Liberal Forum

Watching Biden's speech last night and then again today, I was reminded that good governance can be dull. Filled with dry and dusty things like plans, facts, details, knowledge of how government works, intricate assessment of problems and how to fix them.
And good governance lacks things like insulting the people whose votes you need, promising fully developed plans in two weeks for projects upon which you have no intention of spending even five minutes, ad-libs that send a ripple of laughter through your audience and shudders of concern from watching psychiatrists.
Biden did more presidenting in an hour yesterday than Trump did in four years.
Presidenting does not need to be flashy. It does not need to produce goosebumps.
In his good days Biden was never a stemwinder. Young people don't cut class to hear him speak. He rarely transports listeners to the mountaintop. He won't bring tears to your eyes. He might even bore you.
But here's what he will do. He'll put in the work. He will read. He will study. He will know his stuff. He will persuade behind the scenes. He will manage the problem. He will get results. He will empathize. He will care.
And here's what he won't do. He won't golf while hundreds of thousands of Americans die. He won't spend all day obsessing about his image on TV. He won't send his aides out with a plan only to undercut that plan with a tweet an hour later. He won't send loving letters to dictators while alienating our allies. He won't suggest bleach as a solution to a deadly problem. He won't leave office as ignorant as the day he entered. And he won't lead an insurrection against his country.
He will accept his defeats as gracefully as he'll deflect praise to his associates.
Biden won't be flashy. But he will be competent.
He won't thrill. Unless thrill is a vaccine in your arm and more money to your name.
You won't obsess over his every pronouncement. But you will sleep better at night ...