Joe Biden will soon take over the reins of the United States government which is currently under more stress and turmoil than any time before. Solving the nation’s immediate problems will require every ounce of our intellectual capital and a strategic apportionment of our financial resources. While most Americans have confidence that Biden will be better at managing the coronavirus, it was the belief that Joe Biden is a fundamentally decent man who could appeal to our better angels that won him the presidency.
Biden has been painted as a socialist by his Republican rivals, but most of them know perfectly well that nothing could be further from the truth. At times, he has frustrated his Democratic colleagues with his folksy preference for bipartisanship. He is a prototypical moderate, which in the current hyper-polarized political environment can be surprisingly useful. Certainly, his empathy and decency as a human being will help calm a restless nation; however, our country needs more than warm thoughts right now – it needs bold solutions. You can’t pull a nation that has been battered by a health crisis, an economic crisis, and a social justice crisis by taking baby steps.
The Biden presidency will be dead on arrival if he doesn’t promptly address the issues that specifically affect middle-class, poor, and working-class Americans, which includes many of the same people who jumped on the Trump bandwagon four years ago. Whether through legislation or executive order, Biden’s first impression as president could be to provide a rescue package to save America’s small businesses, a significant reduction of student debt, a meaningful price reduction for prescription drugs, a national moratorium on evictions and foreclosures that extend through the pandemic, and for the soul of our nation, a swift termination of the diabolical policies that have resulted in the separation of families at our southern border.
Sure, I am looking forward to a more unifying rhetoric coming from the White House, but the best thing Joe Biden can do right now to heal this nation and bring us together is through real policies that reflect our values as a nation and truly help the people of the United States of America…especially those who have been ignored, abused and left behind for far too long.
Almost everyone, including Democrats, were expecting last Tuesday’s midterm election results to heavily favor Republicans. Many predicted a “red wave” where they would pick up 50-60 seats in the House and 3-4 in the Senate. Joe Rogan said the red wave that is coming will be like the elevator doors opening in the horror film The Shining.
Selling during a downturn required a more strategic approach, but the opportunities for growth and expansion are available to the savviest of companies. Here are some of the best ideas I’ve read about.
A farmer and his son had a beloved stallion who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors said “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!”. The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.” A few days later the horse returned home, leading a few wild mares back to the farm as well. The neighbors shouted out “Your horse has returned and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” and the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
I’ve written about this in other iterations. I’ve talked about finding your rhythm, and the importance of letting things come to you, not forcing things, and then riding the momentum when you have the wind at your back. The point of it all is that success is not linear. Progress doesn’t follow a straight line. For most people, the journey is long and winding. It looks more like a stairway or a hockey stick.