Nice commentary! And yes, the reality of how we treat any leader saddens me: we focus almost entirely on their faults and ignore the successes. If a person does 99% good things, we'll focus on the 1% that isn't. I'm not saying that Biden is 99% "right," but I dare to say that being President is a pretty hard job that most of us would fail at utterly. And he's doing a lot that's right.
Indeed it's important to note what's NOT going well and do something about it, and especially for journalists to seek what might be covered up and needs addressing because there's always something (isn't that the case in our own lives, too?). But to focus on that almost exclusively harms the leader, the country, and ourselves.
I say this with a bit of experience of leadership myself. It's said that "it's lonely at the top," and while my "top" hasn't been all that big of a deal, nevertheless I've learned that no one, except others in my same position, understand the challenges. I think a leader must drink a strange and toxic brew: adulation, envy, and criticism -- all three usually not exactly on the mark -- from the people around her. And so she must believe in herself and her vision. Biden and anyone in politics would have grown a super thick skin long ago! But still it must be disheartening sometimes.
Your comment helps bring 'being the boss' down to a level so many of us can understand better. For some reason, we expect certain politician/Presidents to be perfect. My father kept a plaque on his desk that said "Don't criticise a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes."
Biden is so quiet in the last 18 months. I wish he did talk more and boast about his accomplishlments.
It's mind boggling to see Biden's approval ratings so low, when I see the list of his accomplishments in less than two years of his presidency. Thanks for giving us another perspective. Glad I found your blog!
I so much enjoy your thoughtful postings! So glad to read them when they come in. (Loved Paris).
Nice commentary! And yes, the reality of how we treat any leader saddens me: we focus almost entirely on their faults and ignore the successes. If a person does 99% good things, we'll focus on the 1% that isn't. I'm not saying that Biden is 99% "right," but I dare to say that being President is a pretty hard job that most of us would fail at utterly. And he's doing a lot that's right.
Indeed it's important to note what's NOT going well and do something about it, and especially for journalists to seek what might be covered up and needs addressing because there's always something (isn't that the case in our own lives, too?). But to focus on that almost exclusively harms the leader, the country, and ourselves.
I say this with a bit of experience of leadership myself. It's said that "it's lonely at the top," and while my "top" hasn't been all that big of a deal, nevertheless I've learned that no one, except others in my same position, understand the challenges. I think a leader must drink a strange and toxic brew: adulation, envy, and criticism -- all three usually not exactly on the mark -- from the people around her. And so she must believe in herself and her vision. Biden and anyone in politics would have grown a super thick skin long ago! But still it must be disheartening sometimes.
Your comment helps bring 'being the boss' down to a level so many of us can understand better. For some reason, we expect certain politician/Presidents to be perfect. My father kept a plaque on his desk that said "Don't criticise a man until you have walked a mile in his shoes."
Biden is so quiet in the last 18 months. I wish he did talk more and boast about his accomplishlments.
It's mind boggling to see Biden's approval ratings so low, when I see the list of his accomplishments in less than two years of his presidency. Thanks for giving us another perspective. Glad I found your blog!