So, I hope my regular readers (both of them) will excuse my writing today’s column to only one person. In this epistle I am penning my remarks with a single reader in mind, President-Elect Joe Biden. I assume Mr. Biden gets most of his thoughtful political input from reading obscure columnists (Ed: hey, you are not “obscure,” you are more like “little-known”) in regional news outlets, so please forgive this letter to Joe.

And just so that your time spent here will not be a complete waste, here is a bit of American history for you: The Delaware state quarter shows a far-off image of Founding Father Caesar Rodney riding a horse on his famous 80-mile ride through storms and heat to cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of Delaware signing the Declaration of Independence. But his service did not stop there, as he was elected to state and federal office. His commitment to liberty was so great that he ignored the cancer growing on his face, rather than stop working for the future of the United States. Ultimately, he covered his face with a green cloth to hide the spreading horror that would kill him at only age 56. Delaware elected not to show a closeup of his face on their quarter out of respect for his suffering, hence the distant image of the great man on a horse. 

OK, if you are not Joe Biden, you can stop reading now.

Dear Joe,

First off, let me say how relieved and reassured I am that you have been elected our next president. And while you received more votes than anyone ever in an American election, the future is fraught with challenges and dangers. As it turns out, COVID did not go away on the day after the election (as a certain defeated candidate promised) and we have reached new all-time highs in new cases recorded. The national government is a shadow of what it was (and what it must be), given the neglect and negligence of the past four years. So, Joe, you have lots and lots of work to do. And so, of course, you need my advice (Ed: really? You really think so?).

First off, understand that his transition will be unlike any before it. Without exception in the modern era the outgoing president has been gracious and helpful. Even defeated one-term presidents like Carter and H.W. Bush were gallant and honorable. This time, not so much. So, you’ll have to deal with entering office at noon on Jan. 20 without having had any cooperation. Indeed, I suspect there will be efforts to sabotage your first few weeks in office, so heads up.

Most importantly, please do not make the same mistake that Barack Obama made. As you saw during your VP days, Obama tried repeatedly to work honestly with the Republican majority in the Senate (I have bad news: you will have a Republican majority in the Senate, as Georgia will not send two Dems in the runoff elections). From day one, you need to put down the marker that you will stand up to the relentlessly partisan GOP bullies in the Senate. Just as McConnell sat on over 400 House-passed bills under Trump, he will take no action on your legislative initiatives either. He will seek to make you an unsuccessful president, even if it costs the nation greatly. He’s already stated he will prevent you from having the Cabinet of your choice, if he thinks any of your nominees are “too extreme.”

So, what do you do? You loudly and often tell the American people what is going on. Recall “Give ’em Hell” Harry Truman back in 1948? Truman ran against his “do nothing” Congress and the American people understood his message clearly. And for things that are really important to get passed, put maximum pressure on the GOP senators who are up for reelection in 2022 in states you won or were strong in. You only need to flip a couple to get wins.

You need to issue lots and lots of executive orders, as it appears you are already spooling up to do. You must undo the most horrific of Trump’s many assaults on decency and start the process of undoing the damage done to the environment, the economy, the culture of our nation, and more. 

Had we won the Senate (an important discussion for another day) you might have been able to get some type of election reform through. Given Moscow Mitch, you won’t get anything done legislatively, so you again need to use your bully pulpit to clearly and articulately make the case to the American people that whoever gets the most votes should win an election. We need to give state and local officials the tools and equipment they need to get things done correctly and quickly. 

And speaking of fixing, you need to get the Post Office back to being the efficient and impressive organization it once was. You need to undo the partisan damage inflicted by the current postmaster general quickly – you won in spite of his vote suppression actions, and you need to get that cleaned up asap.

Joe, you are the tonic we need. Some of my sillier leftie friends argue that our nation would have elected Bernie Sanders in a landslide, but the simple truth is that you, a centrist, are the best we can do in these divided times. Please make the most of your time in office and get done what you can get done, in spite of GOP roadblocks. Someday the GOP may return to being honorable and respectable, but that day is not today. Fight hard Joe, and give ’em Hell.