Biden’s ‘Reverse Honeymoon’

Although I’d like to think that the big news in the world this week is that my sister Anne turns 60 years old today, I have a feeling that there is considerably more focus on what happens tomorrow at 12:01pm EST, when Donald Trump leaves office and Joe Biden becomes president of the U.S.

The tradition is that the new president has a honeymoon of 100 days or so, when his people settle into their roles in the new administration and he starts to implement his agenda. But Biden’s plans to start out with a series of decisive actions suggest more of a divorce from the tone and policies of the Trump administration, and the dysfunction in Washington nearly ensures that Biden faces the obverse of the usual honeymoon.

Although I think the longer term is still clear — we will get the virus under control some time in 2021 and see a strong economic recovery, barring some craziness at the inauguration or in coming days — I suspect we will all be left guessing about where the economy and the country stand for at least that first stretch of three months-plus... continue reading >