I Have Very Complicated Feelings About Joe Biden

And Many Questions

Hi, I’m Leanne, and it’s been seven weeks since my last post.

I have tried writing a post at least once a week. One time, I got as far as completing and scheduling something to publish— but I pulled it down at the last minute because the topic didn’t feel right.

I just don’t know what to say about Good Character right now. I want to give you, my readers, something to help you meet this current moment, but I’m struggling.

And it’s hard for me to explain why I am struggling, except to tell you how I’m feeling about Joe Biden.

Step back with me to the 2020 election. Joe Biden wasn’t my first choice. But when all the Democrats consolidated around him, I was on board. Like many, I was exhausted by Donald Trump, not just because of his abhorrent policies, but because of who he was. Donald Trump— authentically, unapologetically— was a person of Bad Character. Joe Biden, who understood grief, spoke with empathy, and made careful choices with wise advisors, was— in 2020— a person of Good Character.

It’s 2025 now. Donald Trump is still a person of Bad Character. He will never be anything other than that because he enjoys himself just the way he is. America expects him to be this person, a lowercase character in the Hollywood sense, not a person with quality characteristics in the deep, soulful sense. America has gotten who it voted for.

But Joe Biden’s character is now a giant question mark, and that’s because of how he handled Kamala Harris and the 2024 election. Based on current reporting, many agree that Biden is the most to blame for the second Trump presidency. If he’d kept his promise of being a one-term president, showcased his vice president or supported another successor from the beginning, and allowed someone other than himself to take the spotlight, the world would look very different today.

Biden transformed from someone I respected and admired— not always for his policies, but consistently for his personhood— to someone so desperate to hold onto power that he deceived the country about his capabilities and undercut the political party he purports to love.

And then— just two days ago— the world received the news that he was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer. I am so sad for him and his family. This news doesn’t change everything that happened, but it does put things into perspective. With a cancer diagnosis in the forefront, blame takes a backseat.

It also raises immediate questions about Biden’s legacy. It’s ironic that Biden, based on his son Beau’s illness and death, re-launched the Cancer Moonshot in 2021. But because his party lost the White House in 2024, much of the scientific research needed to make progress in the fight against cancer won’t be funded. That means breakthroughs won’t happen as quickly, and more people will die.

Is our character based on our overall goodness over time, or on the way we leave the Earth? That’s the heart of where I’m struggling.

My problem isn’t just with one word of my publication’s theme.

It’s both.

What is Good, when we’re all human and flawed? Where do we draw the line between good acts and bad ones, when so many acts have unintended consequences? For whom do we draw the line, when all of us have wildly different amounts of life experiences and advantages?

What is Character, when we no longer have a religious, ethical, educational, or even cultural consensus? What do we have to compare ourselves to, when so many of our leaders are failing us? And does it even matter what our characters are when society is crumbling and A.I. is about to take over?

I’ve been exploring concepts of character for almost two years now, alongside my background of voracious reading, writing, parenting and teaching about character, and even I don’t feel like I have any answers. All I’m left with is more questions. And they are BLEAK.

Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash

Maybe this would be easier to wrap my head around if I wasn’t being as hard on myself as I am on Biden, America, and all the rest. But lately I’ve been questioning almost every word I speak and every choice I make, especially in regards to my children. Am I setting boundaries, or taking away their agency? Am I being unnecessarily impatient, or letting them see that I’m not perfect?

And then there’s what I’m doing for the world. Is it enough to care for my family, including my extended family; to teach the arts and creativity; to be a safe and encouraging presence for my children? How much money do I reserve for my family and how much for groups that help people who are much worse off than we are? How many times should I call congresspeople, send postcards, or donate to causes before it feels like enough?

(Well, at least I know the answer to that last one: it will never feel like enough.)

Basically: I’m in a place of uncertainty and maybe a bit of grief, and while I’m capable of moving through that on my own, I don’t know what of it to share with you.

So I’m asking one final question: do you want to know?

Does it help to know that I’m struggling with all this too— with what makes a person good, with what to do in the face of it all, with how much feels like enough?

If it helps you, I’ll keep writing in this vein. I’ll keep asking questions and trying to see the way forward.

Please let me know, using either of the following buttons.

Some Good Actions, If You’re Able

I may not be clear on Good Character right now, but I do know these things will help the world.

1. Join a community whose goal is resisting oppression. If you’re looking for an online one, I recommend Chop Wood Carry Water, which sends daily tips with actions and scripts for phone calls. (Reminder: it’s not enough just to subscribe. You have to actually take action!)

2. Go to a local rally. Make a sign and hold it proudly. My Boomer parents did this recently and it was so inspiring to me! Don’t just go for you, or for the cause. Go for the people YOU’LL inspire.

3. Tell people how you feel. Tell your representatives, over the phone. Tell your friends and family members. We all must speak up, using whatever platform we have.

4. Stay informed. I have recommended Pantsuit Politics 1,000 times and will probably recommend them 1,000 more. Heather Cox Richardson’s daily newsletter “Letters From An American” is also a wonderful way to learn about current events within a historical context. Podcasts like Majority 54 and Pod Save America focus on dissecting the news and telling us what we should really be worried about; they also typically recommend specific actions. And of course, subscribe to the major newspapers, because we need them to keep telling the truth.

5. Figure out which three or four causes are most important to you (because dedicating yourself to all of them will burn you out) and focus on those.

6. Ask yourself what your strengths are, and lead with those.

7. Put your money where your mouth is and make the capitalist system speak for you, too.

Some of you are already doing these things, or some of them. I’ve been doing #4 and #5 for awhile, but I could do much better on all the rest. Maybe this post counts as #6. If you’re already out there, meeting the moment with courage and tenacity, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Stuff You Might Like To Know

In a Flash, the literary magazine I co-edit with my friends Nina, Casey, Cindy and Kate, published its May issue on the theme of GROWTH— check it out! And from June 1-15, please submit personal stories under 500 words on the theme of RESISTANCE. This is my month to edit, and I chose the theme. I’m excited to read your work!

The full list of of upcoming submission calls:

June 1-15: RESISTANCE

July 1-15: HOPE

August 1-15: COMMUNITY

Check out our Submission Guidelines before you submit.

My co-editor and friend Nina Lichtenstein’s book is coming out on May 27, and it’s so so good! Pre-order BODY: MY LIFE IN PARTS for a creative, thoughtful take that leads with the physical body but weaves stories over many decades.

Books I recently read and loved include: PIGLET by Lottie Hazell (fiction); NEVER LET ME GO by Kazuo Ishiguro (fiction); EVERYTHING IS TUBERCULOSIS by John Green (nonfiction). I flew through all of them.

I’m listening to all the politics podcasts (see above) and Ezra Klein’s book ABUNDANCE on Audible. I successfully quit podcasts for the ten days of spring break and it was so good for me… but I just can’t seem to banish them from my life entirely, even though I’m certain I’d be happier if I just listened to music or nothing at all. Anyone else a podcast addict? (Poddict?)

I’m watching the new season of HACKS, because there’s no greater distraction than Ava and Deborah. I can’t wait for THE GILDED AGE to come back!

Hey, everyone: if you made it to the end, thank you. You’re one of the good ones, and I’d love to hear what you think. Keep hoping. Keep caring. Keep trying.