Member-only story
My Inaugural Address
Written without the technicality of winning an election.
I guess it’s a bit arrogant to think of your own life as a history, but, well, there it is. Maybe it helps that the narrative is largely a process of bouncing off other people, of what they taught me or the mysteries they left.
This is started the day before Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. — -“Joe” to most folks — will be inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States. The country survived the 45th, but I’m not the only one who thought that issue was in doubt several times. The outgoing president was so fond of being an autocrat he tried to make the wish the father of the fact. I’m fairly certain that the new POTUS will not be asking anyone to refer to him as “The Joe.”
The Donald is scheduled to leave tomorrow but I expect he has left tonight. One reason is that he does not plan to attend the inauguration, apparently considering himself still POTUS, with four more years to get the Constitution amended to allow life terms. He also skipped the tradition of the outgoing president giving the incoming president a tour of the White House, a snub First Lady Melania Trump also delivered to Dr. Jill Biden. As snubs go, this one is completely symbolic, since the Bidens have been guests of the Obamas many times while Joe was vice president — they can find the restrooms…
