8/12/2021

My Dear Friend & POTUS, JRB,          

            I’m happy to see that you are heading back to DE this afternoon. I hope you are able to take tomorrow off & go for a bike ride, splash in the waves & have some fun. If you want a bit of inspiration, you might watch Nightbride’s performance on America’s Got Talent. She’s a cancer survivor who sings about her struggles in a song she wrote. She tells Simon Cowell, “You can’t wait to be happy until life isn’t hard anymore.” I think you learned that lesson long ago, but some of us are just learning it now.

            Please take a look at Charlie Blow’s piece in the NYT today where he compares you to FDR by pointing out that you both prioritized infrastructure over racial justice. In case you don’t get a chance to see it, he’s disappointed that you did not insist that the Senate move forward on voting rights. He points out that FDR failed to enact laws on anti-lynching & fair employment policies because he feared alienating Southern white voters. Are you fearing that too?

            The WP says that you are on a “politically treacherous path” where you have to do a “delicate dance” to get your infrastructure bills passed. I hope that Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA – 7) is able to deliver the 96 members of her Congressional Progressive Caucus. According to the G, your helper, Louisa Terrell, is the perfect person to “usher” this policy through the “congressional maze.” Effective, agreeable, looking to compromise & always keeping lines of communication open – sounds like my kind of woman.

            I was disappointed to read about the Richard Spring Fire in MT which is threatening some towns on the Eastern side of the state. I was also disturbed to see that 5 young folks in Burma died after jumping out of a building to avoid being caught by the junta. Please continue to monitor both situations & discern how we might help.

            BYBS,