Lucky: How Joe Biden Barely Won the Presidency | 
so-soThis book is a serious deep dive into the Democratic 2020 primaries. Very much written for and by politicos with a focus on the who‘s who of the campaigns and the personalities of the leadership. It does, however, speak very well to how the Democratic Party establishment coalesced around the centrist candidate in a race being pulled to the left, and how they and events made sure he crossed the finish line.
pickThis was a pretty good book, but if I were the authors, I would have chosen a different title, for two reasons. 1) It could be misconstrued that this is an anti-Biden book (which it isn't), and 2) While it is true that Biden was quite lucky for several reasons in this election, it shouldn't be the main takeaway of his campaign. Even a boring title like "Election 2020" would have been more fitting.
Apparently, that was a reference to a line in a John Wayne movie. Ever since Biden said this, I've been hurling the same insult at people. And just like with Biden, people are left scratching their heads as to what I mean by that.
They're specifically referring to Iowa here, but this is true in general.
When he was vice president, incoming aides received a memo from him in their "welcome packet." This is an important job, the memo said. But family is more important. If I find out you're missing soccer games, birthdays, or weddings because of work, Biden wrote, I'm going to be really upset. I don't want to hear that you're missing family time for work. "He meant that one thousand percent," one longtime aide said.
Frightened by Trump's victory, many people of color had come to the conclusion that their best chance to take down the president might lie with a white candidate. Older Black voters in particular could tell the difference between a white guy who talked like Archie Bunker and governed like George Wallace and one who talked like Archie Bunker and governed like Lyndon Johnson.
