General Discussion

NNadir

(33,512 posts) Sat Jun 27, 2020, 12:45 AM Jun 2020

Saying Everything While Saying Nothing: Kamala Harris, FDR, and Abraham Lincoln.

Joe Biden is our nominee; and if there is anything this country needs right now, it is decency, of which Biden is an avatar.

He is a fine statesman, but as everyone knows, an elder statesman, although, in contrast of that spoiled lump of putrescent lard in the White House, Biden shows no signs of senility and is in excellent health and possessed of clear thinking.

Nevertheless, it is certainly statistically possible that his Vice President will succeed him at some point.

It has been the good fortune of our country that two magnificent Presidencies followed disastrous Presidencies, the first of these disasters being the Presidency of James Buchanan - who has been rescued from the mantle of "worst President ever" by Donald Trump. Lincoln succeeded him.

The next was the Laissez-Faire Presidency of Herbert Hoover, who was succeeded by FDR.

If you read about the character and leadership qualities of both Lincoln and FDR, both men were characterized by the distinct and oft used ability to dodge the question as a means of gaining allies while making an understated point.

America has been severely damaged by the most corrupt, ignorant, vindictive, and manifestly childish President ever, and we will need greatness again. It is certainly true of Lincoln, and probably true of FDR as well, that what defined their greatness was the challenges they faced.

I just read this article on Kamala Harris, which points up her skill at not answering the question while making a point:

Kamala Harris’s Very Open Secret by Edward-Issac Dovere in The Atlantic.

This excerpt struck me:

With those who know her, she can be thoughtful, funny, engaging, and pragmatic, with little patience for grand theories of governance. She’s focused on what will make a real difference in people’s lives. But the version of Harris the public knows often comes off scripted and indirect, appearing mostly in sound bites and viral videos. Her instinct to parry rather than expound helps her avoid awkward questions, such as during a segment on The View earlier this month, when Meghan McCain asked her if she was in favor of defunding the police. Instead of answering directly, Harris asked what McCain meant, and McCain eventually admitted that she didn’t know herself. Harris successfully avoided taking a potentially controversial position. But she also reinforced her preexisting reputation for evasiveness: I heard from several high-level Democratic operatives that the exchange reminded them of Harris’s habit of dodging critical questions during her presidential campaign.

Joe Biden could pick a can opener as his running mate and I would crawl on broken glass to vote for him.

This said, this skill of Harris's, should she be called to succeed President Biden speaks well to my sense of history.

I was disinterested in Harris during the campaign; I first supported Senator Warren, switching at some point to Mr. Yang, and buying in to Biden as soon as it was down to him and that "Bernie" guy.

I think Joe Biden is doing an outstanding job, and I think he has the right stuff to heal our country. But should his life end in office, Senator Harris, it seems to me has that magnificent quality that characterized two of our greatest Presidents, Lincoln and FDR.