So about that Biden speech.
Truth be told I didn’t see it. Yesterday was my oldest son’s birthday. We dinner to make - French toast and bacon for the kids, per his request. I made Zuppa di Ceci for me and my wife. Chocolate pound cake for dessert - and a few neighbors joined us.
I think it’s good to miss these speeches at times, and just play catch up later. We shouldn’t obsess, though citizenship requires we are aware of what transpired. And what a relief to know that the speech would almost certainly remain within the bounds of both statesmanship and good taste.
Many conservatives are dressing down President Biden after his July 4 remarks - that the date would make the time at which we could resume gathering together. I’ll be frank - I think this was a misstep on the part of the president. Millions of Americans, in blue states and red states, are already gathering together in fits and starts. They’ve been doing this for a long while. I remember seeing pictures from NYC parks back in June 2020, full of people, masked and not, enjoying one another’s company out of doors. My kids have been in school, masked, mind you, since August. We’ve had in person events with church and Scouts, under the supervision and advice of doctors and researchers, for months.
Some communities are no doubt being bull-headed about this. I know of one community that has certainly been that way until it got walloped by the virus over the fall. But we’re starting to stubbornly figure this out, and I think it might be wise for Biden to acknowledge that and ask those who are already venturing out to continue to exercise as much caution and restraint as they can.
But it’s also likely that Biden is being very cautious, and the in the midst of a pandemic that has killed half a million Americans, who can blame him? I can do something “normal” like have the family over my son’s birthday because so much of the rest of our lives isn’t normal. If Biden were to stand in front of the cameras and take a victory lap right now, we’d likely find ourselves in another precarious position.
And still this is a relief from the time when the President would speak and then undermine his own rhetoric an hour later when issues an all-caps fatwa on Twitter. Biden isn’t perfect, but he’s not that, and that’s no small thing.
A couple of links for your Friday.
I mentioned immigration last time, and here’s a good rundown of some of the issues at play. Good work here by Andrew Egger at the Dispatch.
Also at the Dispatch, Rachael Larimore talks about how many schools are open and functioning. I’ve said for weeks that Alabama’s Republican Congressmen are making a mistake by complaining about closed schools; instead, they should have held up Alabama’s schools as a model for the rest of the nation to follow.
Over at the Bulwark, Amanda Carpenter has harsh words for GOP election reforms at the state level. Look, folks, I have no issue with voter ID and trying to keep voting as close to Election Day as possible, but it is patently obvious that a lot of Republicans are trying to limit the pool of voters in order to win elections. It’s undemocratic and immoral.
That’s enough for now - more links and commentary to come. Enjoy your weekend!