And so, here we are.
For one man, a lifetime spent waiting for this moment; for over 70 million Americans, the past four years, which have felt like a lifetime.
President-elect Joe Biden. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.
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I live abroad. Being away from the country for the past two years, much of the madness has felt remote. Scroll through Twitter or open the NYTimes app and see the awfulness; put away the phone and step outside, and it melts away into the foreign streets. But these recent years have been awful. The embrace - from the leader of the free world! - of racism and intolerance; the disregard of democratic norms and institutions; mismanagement of the economy and indifference toward our allies, the planet, and this pandemic have left thousands dead, communities broken, and a country badly bruised. The hate, the hurt, the harm: all of it awful.
And so, here we are.
At a moment when the work must begin yet again. The work to control COVID-19, rebuild the economy, repair faith and trust in government, root out institutional racism and injustice, restore American leadership in the world, reduce the dramatic damage we’re doing to the planet, stitch back together the fabric of society, and build a more perfect union.
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Even with the relief and jubilation we saw across the country and around the world over this past weekend, it strikes me that reality has already set in: this time, there is no honeymoon period. The work has to begin now, and it is beginning today, with the transition team formally unveiling its COVID-19 advisory board.
But once Biden’s in the White House, how much will he be able to get done, especially if Republicans maintain control of the Senate for at least the first two years of his presidency?
For me, at this moment, I think a lot can and will get done, and very quickly. Executive orders will be issued from day one, newly-installed administration officials will immediately restore competency and compassion to every corner of the federal government, and one of America’s worst human beings will be replaced by one of our best - a good, decent, experienced man surrounded by a strong and capable team.
And so, here we are.
Now, what happens next?
What I’m reading
As Biden Plans Transition, Republicans Decline to Recognize His Election | New York Times
With Mr. Biden out of the public eye as he received congratulations from leaders around the world, his team turned its attention to a transition that will swing into action on Monday, with the launch of a coronavirus task force and swift moves to begin assembling his team.
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While some prominent Republican figures, including the party’s only living former president, George W. Bush, called Mr. Biden to wish him well, most elected officials stayed silent in the face of Mr. Trump’s baseless claims that the election was stolen from him.
Mr. Biden did not respond to Mr. Trump’s attacks on the result, but he also was not waiting for a concession. On Sunday, he unveiled his official transition website as he prepared a series of executive actions for his first day in the Oval Office — including rejoining the Paris climate accord, moving aggressively to confront the coronavirus pandemic and restoring labor organizing rights for government workers — aimed at unwinding Mr. Trump’s domestic agenda and repairing the United States’ image in the world.
But Republicans’ silence suggested that even in defeat, Mr. Trump maintained a powerful grip on his party and its elected leaders, who have spent four years tightly embracing him or quietly working to avoid offending him or his loyal base.
One of the big stories - and one of the early ways of knowing how the next two years (until the midterm elections) will play out - is how willing Republicans will be to cooperate with a Biden administration. For now at least, cowardice wins the day - more of the same.
How Life-Sized Joe Biden Could Be a Larger-Than-Life President | Politico
Can Joe Biden be a great president?
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There is no objective definition, of course, of presidential greatness. But there is a reasonable consensus among students of the office about what it generally involves. It is a presidency whose influence outlasts the occupant’s tenure—changing the way people view the office, and, more importantly, changing the way people view the country.
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If Biden establishes himself as ideological broker, rather than ideologue, if he restores in Washington an instinct for shared responsibility rather than an instinct for remorseless conflict, that would indeed be a formula for a great presidency. He would change the way people think of the office, and change the way Americans look at their country, in ways that would outlast his tenure.
“Some might think that breaking barriers means you start off on one side of the barrier,” said Harris, who was running for president at the time, “and then you just turn up on the other side of the barrier. No, there’s breaking involved. When you break things, it’s painful. You get hurt. You may get cut, and you may bleed.
“It will be worth it, but it is not without pain.”
More:
No one should forget how much sexism and racism—the combination known as misogynoir—Harris has confronted…But for now, her vice presidency is worth celebrating because—however painful the process—she made it to the other side of the barrier.
Trump’s Covid-19 disaster will likely get worse before Biden takes office | Vox
The US’s coronavirus epidemic is already among the worst in the world, with a death toll from Covid-19 that now stands above 230,000. It’s fall, and winter is coming, both bringing several issues that could make America’s outbreak even worse: Schools will continue to reopen, the cold will push people into poorly ventilated indoor spaces in which the virus can spread more easily, the holidays will bring families together in potential superspreading events, and a possible flu season could further strain health care systems.
Don’t expect much leadership out of the current administration during these next two months. So when January finally arrives and Biden’s in the White House, what should be at the top of his list? “Rebuild trust in scientists”, “[p]repare the country for a vaccine”, and:
Implement policies that are proven to work: A Biden administration could encourage more social distancing, simultaneously offering financial support to affected people and businesses so they don’t suffer as much and don’t have another incentive to try to go back to normal. It could push, with the bully pulpit and potential funds, states to mandate masks and really enforce those mandates. It could build up a national testing-and-tracing system, fixing supply bottlenecks for widespread tests and putting money into hiring contact tracers. All of these efforts could help suppress the virus.
Build Back Better | Biden-Harris Transition
The Biden-Harris team launched its transition website over the weekend, listing as “Priorities” COVID-19, Economic Recovery, Racial Equity, and Climate Change.