Truth Makes A Comeback
Joe Biden's empathy was on full display Thursday night, offering a useful reminder of what makes him such an effective politician. Also, Cuomo has to go and some Friday afternoon Bob Dylan
Last night, President Biden delivered his first nationally televised address, marking the coronavirus pandemic's one-year anniversary. The major headline from the speech was Biden's promise that all adult Americans will be eligible for the vaccine by May 1 and that he expects the country to return to normalcy by July 4.
It's an ambitious goal, but considering that Biden has consistently set goals for his presidency (for example, 100 million vaccines in 100 days) that have been easily surpassed (it will happen within 60 days), this seems quite doable.
While Biden's address was focused on COVID-19 it was, of course, a political speech. Every time the president opens his mouth, it's political. And in his remarks, we received another reminder of what makes him such a uniquely effective politician at this moment in history.
Biden spoke of a woman he had met in Philadelphia last summer who told him that what she needed most from the government was honesty. "Just tell me the truth," she said. "Just tell me the truth." After four years of Trumps’ lies, Biden is meeting that challenge head-on.
Biden did not shy away from describing the immense tragedy of the past year, and not just the deaths from COVID-19 but those who also died of natural causes. When he said that so many Americans had "died alone," I winced, thinking about the unimaginable trauma of being afraid and alone when taking one's last breaths.
I have been fortunate over the past year in that I have not lost anyone close to me from COVID-19. But that doesn't mean that the sense of loss, which all of us have felt, is not real.
Biden spoke of the loss of hope, which made it so difficult to get up and go about our lives, unsure of when this pandemic would end. He addressed the loss of control, which has perhaps been my most visceral memory of the past year. The inability to do the things I love and to live the life I want has been, for me, the hardest part of COVID-19. He talked about the generation of children who may be set back a year because of the disruptions to their education - a fear that I carry with me regularly. He talked about the details of life - the things that needed to happen, like weddings, birthdays, graduations, family reunions, and first dates that didn't happen.
We are a people Biden said, "who want to be with others, to talk, to laugh, to hug, to hold one another." My only quibble with this notion is that we are not a people that need these things - we are a species that needs them.
But this is the true story of what we've experienced over the past year - and the best way to deal with the national trauma of COVID-19 is to confront this truth. Not sugarcoat or act like it didn't happen. Hope is in sight. For that, we can all be grateful. But the scars of the past year do not so easily or quickly heal, and Biden's message was a reminder to those Americans who are still struggling that their pain is real, and it is shared by so many of us. The last president was shockingly unempathetic and devoid of compassion for his fellow citizens. Biden is the mirror opposite. His honesty and truth-telling are wrapped in the aura of empathy and understanding that comes from his own well-publicized personal tragedies. After more than 500,000 deaths and the trauma of a year in quarantine, we need to hear this message.
Of course, since he’s a politician Biden matched these words with an aspirational message. Aside from promising that every American would be able to get in line for a vaccine shot by May 1, he pledged to make the process easier. He spoke of drive-up vaccine locations and a federal website that will make it easier for people to schedule an appointment. And in another far cry from the last president, he asked everyone to do their part. "I need you," Biden beseeched Americans as he asked them to keep wearing masks and to get vaccinated when they have a chance. Doing so, he said, will mean that Americans can gather on July 4th with their friends and family. Unlike Trump's false promises of 2020, this one feels very achievable.
Biden's presidency will likely be judged by his ability to meet that goal and return the country to a pre-pandemic feeling of normalcy. But if we learned anything from the 2020 election, American politics is as much about personality as it is policies. Biden's road to the White House was paved not by policy proclamations but rather by the goodwill that he engendered over more than four decades in the public eye. Voters responded to his authenticity, compassion, and empathy. In a different election cycle and against a different incumbent president, I doubt he would have won. The moment met the man. On Thursday night, he showed once again why he’s still the right person for this unique moment in American history.
Cuomo Agonistes
Earlier today, a majority of the Democratic congressional delegation called for Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign. This comes 24 hours after Democrats in the New York State Assembly announced the opening of an impeachment inquiry of the governor. Cuomo is being attacked on all sides - for both his professional conduct in handling COVID-related deaths in New York State nursing homes and his personal conduct toward female members of his administration. The allegations against Cuomo from a steady stream of women are appalling, and they have continued after the governor publicly pledged that there would be no more shoes to drop. That Cuomo should resign is now a given. I expect that at some point in the next 24 to 72 hours, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and/or Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will join their congressional colleagues. While it doesn't mean Cuomo will actually step down, it's clear that his position has become untenable.
There are two lessons to take away from this situation. The first was best evoked in a lyric from Bob Dylan's "Foot of Pride."
You know what they say about being nice to the right people on the way up
Sooner or later you gonna meet them on the way down
Cuomo is a noted bully, who treats his political opponents and allies with contempt, and is legendary for terrorizing his staff. New York's defining political melodrama of the past few years has been the fight between Cuomo and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. If you anger this many people and govern with a spirit of ruthlessness and arrogance, you will eventually get your comeuppance. I'm not sure that any political leader could have survived the spate of allegations against Cuomo. Still, a man who has spent so much of his political career alienating those around him is getting his just desserts. As I said to a friend last night, this couldn't be happening to a nicer guy.
The second lesson is how Democrats have handled this scandal. Many initially took the easy path of waiting for the New York Attorney General to investigate the allegations. As more women came forward, that was no longer tenable. Crossing Cuomo is not an easy thing to do. He remembers every slight, and if he somehow survives, I have little doubt that a man who recently threatened to "destroy" the career of a Democratic member of the state assembly will seek revenge. So credit where credit is due. Though calling for a serial sexual harasser to step down kind of falls in the category of things you're supposed to do.
Still, it's hard not to note the sharp contrast between how the Democrats have handled Cuomo and Republicans dealt with Donald Trump. Twenty-six women accused the former president of sexually assaulting them. Many of the allegations were far more serious than anything Cuomo has been accused of. I'm not aware of a single congressional Republican who called on the president to resign. When Roy Moore was accused of repositioning underage girls in Alabama, most Republicans stood by him. The same goes for Greg Gianforte after he assaulted a reporter and Brett Kavanaugh when he was credibly accused of sexual assault and drunken, loutish behavior. Once, not long ago, Republicans marketed themselves as the party of personal responsibility and accountability. These days that only seems to be true of Democrats.
Musical Interlude
Since I referenced “Foot of Pride” here’s a fantastic clip of Lou Reed performing the song at the so-called “Bobfest” in 1992, backed by “Booker T and the MGs.”
Speaking of Bobfest, I’ve never been a huge fan of Eric Clapton as a guitarist. Obviously, he’s great, it’s just not my favorite style. I gravitate far more to a guy like Neil Young and his greasy, shambolic solos. And yet in this performance of “My Back Pages,” Clapton blows Young away. I love Clapton’s short solo here: it’s clean, economical, and shimmering. Young’s solo is fine, but it doesn't really fit the song.
Then again, Young did this version of “Just Like Tom Thumb Blues” at the same concert and it’s awesome.
Still, it can’t quite compare to Robbie Robertson’s life-changing solo from this legendary 1966 version.