Biden might not be a competent President. But America might not need one.

Get used to headlines like this: "Pete Buttigieg Isn’t a Transit Visionary. But Biden Might Not Need One" (New York Magazine).

I was wondering why it made any sense that Buttigieg should run the Department of Transportation, but I think questions like that will be answered with a brush off. Oh, what difference does it make?! Let go of your anxiety. Biden is here. And everything's going to be all right.

"Every single avenue was made available to President Trump to contest the results.... President Trump was denied no course of action he wanted to take...."

"You know, respecting the will of the people is at the heart of our democracy, even we find those results hard to accept. But that’s the obligation of those who’ve taken on a sworn duty to uphold the Constitution. Four years ago, when I was a sitting Vice President of the United States, it was my responsibility to announce the tally of the Electoral College votes of the joint session of Congress, had voted to elect Donald Trump. I did my job.... We the people voted, faith in our institutions held, the integrity of our elections remains intact. And now it’s time to turn the page as we’ve done throughout our history, to unite, to heal.... [W]e need to work together to give each other a chance to lower the temperature.... We’re a great nation. We’re good people.... [W]e share in common a love for this country.... For we, the United States of America, has [sic] always set the example for the world for a peaceful transition of power.... We’ll do so again.... [M]ay this moment give us a strength to rebuild this house of ours upon a rock that can never be washed away. As in the Prayer of St. Francis, for where there is discord, union, where there is doubt, faith where there is darkness, light...."

Said Joe Biden, last night, on the occasion of the vote of the Electoral College. Transcript. Here's the video. 

He clears his throat near the beginning and then seems to resist clearing his throat as much as he needs to, so you can't watch this without thinking Phlegm! way more than is reasonably comfortable, and he's trying so hard to make you feel comfortable. It's just before the 10-minute mark that it gets very bad, and 10 minutes is a good cut-off point. Why not edit it down? It's not a super-pithy text. It would be better 3 minutes shorter. There was no reason to make him go this long... not unless the idea was to make us get comfortable with the idea of phasing him out and swapping in Kamala at the earliest possible moment — say, around March 1st.