Why Biden’s team is perfect, on Day One. And why “perfect” is not what we need.
By: Dennis Cohen
Tags: Biden, Democratic Party, Democracy, Republican Party, Unity

Why Biden’s team is perfect, on Day One.

And why “perfect” is not what we need.

It’s no surprise that the overwhelming criteria of being chosen to be on Joe Biden’s team is expertise and experience, especially experience personally with Mr. B. The other important criteria is that the team as a whole is a diverse one, as it is already shaping up to be, with women and people of color stepping into a great many of the top-level posts. (Of course, the real game-changer for diversity will be when we see a policy of inclusion and meritocracy being carried out at all levels of the administration and government, as it can and should be.)

But regarding expertise and experience, let’s face it, it makes sense that Biden is picking people who can jump in on day one. People who can survey the damage, then formulate and execute a plan to restore and rebuild the administrative and regulatory aspects of the government that have been eviscerated and hobbled by Trump and Co.

His choices can do that. They come with years of experience in relevant fields. And yes, with experience often comes baggage. But Joe Biden doesn’t need people who are perfect, he needs, and we need, people who have shown they can get their job done, because, as President, Joe Biden has an even harder and more important job in front of him. He has a nation to save. And it is not going to be easy. Our health, our economic well-being, our environment, our shared reality, our sense of commonality, all of these are threatened. It’s all too possible that our very existence as a democracy is on the line.

And, what’s more, we are suffering from a virus more deadly and contagious than the one that has us wearing masks and social distancing. We are infected with tribalism, divisiveness, and polarity, sick from fear and hatred. Our boat is sinking and we, all of us, Democrats, Republicans, Progressives, Liberals, Conservatives, Anti-Maskers/Anti-Vaxxers, and everyone else with a different point of view are busy yelling, blaming, and beating each other with the paddles and buckets that we need to keep the ship afloat — not to mention the mutinous thoughts we’re having about our new captain.

Joe Biden’s Mission Impossible, which he has chosen to accept, requires that he resuscitate, revive, and restore trust, which is currently on life support. That means, trust in him, trust in his vision, trust in his team, trust in the government, trust in the media, and our trust in each other as fellow Americans.

That’s a monumental order, possibly impossible. But he just might be able to do it. If he succeeds, it will be because he knows that honesty/transparency is the first key to building trust. He also knows that transparency is a quality that is generally lacking in government, so he needs to change that. He may already have started.

When Biden published that post of the reasons he chose Retired General Austin as Secretary of Defense, Biden took a step (baby step?) in the right direction. Likewise, the more he shares his reasoning for any choice he makes, whether regarding personnel or policy, he will increase trust in his decisions. That doesn’t mean he needs to defend or justify, simply let us in on the decision-making process. When people are able to understand the reasons for a policy, law, or any sort of governmental decisions, they are more willing to accept and cooperate with them.

Moreover, when people feel they are involved in the decision-making process, even a little, their level of trust, acceptance, and cooperation increase even more. Fortunately, right now, with circumstances as they are as a result of the pandemic, we have the perfect opportunity for involvement. As we use teleconferencing for school, work, and social interaction, we can use it to create an interactive government experience. An experiment in collaborative democracy.

Here’s the crux of what it may look like.

Starting immediately, while he is still in the team-building process, Biden will be having LIVE zoom events introducing each of his team members. Not just press conferences. Interactive zoom conferences, (“town halls”) where people can be introduced to and interact with the people who will be helping him govern. During these events, experts and the populace can ask questions, of Biden and of his team members. Good questions, hard questions, questions we all want answers to. Questions that don’t have answers just yet, but that are important to acknowledge. In this way, people get a chance to be heard, and to see how their new president and his team address their questions and concerns. It’s also the perfect opportunity to incorporate live polling, which will greatly increase the level of public involvement.

So yes, Biden has his job to do, but so do we. Especially those of us who call ourselves Democrats. For Biden to succeed, for our liberal ideals and values to have any hope of continuing and progressing we have to put aside our differences and get behind Biden. This is our chance. If we don’t unite now, in two years we may have a Republican House and Senate and we may lose any chance of turning the country back toward policies of caring for each other and those less fortunate, and working toward unity, peace, equality, freedom, prosperity, and non-violence. If we as Democrats don’t support Biden, we may never get another chance. Sure, we want our progress, NOW! We’ve been denied too long. Agreed! But, we can’t get from here to there by arguing and by fighting amongst ourselves. We are never going to cover any ground if we criticize and minimize every incremental improvement, simply because it’s not happening soon enough, it’s not big enough, or it’s not happening the way we think it should. We don’t have the mandate, we don’t have the power, we don’t have the votes.

With half the country thinking we are the enemy (as we see them), and many willing to take up arms to demonstrate it, our only chance for meaningful success in meeting the countless challenges we face as a nation, is to change the paradigm we’re in. We have to stop fighting each other (starting within our own party) and start working together to solve the problems that affect us all. Biden promises to lead us, but we must follow. And if we do, we can actually shift the paradigm beyond our party, and find the sort of commonality and unity that will allow us to create the world we want and need.

That commonality is there, if we look for it. The underlying truth is that almost everyone in the country is affected by our national problems and shares very common needs and values. If Biden can build trust and gets us working together through a value-based, collaborative model of governing, we can all follow. [Note that collaboration is different from compromise. In compromise, you share a loaf. In collaboration you own the bakery.] Let’s do our part, starting right now, to make that model of government possible and a reality.

Think of it this way. We are barely done sighing from relief because, at last, it appears that Biden actually will be our #46. Let’s not use our precious breath complaining that Biden is not building our perfect team. Let’s thank God that he is the one building it, and cheer him and cheer them on, perfect in their imperfection.