Will Joe Biden's Call for Unity Lead Him Into a Trumpist Trap? I Say No
This Salon article linked below by Chauncey DeVega is an excellent overview, in which he rightly celebrates the inspirational "Lincolnesque" inaugural speech by President Biden, while also warning him in the starkest terms about the pitfalls of seeking unity with the Trumpists, calling it a trap. In light of everything that has happened, his warning is well considered and forcefully presented.
With one caveat, I agree with him. I think he is underestimating President Biden's determination and intent to bury Trumpism for good. While the President is preaching unity, he is also unleashing Federal Law Enforcement and our Intelligence agencies on the White Supremacists and Insurrectionists, and giving free reign to his AG Merrick Garland to go after Trump himself, in conjunction with the Democratic Congressional leadership which is pursuing every available investigation against the allies of said Insurrection.
He may be offering the "carrot" of bipartisanship, giving the GOP the opportunity to take some credit for the benefits of Biden's program. But when it comes to the bedrock programs on the Pandemic, the Economy, the Environment, Police reform, Corporate taxes, and investigating Russia, he will give up virtually nothing. He has the "stick" of far reaching investigations into Trump himself, GOP collusion with the coup attempt, and the legislative destruction of the Dark Money payola machine which is the lifeblood of their anti-democratic power games while only representing a minority of the electorate.
Joe Biden has three things going for him besides his obvious empathy and humanity. He has the power of the Presidency. He has Balls that he has grown after four plus decades in Washington DC political combat. And, he has gone through a character change, in the aftermath of deep personal tragedy, and the vastly understated effect which the murder of George Floyd and the resulting mass protests had upon him this Summer.
No one should forget that Biden decided to run for President the day that Trump endorsed the Nazi March in Charlottesville. Honestly, I think he knows what he is up against, and admitted such in his speech when he said many would deride his call for unity as futile and a fantasy. He will give the GOP a chance, in good faith, and a very short leash. If they show any signs of offering a real Olive Branch, he'll accept it and reciprocate. He will not, however, blunder into any traps. He knows what he is doing, and if the GOP conforms to profile and goes for straight obstructionism, Joe will "clean their clocks". He knows how to play Hardball. You can bank on it. I have followed this guy for 40 years. He is a good person, but he emphatically is not "nice" on matters of great importance. We need to back him up, not spend our energy second guessing and fact checking him.
We are in a war, and our President has taken the point. Embrace his leadership, and allow yourselves to trust again.
