Experience matters. Empathy matters. Openness to new ideas matters.
It's more than just being not-Trump. Joe Biden would be a good president.
"By combining his experience, leadership, and humility, Mr. Biden will restore dignity to the office of President, and provide a solid platform to move our country into the future."
Hogan Sherrow, Campaign Consultant
Swing-vote Americans have become uncomfortable with Donald Trump. A big majority think the country is going in the "wrong direction," and he is getting the blame. His policy of political divide-and-conquer worked--and still might--but now, in the face of a weak economy, the virus coming back, and George Floyd's death, people are saying they want a unifier. That isn't Trump.
Being not-Trump won't be enough. Voters have to like Biden enough to withstand the upcoming Trump attack which will depict Biden a corrupt, demented socialist.
Is there a positive case for Biden? A Guest Post says "yes."
Dr. Hogan Sherrow is an Anthropologist who used to study chimpanzee politics in their natural habitat in East Africa. Here in the states he uses his knowledge and training to advise political campaigns as the principal consultant for You Evolving, LLC (www.you-evolving.com). He has has worked on local, state, and federal campaigns and volunteered for Senator Biden as a speech editor and consultant in 2005 and 2006, and the Obama/Biden campaigns in 2008 and 2012 in Southeast Ohio.
Yesterday the Guest Post looked at Biden's weaknesses. Today a Guest Post looks at his strengths.
Yesterday the Guest Post looked at Biden's weaknesses. Today a Guest Post looks at his strengths.
Guest Post, by Hogan Sherrow.
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| Hogan Sherrow |
"In 2016 America tried an experiment. We allowed an individual with no experience in elected office to ascend to the highest office in the land. Over the past three years, we have watched our government move from crisis to crisis, while the West Wing has hemorrhaged staff at a record breaking pace. The current administration has a particularly tough time retaining top advisory positions. This year we have watched as the self-proclaimed “greatest economy in the history of the world” was brought to its knees by the arrogance and ineptitude of the person in the Oval office. Then, as the scourge of systemic racism in the United States reared its ugly head once again in the form of four police killing George Floyd, Mr. Trump failed spectacularly by promoting division, calling for militant crackdowns on protestors, and ordering attacks on US citizens.
In 2020 we have learned that experience counts.
Experience. Joe Biden embodies experience at all levels of government and service, and has spent his adult life serving our country. He is a master tactician in dealing with Congress, a highly respected international diplomat, and has been in the situation room and at the table when the toughest decisions have been made. Biden’s deep understanding of the workings of Congress will be critical at a period when the partisan divide is perhaps as deep as it has ever been.
International Respect. Beyond his ability to navigate Congress, Biden’s international reputation is sorely needed. We have become the laughingstock of the world, with leaders declining meetings with Trump and our place as a world leader all but vanished. Mr. Biden is highly respected around the world as a leader and spokesman for our country. When then candidate Obama approached Joe Biden to be his running mate, he was debating whether or not Biden would be better as Vice President or Secretary of State. By choosing Joe Biden as Vice President he got a diplomat, a statesman, and someone who has the experience to run our country. Now, we have the opportunity to put that experience to work for our country.
Empathetic Leadership. Joe Biden has served in leadership roles throughout the Federal Government, and over the past two weeks he has shown us what an American leader should be. He has shown us that empathy is a trait we need in our leaders, not something we should abandon for barbaric tribalism.
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| Biden meeting with Firefighters Union |
Coalition Builder. As a Senator, Biden served as Chair of both the Senate Foreign Relations and the Senate Judiciary Committees, displaying the ability to reach across the aisle, with the strength needed to stand his ground. Over the years Biden has been instrumental in whipping up support for the passage of important and sometimes controversial legislation, and he continues to be held in high regard in Congress. One of the key characteristics Biden will bring to the role of President is the ability to attract other progressive and Democratic leaders in a broad coalition that will move our country forward. He has already demonstrated this ability by recruiting Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Chair the Climate Change Task Force of his campaign. AOC campaigned hard for Bernie Sanders, but jumped at the chance to work with Biden and move his platform forward. While we still don’t know who Biden’s running mate will be, we do know that it will be a woman who is prepared to step into the role of President on day one.
Willing to incorporate new ideas. Biden is humble and understands that he doesn’t have all the answers. His willingness to listen to new ideas, and incorporate new thinking into his own positions may be his greatest strength. This was never more apparent than when Biden embraced the Green New Deal as part of his climate change policy. Biden demonstrated he is willing to listen to new ideas, and adopted a far more progressive position than his original one, and adopted a strong climate change policy, based on the best available science. He is not the kind of leader who will insist that he, “…has the best words,” or that only he can solve the problems of our country. For voters who are worried that Biden isn’t progressive enough, this is his most promising trait. His track record shows that he will listen, and he will respond when a strong, convincing argument is made.
To some he may not seem like an “alpha”, but he has a different, more subtle approach. He is strong enough to be humble. He will listen to experts, read intelligence briefings, and respond to his allies, allowing him to be an effective, proactive leader. The balance Joe Biden strikes between strength, humility, and empathy is what genuine leadership is made of, and what our country needs, now more than ever."
5 comments:
If the standard for being the Democratic nominee is simply not being Trump or like Trump, and having government experience and the ability to address race and inequality, then there is no questioning the qualifications of Kamala Harris, Stacy Abrams, Corey Booker, Deval Patrick and Julian Castro. The nomination of Joe Biden will be a lasting stain on the credibility of the Democratic party.
Since his abominable treatment of Anita Hill to his vicious crack down on street crime, aka blacks and the urban poor, to his continuing hesitation on a committing to a black woman VP nominee which he should have announced as the only VP candidates under consideration, I have considered Biden just shy of being a closet racist. He is not as big a liar as Trump, but he is right up there as a purveyor of self-aggrandizing falsehoods and ridiculous personal narratives at the black neighborhood swimming pool and having "marched" with Dr. King. He even has the fraudster connection to his son that Trump does to his.
Joe Biden is an embarrassment and his nomination is the product of a failing and broken party. If we judge a party by whom it nominates, as we do the GOP for nominating Trump, then we deserve scorn and ridicule for nominating an old while establishment politician fast receding from his imbecility to the accelerating onset of dementia. What an embarrassment and racial and gender insult it is that he is our pick in 2020.
Hopefully, he will be dumped at the convention. I think it is possible.
If it weren’t for George Floyd and Trump being such a dumpster fire, this hardline identity politics would backfire. As it is it will take longer.
No I’m not optimistic.
Btw, no one still cares about the cold blooded police murder in Eagle Point in 2018 of Matthew Graves.
http://mailtribune.com/news/crime-courts-emergencies/raw-video-released-in-eagle-point-police-shooting
Meanwhile, I’m not only doubtful that America CAN get past its racial history, but even that it wants to.
African American voters in the south voted as a block and chose Joe Biden. Seems pretty crazy to say now that we must dump Biden for a black nominee. Voters had the chance to get behind Cory Booker or Kamala Harris, but did not do so.
Trump is so awful that Biden might well win. I've no confidence in that outcome, however, and this essay about the wonders of Biden is just ridiculous.
Biden has exhibited no empathy whatsoever for young Americans choking on student loan debt, or poor and middle-class Americans choking on credit card debt. His entire career has been spent in the service of credit card companies and the big banks, allowing them to strip Americans of money and homes with impunity.
The biggest decision of Biden's career, the vote to go to war in Iraq, he got wrong. Where is this mythical good judgement that people see in Biden? People marched, called, begged, pleaded for Democrats to vote NO on the Iraq War, but we couldn't get Biden, Kerry, or Clinton to stand up to W. The peace activists did not fall in line and vote for Kerry or Clinton, I wouldn't count on them voting for Biden. He may well make it 0 for 3 in Democrats electing a nominee who voted to authorize the Iraq War.
The DC Establishment has failed the American people so miserably that they elected a reality TV blowhard to the White House. Telling the people they must return to the old status quo as the only option to Trump doesn't really seem like a winning strategy.
The debates here still seem to be around substance rather than perception and identity. Back in 2004 a little-known but important book was published called The Culting of Brands: Turn Your Customers into True Believers. The author spent years studying the paradoxes of cults and created a kind of guidebook that marketers could use attract and create loyal followings. Trump has shown his genius for creating a powerful brand (i.e. MAGA) and a loyal base followers who have cult-like devotion. Part of the allure of cults is that followers think they are both individually special and part of something special that outsiders don't "get". Could be any of us. Probably is.
The polls seem to show growing disaffection for Trump from the middle, but as Guyer and others state, there's no compelling alternative brand or slogan that can unite people in any meaningful way. "Any Functioning Adult 2020" will not win an election.
Historians think the American Revolution only had about 40% support. That's all Trump needs to keep his regime on its destructive path
Like it or not, the Democrats have little choice in the matter but to support Joe Biden. Until the present crop of gun advocates and ignoranuses drop dead there will be no sudden swing to the left in this nation no matter how badly one is needed. Selecting a black female as the Democratic nominee for vice president is an incredibly stupid idea and would sink the ticket. Despite being a strong candidate with a record of service to this nation, HIllary faced a Republican hit squad that persuaded a majority of voters that she was the second coming of Lucretia Borgia. While George Floyd's egregious murder has finally tipped the balance and verified the black community's repeated plaints, the Trump constituency is intact. Bigots NEVER become unbigoted, they enter the privacy of the voting booth and express their bigotry by supporting bigots like Donald Trump and his evil assistant, William Barr. A viable choice for the vice presidency slot would be a moderate liberal Democrat like Governor Steve Bullock of Montana is available. Bullock is 53 years of age and has governed the state of Montana extremely well, managing to coexist with the state's primarily Republican office holders by adopting a pragmatic approach in his efferts to improve the lot of his fellow Americans. He is experienced, smart, young, (53) and still married to his first wife. The only downside to his nomination would be that he is presently running for the Senate, where change is desperately needed. But as Biden's age is certain to be discussed over and over as a crucial factor in the presidential equation, a relatively younger, and more vigorous person should be considered. I might add that Donald Trump has amply demonstated that inexperienced presidents are a detriment to this nation and none of the black female candidates constitute the embodiment of wisdom and experience. Steve Bullock is far and away the most viable and best choice for the vice-presidency. Let's not burden Joe anymore than the years already have.
Bob Warren
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