Very few people besides Joe Biden could pull this off
Opinion by
Columnist
November 11, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. CST
President-elect
Joe Biden on Tuesday showed why he might be the only politician who could pull
off a transition in the middle of a pandemic with a delusional incumbent who
will not admit to losing.
Biden
is embracing his inner Mr. Rogers. At a news conference, he was reassuring,
specific and calm. In measured tones, he took Republicans to task for seeking
in the Supreme Court what they could not achieve in Congress — complete repeal
of the Affordable Care Act. They might be up to their old tricks, Biden seemed
to say, but not to worry: “We’re going to do everything in our power to ease
the burden of health care on you and your families,” Biden said.
His
experience of decades in government and his willingness to surround himself
with smart, well-connected people allowed him to roll out dozens of names for
his transition team. These people know what goes on in the massive executive
branch and what tasks they face; they don’t need Trump administration officials
— many of whom are unqualified and hostile to the mission of their agencies — to
lead them around. Biden is organized, and he’s focused. The White House staff
and the Cabinet will get rolled out in due course.
Reporters
did their best to press him, in effect asking whether President Trump is
screwing up his transition. Nope, everything is moving ahead: “Well, first of
all, we’re already beginning the transition. We’re well underway,” Biden said. “And the ability
for the administration in any way, by failure to recognize our win, there’s not
a change to the dynamic at all in what we’re able to do.”
What
about the presidential daily briefing? It would be nice to have, Biden
conceded, but he does not have operational control anyway. How can he work with
Republicans if they don’t admit he won? Biden smiled, promising they will come
around: “They will. They will.”
In
response to a question about whether Trump has decapitated our national
security apparatus by firing the senior Pentagon staff, Biden made clear that he
knows foreign leaders and is reaffirming his relationship with them. “Well,
first of all, I’m letting them know that America is back. We’re going to be
back in the game. It’s not America alone,” he said, summarizing his message. He
went on: “I’ve had the opportunity to speak with now six world leaders and the
response has been very fulsome, energetic, and they’re all looking forward to
being able to, from Great Britain, to France, Germany, to Canada, etc., and
Ireland. ... I have a number of other calls to return, and so I feel confident
that we’re going to be able to put America back in the place of respect that it
had before.” You could almost hear the world leaders and our own diplomatic
corps exhale with relief. A grown-up who knows stuff!
Most
amusing were his remarks about Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.),
who is shamefully abetting Trump’s attack on the legitimacy of the election. “I
haven’t had a chance to speak to Mitch. My expectation is that I will do that,
not too distant future,” Biden said with a smile. Rather than anger, he
expressed pity for the “the whole Republican Party [that] has been put in a
position, with a few notable exceptions, of being mildly intimidated by the
sitting president.” He said it all without rancor. He knows he will be
president; they do, too.
He
suggested having a Senate majority would be “nice,” but if not, McConnell had
said he would work with him on appointments. “I take McConnell at his word. I
understand he said that he will make it clear who he’s prepared to support, not
support, and that’s a negotiation that I’m sure we’ll have,” he said. “Look,
one of the things that I would do as president-elect and when I become
president is lay out to Republicans, as well as the Democrats, who we intend to
name for each Cabinet position.” Biden knows how to do the job before taking
office far better than the incumbent — or just about any other Democratic
contender might. And he knows to ignore Republicans’ posturing on health care.
“There’s going to be significant pressure to deal with health care. Their own
constituencies are in that position,” he said. “I think we can get a lot done.”
Maybe
someone else could have racked up more than 300 electoral votes, as Biden is on
track to achieve, and a record popular-vote margin over an incumbent president
(although I am hard-pressed to think of who that might be). However, I am
certain no other Democrat has the temperament, the experience and the relationships
that allow Biden to carry out this transition under these circumstances.
During
the primary, former South Bend, Ind., mayor Pete Buttigieg used to say, “Just
imagine turning on the TV, seeing your president, and feeling your blood
pressure go down instead of up.” He’s not even sworn in, and I bet many
Americans are already feeling the psychic and physiological benefits of Biden’s
election. Before covid-19 hit, Buttigieg reminded voters that even with Trump
gone, we would “need a president who can pick up the pieces, who can bring the
country together.” I think we found him.
