Hail to the Chief

I am about to say something that is probably going to lose me a lot of friends.  I won’t lie and say I don’t care about that.  However, I have had ample opportunity over the last month now to soak in the drivel that is presented as “news” in this country—in fairness often because the actual subject matter is drivel, in and of itself—and I am not one to be able to hold my tongue.  Further, I am going to offer a disclaimer:  this is probably just the first of what will be many abrasive posts on my part.  (The good thing is that based on the number of site visits and views I record, I am probably only alienating a dozen or so folks.)  So, here goes…

Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. is my President.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Joe Biden is my President.

No, he was not my choice for President.  But, despite whatever misgivings I might have regarding how he has assumed that role, per the legal and judicial system of our United States of America, he was sworn in on January 20th as the 46th President of our great nation.  I despised the “not my President” movement when The Hair was elected in 2016, and I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t support the office of the Presidency now that Sniffy Joe resides in the White House.

Please note what I said there.  I support the office and institution of the President.  My wish—no, my burning desire—is the same for Mr. Biden as it was for The Hair and B.O. and W. and Hillary’s hubby:  that he lead our country in all facets as the greatest in the world.  That does not mean that I necessarily believe that the person in the Oval Office represents the ideals of that office which I support.  Nor does it mean that I personally stand behind the actions that the occupant of the office takes there as the chief executive of the country.  And, by golly, I reserve the right to comment and critique the person behind the Resolute Desk when I feel his or her actions are contrary to what I believe are the ideals of the nation, or at least my own.  I, along with millions of other citizens of this country, after all, are paying his salary.

Honestly, it has been decades since I have felt that the elected President has exemplified what the Presidency should be.  Take an objective look at the founding of this nation and some of the recorded words of the early leaders.  It is evident to even the harshest critic that assumption of the role of President was a monumental responsibility, a tremendous burden in fact.  Maybe I am oversimplifying it, but in the last couple of decades or so, I haven’t observed the White House resident to view his role with the same weight.  That’s disappointing to say the least.  But far more troubling to me is that fact that we the people have accepted this for so long.  We the people hold accountability for the candidates on the ballots.  We the people hold accountability for ensuring that our elected officials—and that is for all three branches of government—actually represent the constituency.

So that’s a long, long follow-up to my original statement:  Joe Biden is my President.  And considering that most of the thirteen or so regular followers of this blog are indeed American citizens, likely as not, Joe Biden is your President, too.  Accepting that gives me and you the privilege—no, it gives us the right—then, as previously mentioned, to dissent or object to actions on his part.  And yes, I have a few opinions regarding Mr. Biden’s first couple of months in office.

Actually, I must make one comment regarding what ultimately ended up being the election and inauguration of Joe in the first place.  This isn’t a scientific statistical assessment or a valid straw poll or anything, let me forewarn you.  I have quite a few friends and acquaintances that voted for Mr. Biden in the last election.  Sorry, that is not true.  The overwhelming majority of those folks voted against The Hair, not necessarily for Sniffy Joe.  As mentioned multiple times on my part, I am not and never was a really big fan of The Hair, but if those were my only two choices, I am on the Trump train.  Choo choo!  It’s just where I stand.  I queried those friends, though, who were dead set against The Hair remaining in the Oval Office.  To a person, their reply had something to do with one of these keywords:  obnoxious, rude, chauvinistic, and jackass.  There were other reasons and words cited, but not universally.  Interestingly enough, also almost to a person, those individuals were rather outspoken and abrasive, if not obnoxious and rude themselves.  Look, I will be the first to say that I probably wouldn’t be inviting Donald J. Trump to lead an etiquette class, but I really couldn’t care less about how caustic a President comes across, so long as he or she is representing the United States in the best interest of her (the country’s) overall welfare.  Again, as this isn’t a statistical assessment, my comment here is subjective only:  I sure would hate to know for certain that we the people relegated the entire Presidential election to a choice of who came across as “nicer” throughout the campaign process.  Not that something similar hasn’t happened before:  take a look at the elections following major voting law changes, e.g. the 19th Amendment, and the associated voter polls.  (And just as an aside, I believe an objective review of some of Joe’s “hot mic” snafus would suggest that The Hair and Sniffy Joe are neck and neck in the rude and obnoxious department.)

That’s the last I will comment on the election itself, at least in this post.  Now, regarding the first few weeks of President Biden’s tenure:

• First and foremost—please look back to my comment above regarding my burning desire for Joe to be absolutely great in his tenure as this country’s leader—I am genuinely concerned regarding the health of the man and his ability to actually fulfill his obligations.  Mentally and physically, there is strong evidence that Joe ain’t at the top of his game…that may have happened some time in the early 70’s.  More deeply concerning to me is the Constitutional succession should the 25th Amendment somehow be invoked, either at his own suggestion or by way of the legislative branch.
• Referencing, for better or worse, the previous six Presidents (ones about which I believe I can objectively comment based on my personal recollection), all had one very important trait in common:  they could think and speak on their feet.  They were extemporaneous; even if they didn’t have a stinking clue about what they were talking, you felt like they did.  (Yes, even Nucular Georgie could complete a thought, albeit with vocabulary that might make you cringe as if someone took a wire brush to a blackboard.)  I don’t get the same vibe with Sniffy Joe.  For goodness sake, in his first press conference, neither he nor his staff tried to hide the fact that he was choosing pre-selected reporters—and I assume pre-selected questions from said reporters.
• Among the many disagreeable points I found with The Hair, one thing I embraced about him was his uncanny ability to keep us, as a country, rather neutral in terms of international conflict.  He had Ol’ Vlad’s number, and whether just in perception or reality, the Chinese threat sure didn’t seem all that great.  And regardless if you supported the overall policy or not, the border situation was under control.  Since January, the Chinese have pretty much given us the one-finger salute, not the least of which regarding Hong Kong and its elections, Putin just wrote his own law that will allow him to remain King Kremlin until God knows when, and we have a real crisis down on the Rio Grande.  (Please, if you honestly think that conditions regarding the border are not just completely atrocious, you might as well stop reading now; objectivity is not in your wheelhouse.)
• Sniffy Joe is not alone on this one, but I believe it is far more evident with him than previous administrations:  commentary from the White House (mostly through his spokeswoman) is almost purely defensive.  To me, and I reckon to the world, it looks as if he is motivated to not fail more so than to succeed.  Striving for mediocrity.  A recipe for disaster.

Folks, I’m going to say it again:  I pray every morning for Mr. Biden and for his (and our) leadership in the world.  Yes, I have a snarky nickname or two for him, and yes, I have some critique of his job in office.  That is my prerogative (and my privilege) as a citizen.  I would love to look back on his term or terms in the White House as some of the glory days of our great nation.  Right now, though, it is tough to see that.  But regardless, I stand by my original statement…

Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. is my President.

Hail to the Chief.