafty fellow to maneuver its tiller effectively.

Mr. Biden ran for office on the basic premise that he is a pretty ordinary guy with a lot of valuable experience. That’s a marvelous political theme, easy to present, likeable by ordinary people, and resonating for lots of Americans. It’s not that simple to pull off, however.

Joe does it rather well. Whether you remain a still loyal Trumper or lean toward Mr. Biden’s view of the world, if you deny he’s got democrats and republicans finally talking together you need to head forthwith to the nearest psychiatrist and have your brain gears inspected.

I was going to copy and reprint all the press-reported quotes from democrats and republicans how they are talking to one another some, but I don’t want to simplify the phenomenon for you. Go read the news, whether Fox, or BBC, ABC, CBS, NBC, or whatever. Check it out yourself.

Some members of the two parties are actually discussing details about what might make a revitalization of America’s infrastructure work for us all. They are disagreeing, discussing, arguing, and focusing part of their brains to that effort.

That is encouraging. In the midst of it, Biden is being criticized because he does not stand up  and loudly proclaim his views, but often says them very quietly, sometimes almost in a whisper. Thank you. Finally, a politician who can speak in a normal voice.

The Trumpian chaos still exists. However, the moderately presented words of Joe Biden deserve everyone’s attention. We’ve heard enough autocratic, illogical, frantic, rhetoric to last us for a while.

Rhetorical moderation reflects intellectual poise. Biden doesn’t claim to be a genius as Trump did. He’s just a guy who has spent decades pursuing a goal. And he’s finally got it. And it’s not some grandstanding platform for him to shoot off his mouth from.

It’s what it is: the most formidable bully pulpit on earth. And he has a knack for it. He owns it for the next several years. Anyone who hasn’t the sense to see he’s good for America and the world right now is missing the point.

Any who still snuggle up to the previous master of lying, who alone helped dismantle rational media conversation, ought to scrub his little grey brain cells with Tide. Biden is taking thinking from the far left and the far right and pasting together something that is still keeping 2/3rds of us pretty much on track with him.

Is he reflective of ordinary people? Yeah, pretty much so.

He’s known for his verbal gaffs, for his mistakes, and for his acknowledgment of them. That sure puts him in my books head and shoulders over the egocentric who was just tossed off onto the side of the road and is still blustering incoherently.

Common sense is not perfect. It makes gaffs and mistakes. But since it is so common among all of us, and all of us are what constitute America, I’ll embrace Biden’s common sense Democracy. I sleep better knowing the guy now in charge is viewed by most of the leaders of the developed world as someone to respect.

A little respect after the tumultuous four-year circus we just lived through means a lot to me.

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