Meanwhile, government is happening

"Landslide victory" "Swindled" "FAKE NEWS"

     Donald Trump.

 "Republicans, Democrats reach compromise over COVID-19 relief package"

        Headline, NBC News

The world is moving on, but Trump is still the bright, shiny light. 

There are more headlines like the one at NBC. Fox News headlines "Toomey, Schumer reportedly reach agreement on COVID". The Washington Post headlines "Lawmakers reach compromise on GOP proposal to rein in Fed". The NY Post headlines, "Congress reaching deal on $900 billion COVID-19 relief package".

Meanwhile, in other news President Elect Joe Biden is filling out his cabinet nominations with people who seem competent and mildly surprising in a pleasant but unexceptional way. A Native American woman, an attorney and Member of Congress, is nominated for Secretary of the Interior; this sounds about right and high time, since that department manages the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Janet Yellen is nominated for Secretary of the Treasury; as a former Fed Chair, it makes sense. Pete Buttigieg as Transportation Secretary doesn't surprise; he's a policy wonk and smart as a whip; let's see what he can do.

Meanwhile, too, Biden is saying sensible things on the foreign policy front. We have just learned that there was a massive hack of the federal government's computer systems, endangering national security agencies, our power grid, our technology companies. CNN's Fareed Zakaria's show this morning, as I write, displays a headline calling it "Cyber Pearl Harbor."

Biden said it was an outrage, that we would harden our defenses, work with our allies, and form a coordinated response that would force Russia to pay a significant price. That sounds reasonable under the circumstances.

Meanwhile, too, Biden is speaking out about COVID, observing the rising case load and death count, urging public support for the vaccine, getting the vaccination on TV, planning a public health response involving masks and social distancing, encouraging a Congressional deal to get money into the hands of people most financially hurt by the COVID shutdowns. There is nothing particularly surprising about what he is saying and doing on COVID. Leaders in Canada, the UK, the Euro-zone are doing and saying similar things.

Biden's work seems competent. Reasonable. Unexceptional. Donald Trump was right. Joe Biden is "Sleepy Joe." Where's the excitement in simply doing a job the way intelligent, competent, experienced people do things?

Biden is bringing Americans off the sugar-high of Trump, and we are going cold turkey. Biden is the C-SPAN of the TV dial, TV worth watching but nowhere near as interesting as a man who says crazy things that could get us all killed. Trump is not fading quietly away. He is re-tweeting people who are calling for a revolution.

Trump continues to say that the election was stolen, that the Democrats have perpetrated a giant conspiracy to reverse his tremendous landslide win. His White House is making news for leaking that aides are trying to discourage him from invoking the Insurrection Act, declaring marshal law, and using the military to patrol the streets while a new election is held in six states. 

Notwithstanding his own Secretary of State going rogue and publicly condemning Russian hacking, Trump is calling the reports "FAKE NEWS" in all caps, saying the attack was not all that serious and it was probably the Chinese.

Plus, there are reports of upcoming pardons of his family and maybe himself.

American government is beginning to settle back down into mere everyday competence, passing a law that will help Americans get by during a pandemic crisis. There is a difference between competent government and Jerry Springer TV couples shouting over DNA tests. Democracy involves battles over provisions in bills. Should the Fed have authority to buy corporate bonds in a crisis? Should employers have limited immunity from lawsuits if employees get COVID? Is $300/week in enhanced unemployment for people laid off from COVID enough, or too much? This is the stuff of legislation, carried out by Article One decision-makers.

Trump is Article Two. The executive, a focal point, the guy who can act decisively and say whatever he wants on TV, and people will watch. 

Real government is slow. We can already see that Biden intends to be president, not showman. His ratings will be way down compared to Trump. The hard work of government is slow, muddled, and boring when compare with a president shouting "Fire!" in a crowded theater. 

Trump is no longer center stage, but he has not yet stopped trying to be the center of attention. It is time for Trump addicts to get clean.