Why Biden isn't just 'getting the old gang back together'
Dear reader:
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听The Electoral College has spoken. Many (but not all) top Republicans now refer to Joseph R. Biden Jr. as president-elect. And Russian President Vladimir Putin, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and Mexican President Andr茅s Manuel L贸pez Obrador have all conveyed their congratulations, albeit belatedly.
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听President Donald Trump may never concede the Nov. 3 election, and there鈥檚 speculation he will hold his own event on Inauguration Day. Regardless, the impact of President Trump鈥檚 post-election actions may well be felt for some time to come: unproven allegations of widespread voter fraud.
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听On Monday evening, in an address to the nation, Mr. Biden expressed righteous anger as he spoke of the myriad lawsuits aimed at overturning his victory 鈥� and then turned more hopeful in tone, as he called for unity and healing. His emotions were palpable to this reporter, who sat just a few feet away from the president-elect inside the historic Queen theater in his hometown of Wilmington, Delaware. It was a fortuitous moment to be the 鈥減ool reporter鈥� for that day, covering the presidential transition.
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听Soon enough, Mr. Biden will be addressing the nation from the Capitol and eventually the Oval Office. But already, his presidency is taking shape. He has named much of his Cabinet and other top officials, including many from the Obama years, in which Mr. Biden served as vice president.
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听But this is more than just 鈥済etting the old gang back together.鈥� It鈥檚 a reflection of the president-elect鈥檚 values as a leader 鈥� surrounding himself with people he knows and trusts, and who bring deep government experience to their roles at a time of national emergency.
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听Mr. Biden is also elevating new faces into positions of authority from all walks of life. His Cabinet is poised to be the most diverse in American history, as seen in , the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana 鈥� and former rival for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination 鈥� as the nominee to run the Department of Transportation. If confirmed, Mr. Buttigieg will be the nation鈥檚 first openly gay Cabinet secretary.
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听But it鈥檚 the skills Mr. Biden鈥檚 team will bring to the table that matter most, veteran political observers say.
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听鈥淭heir experience is valuable,鈥� David Axelrod, a former Obama adviser, 鈥淭heir values and outlooks are consonant with [Biden鈥檚]. The challenge is to look forward and not back and innovate beyond what鈥檚 simply been broken.鈥�
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听Let us know what you鈥檙e thinking at csmpolitics@csmonitor.com.
