Every day this week, the media has been filled with optimistic takes on the new Biden administration and its odds of successfully tackling the country’s problems.
It’s no wonder. Whatever you think of the merits of former President Donald Trump’s deplatforming, the shift in tone in the nation’s discourse in the last several days has been remarkable. President Joe Biden’s inaugural speech was a pitch-perfect display of modesty, humanity, and genuine longing to unify the country. His staff picks, heavy on bureaucratic competence and low on drama, were deeply reassuring—especially after four years in which the United States experienced very little of the former and way too much of the latter. And his early executive actions—on the climate, the pandemic, immigration, and so on—smartly focused on important changes that most Americans support.
