Dear Mr. President: 10 letters of advice for Biden

Cover Story

In 10 letters to President Joe Biden, prominent public figures in business, academia, and public life weigh in on what he should do to bring the country together at a fraught time for American democracy.

Build a working coalition 

By Leon E. Panetta
Mr. Panetta is a former director of the CIA and secretary of defense under President Barack Obama.

Dear Joe:

My deepest congratulations on your inauguration as the 46th president of the United States. Having known and worked with you for more than 40 years, I believe you are one of the most experienced and qualified individuals to serve as the nation’s commander in chief.

No one better understands the whirlwind of critical problems at home and abroad that you will be inheriting. And no one knows better how quickly you can fail if you are unable to build a bipartisan working majority in the House and Senate that will work with you to govern.

The nation cannot withstand four more years of partisan gridlock and dysfunction. In our democracy, we govern either by leadership or by crisis. If leadership is willing to take the risks necessary to build consensus, we can avoid or certainly contain crisis. But if leadership is not there, we will inevitably govern by crisis. But there is a price to be paid for relying on crisis – the loss of trust of the American people in our system of governing.

You know what it takes to work together to get things done. It is about building relationships, and the best time to build that working coalition is in the first 100 days of the new administration. The nucleus for that coalition can begin with the bipartisan members of the House and Senate who successfully worked on the last COVID-19 aid package.

Your first legislative efforts should focus on delivering opportunity for all. Some critical elements of that agenda could be an additional recovery bill that provides businesses, workers, states, and communities the federal assistance needed to get them back on their feet; a rebuild America bill that funds new infrastructure jobs in both rural and urban America; a national service bill that gives every young person the funds to pay for a college education or skill training in exchange for two years of public service; and a bill to renew the promise of America that enacts comprehensive immigration reform that provides for border security, a legal workforce, and a path to citizenship. 

Of course, your administration will have to deal with a number of priorities at home and abroad, but the first job is to show that you can successfully govern.

By passing a strong bipartisan agenda, you will not only restore the American dream of equal opportunity for all, but you will also help restore faith in our democracy. 

God bless you.

Job one: Restore public trust in government

By Christine Todd Whitman
Ms. Whitman is a former governor of New Jersey and administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush.

As you enter office, our nation is facing threats to the very foundation of our democracy. Beyond the legislation and policy decisions you’ll make in office, the greatest challenge you will face is to restore America’s trust in government, which has been most recently undermined by the willingness of a substantial number of congressional Republicans to continue to challenge what was a safe and accurate election and to fail to decry the storming of the Capitol by a Trump-incited mob.

Our institutions were established for our “general welfare,” as it says in the Constitution’s preamble. And yet, not surprisingly, many Americans no longer trust that our government is working for their good. On all sides of the political spectrum, belief in the integrity of public leaders, the competence of public institutions, and the value of the rule of law has eroded.

Trust in government includes respect for our country’s founding documents and the rule of law. The absence of this respect paves the way to abuse of power and disregard for liberties. If you can reestablish this common foundation of trust, it will allow you to move forward on other important initiatives.

The shared acceptance of science and fact is also part of this general respect for institutions. Until we restore public trust in science, people will be skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccine, hampering our ability to get the virus under control.

That trust will also impact our nation’s health in the long run, as we restore the regulations designed to protect us. Our country must reach a consensus on the value of science in order to avoid intensifying health disasters in the short and long term.

You are a patriot who has respected our country, our Constitution, and the rule of law throughout your career. While restoring our nation’s trust is a tall order, too large for any one president, you are aware of the problem and are well suited to the task. Our country needs a leader of integrity and decency to start healing, and I believe you are that leader that will help bring our country together again.

Focus on solutions, not party labels

By Francis Suarez
Mr. Suarez is the mayor of Miami.

Dear Mr. President:

You’ve been entrusted to serve as president in a period best described as “no ordinary time.” Some are hoping that you fail. Some are praying that you succeed. But all of us need you to re-instill decency in our politics, fairness in our discourse, and respect for all of our liberties and all of our citizens. While I’m fairly new to politics, I’ve learned a few things. 

1. See Americans, not parties. While I don’t claim to be an expert, I know this: Americans want a government that serves them, not any elite or clique. As a mayor, I’ve learned that people look to their elected leaders for practical solutions, not partisan ones. They expect results, not political treatises. Please focus on getting things done, not getting things “right.” Look beyond labels and look at character.

Republican senators such as Ben Sasse have championed smart, practical policies for working people that actually work. Some Democratic senators have joined them, and so can you. We can defend our principles while also creating practical solutions that deliver for working people. And as many mayors know, “getting things done” is always good politics. 

2. Invest in Americans, not in ideologies. Americans are our greatest national resource and we need to invest in them through infrastructure, education, and a competitive tax system that rewards initiative and innovation while punishing irresponsible and destructive behavior. All new infrastructure needs to be climate adaptive. Both parties recognize that bridges, roads, and other new projects need to be built to endure increased storms, flooding, tornadoes, wildfires, and other natural disasters. And climate-adaptive infrastructure will drive down our insurance premiums, serving effectively as a broad-based tax cut for those who need it most.

Our educational system now needs to be based on lifelong learning and continuous training. We need to see education not simply as a way to get a degree but as part of a continuous journey, where everyone can learn, grow, find employment, and stay employed in a fast-changing job market. 

3. Look to the future, not to the past. A new generation of elected officials are emerging who can transcend past divisions and personal invective, while delivering principled and smart solutions. The nature of our national challenges quite simply exceeds the solutions of one single person or of one single party. We literally need each other to survive and to succeed. And we also need to include our state and local leaders just as we have in the past. Public health, climate adaptation, workforce education, and economic development are now national security issues. And they will continue to be.

We also need to invest in our police and their training, not defund them or defund our criminal justice system. And just as we must remove the social poison of entrenched racism from our nation, we must remove the political poison of militant socialism from our politics.

You have great personal relationships with members of Congress, national figures, and world leaders. Listen to them, learn from them, and look for solutions that are not simply bipartisan but nonpartisan. The buck stops with you. You’ve got the ball now; go for it!

Why the world needs American leadership

By Mary Robinson
Ms. Robinson is a former president of Ireland and former United Nations high commissioner for human rights who chairs The Elders, an international human rights organization. 

Dear Mr. President: 

You assume office at a critical moment for your country and the whole world. The impact of COVID-19 has been devastating for global health, trade, economic performance, and social cohesion. It has underscored the interconnectedness and fragility of human societies, and starkly exposed the hollow boasts of populist and nationalist rhetoric.

No one country, not even one as large and powerful as the United States, can tackle the pandemic alone. But American leadership is critical in galvanizing a coordinated global response, and your presidency can make a crucial difference by restoring the principles of multilateral cooperation, trust, and integrity to decision-making.

One crucial step will be to rejoin the World Health Organization, which remains the indispensable global body to lead the response to COVID-19 and future pandemics. The outgoing administration’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from the WHO was myopic and deeply damaging, and I hope it will be quickly reversed. I am already heartened by your pledge to rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change and reassert American leadership in the face of this existential challenge. 

This will be an urgent year for climate action, culminating in the COP26 U.N. climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, in November. There is now not a moment to lose to reengage in international climate diplomacy, meet commitments on climate finance to help developing nations, and cut national emissions. 

Across the board, we need to restore cooperation and compassion as the necessary guides of world affairs, from climate action and nuclear nonproliferation to racial justice, gender equality, and respecting the rights of migrants and refugees. 

Mr. President, I know how proud you are of your Irish heritage, which includes links to my own hometown of Ballina in County Mayo. This year, people all across Ireland will celebrate the visit to my country in the 1840s of the great African American abolitionist, Frederick Douglass, whose struggle for freedom continues to inspire people today. 

Douglass once said that “the life of a nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous.” After the past tumultuous 12 months, we need honesty, truth, and virtue more than ever at the heart of public life. I have every hope and confidence that you will be guided by these values as you undertake your most important task ahead.

In global affairs, no more US preeminence 

By Andrew Bacevich
Dr. Bacevich is a professor emeritus at Boston University and president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.

Dear President Biden:

Soon after winning election to the presidency, you announced that “America is back, ready to lead the world” and to resume its accustomed place “at the head of the table.” Among those distressed that your predecessor showed so little interest in leading anything anywhere, such sentiments resonate.

In the political circles where you have spent virtually your entire adult life, belief that history summons the United States to lead the world is an article of faith. So too is the conviction that the world itself yearns for American leadership, with other nations eager for Washington to occupy a position of privilege. A return to pre-Trump normalcy implies a restoration of U.S. global preeminence.  

I urge you to reconsider any such expectation. In the aftermath of World War II, with international politics centered on a bipolar competition between East and West, such a formulation possessed a certain utility. The euphoria unleashed by the end of the Cold War made the temptation to double down on such claims all but irresistible.

But the era of American primacy has ended. We may date its demise from the March 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, which as a U.S. senator you supported. In the roughly two decades since, as the U.S. was squandering trillions of dollars in failed military campaigns, the global order has undergone a transformation. The emergence of new threats in the form of climate change and pandemics offers one example. The shifting distribution of power in East Asia offers a second, with nuclear proliferation and our nation’s emergence as the world’s leading debtor others. 

So the global table at which your administration will take a seat is not rectangular. It is round. No nation or body of nations will sit at its head. No doubt the clout wielded by individual countries gathered around that table varies – not all are equal. But none will dominate – not China, not Russia, not us, not anyone. Acknowledging this reality implies a radically different approach to statecraft, one that should emphasize collaboration rather than coercion, setting an example rather than issuing threats and inflicting punishment.  

Yes, the U.S. must always stand ready to defend its vital interests from attack. But much as those interests are changing, so too should the means employed to protect them.

Listen to a diversity of voices and views

By Ruth J. Simmons 
Dr. Simmons is president of Prairie View A&M University, a historically Black university in Texas.  

As educational leaders, we are accustomed to giving advice to students as they enter our institutions and, again, as they leave to face the future. The advice we impart as they begin their journey is simple: work hard, embrace difference, acknowledge the importance of criticism, and remain open to the prospect of learning from individuals from every stratum of society. While the theater of opportunity and action is far more vast and complex for the president of the United States, there may be surprising similarities in the opportunities for a president to show needed leadership at a particularly challenging moment of history.

It would normally be superfluous if not ridiculous to urge the president to work hard, but recent history informs us how important such an exhortation may be. We not only expect our leaders to engage deeply with the issues of importance to the American people, but we also want to see an intense level of engagement manifested daily. Nothing matters more to us when we are experiencing serious problems than to see our leaders furrow their brow, dig in, demonstrate concern, and take action that is in line with the magnitude of the problems we face. So, let us see how hard you’re trying, Mr. President. You won’t always get it right when it comes to your decision-making and actions, but your sincere and selfless engagement with the issues will help to soothe our concerns.

Embracing difference is a central tenet of self-improvement. Accepting that others may hold valid perspectives that can provide greater clarity and helpfully improve outcomes is an essential aspect of wise, inclusive leadership. Many surround themselves with longtime supporters eager to form a chorus of approval for leaders often beleaguered by criticism. I ask that you fight the impulse to surround yourself with those who are comfortable interlocutors, telling you what you most desire to hear. The danger of such a path is manifest in the problems we face today as a nation: massive unemployment and economic disarray, a disintegrating social fabric, a Constitution in peril. Robust inclusion of a range of perspectives will instill greater confidence in the public that we are on a better path to resolve the issues that most concern us.

We have recently been stung by a harrowing set of events that point to significant disparities in the way different groups are treated, leading to long-lived issues that contribute to social fracture and political upheaval. It is possible to be aware of these kinds of gaps in equality if one pays close attention and listens to those outside the policy bubbles. I ask that your visitors to the White House be not just the wealthy, famous, and politically connected, but also the average citizens who can give you a sense of where we are headed as a nation. The country belongs to all of us and, while I know that it is your inclination to be inclusive, I ask that this be made clear to those across the country in the actions you take, in the directions you give to Cabinet members, and in the way your schedule is designed.

Mr. President, like our students setting out on their academic journey, you will not want for advice and direction. Remember that the people elected you because of your character and your commitment to them and the country. In the final analysis, I hope you will rely mostly on your experience and knowledge, along with the empathy you have for those suffering and cast aside, to lift the hopes of our youth. The young people we welcome every year to our schools and universities are all-
important to the future of the country. Embrace them. Inspire them. Show them the importance of including, caring for, and serving others. In short, show them how to lead.

Take steps to curb corrosive populism

By William G. Howell and Terry M. Moe 
Dr. Howell, a professor at the University of Chicago, and Dr. Moe, a professor at Stanford University, are the authors of “Presidents, Populism, and the Crisis of Democracy.” 

With Joe Biden’s election, our nation averted catastrophe. Four more years of Donald Trump’s populist-

authoritarian rule could have destroyed American democracy. What we’ve won, however, is merely a reprieve. The nation’s crisis of democracy continues, as the recent mob attack on Congress makes clear. The Biden administration must recognize this crisis for what it is and take calculated actions to mitigate it.  

Mr. Trump’s rise to power was partly predicated on white backlash to growing diversity, but also on the very real economic harms and cultural anxieties born of rising globalization, automation, immigration, and urbanization. These are serious problems that our government has been entirely ineffective at dealing with, resulting in a surge of populist anger against a system that doesn’t work, and support for a strongman like Mr. Trump who can attack that system and get things done on his own. 

Mr. Trump has lost the presidency. But his populist base and its anti-system anger are not going away, and they remain a mortal threat to democracy. Mr. Biden’s challenge is to address the sources of this threat by making government work for these people – and for everybody.

Mr. Biden can defuse populism in two ways. First, he can pursue policies – on immigration, job training, trade, health care, infrastructure, rural community investment, and more – that alleviate the substantive causes of populist anger. Second, and more fundamentally, he can push for institutional reforms – designed, for example, to streamline the legislative process through fast-track decision-making and to depoliticize the federal bureaucracy – that enhance the government’s overall capacity for effective performance.

With Congress evenly split and Republicans intent on blocking, progress will be difficult. The current need for policy action and institutional reform vastly outstrips what the present political moment allows. Still, these aspirations must be front and center. Mr. Biden should speak emphatically about the long-standing failures of government – Democratic as well as Republican – and his intention to dramatically improve how government works, especially for society’s most alienated. Some legislation may succeed, but Mr. Biden also can use his unilateral powers to improve the lives of vulnerable Americans. Done right, early achievements can pave the way for bigger electoral victories – and more consequential policies and reforms that permanently end the populist threat. 

Mr. Biden’s first year in office must be more than a restoration of civility and normalcy. America remains in crisis. He needs to see himself as playing a pivotal role in American history: the savior of our democracy.

For students, debt relief, not blanket cancellation

By Heidi Heitkamp 
Ms. Heitkamp served as the first female senator elected from North Dakota from 2013 to 2019. She is co-founder of the One Country Project, which aims to reconnect Democrats with rural America.

For the good of the economic future of our country, the Biden administration must address crushing student loan debt. However, it would be politically wise to proceed with caution. Blanket debt forgiveness is seen by many Americans as grossly unfair. This is particularly true for Americans who worked their way through college, served in our military to qualify for GI student benefits, sacrificed to save to pay for their children’s education, and already paid back their student loans. It’s also true for Americans who never attended college because of the high cost.  

Yet there are alternatives that could successfully navigate the realities of a failed and onerous student loan system and the concerns that total loan forgiveness is an unfair bailout. America could unite behind an alternative plan that centers on the following principles:

• Interest rate reform. Adjust student loan interest rates to a variable rate equal to today’s 10-year Treasury note rate. Further, the U.S. Department of Education should apply the rate retroactively over the period of the past 10 years of loan repayment. Current federal direct loan rates range from 2.75% for undergraduates to 5.3% for graduate students. The current 10-year Treasury note is less than 1%. Once interest rates are adjusted, any overpayment from interest in the past will be applied to the loan principal and in many cases will wipe out the debt. If a person has overpaid principal, the department will reimburse that student the excess amount. 

• First-generation students. Give special consideration to first-generation college students by applying retroactively a 0% interest rate to their student loans. 

• Public service. Implement and broaden loan forgiveness programs for those who go into public service. People, for instance, who become police officers, teachers, firefighters, doctors, and nurses – and who meet the time requirements – must be given total debt forgiveness as promised.  

• Business incentives. Permanently increase to $20,000 the amount an employer can contribute, tax free, to an employee to repay student loans. Create a student debt forgiveness program within the Small Business Administration to help Americans who want to start a business get student loan relief. 

Student debt reform done strategically, as opposed to offering across-the-board debt forgiveness, will be more broadly accepted and would not add fuel to the fires of political division. There are numerous examples of the government giving no- or low-interest loans to business recipients to further America’s economic goals. Nothing can be more important than investing in Americans and the American dream of economic opportunity. Pursuing that dream should not come with overwhelming debt and the inability to get ahead.

Work across the aisle on climate

By Carlos Curbelo
Mr. Curbelo is a former U.S. representative from Florida.

Dear Mr. President: 

Congratulations on your electoral victory. You have promised to heal and unite our country. I wish you success – for your sake and for the sake of every American.

I had the privilege of serving in Congress for four years and dedicated a plurality of my time to establishing a dialogue and building bipartisan consensus in favor of sensible and necessary climate policy solutions. With my fellow Floridian Ted Deutch, we chartered the Climate Solutions Caucus in the House – the first-ever organization inside Congress dedicated to addressing climate change and its consequences. 

For Republicans, engaging on this issue can be complicated. Attacks come from both the far-right and the far-left, and many environmental organizations are hesitant to work with Republicans or recognize their efforts. 

The world urgently needs meaningful action on climate policy. This cannot happen without our country’s leadership, and our country cannot effectively lead until we achieve a minimum degree of bipartisan consensus. In other words, climate change requires durable, consequential policy solutions that can clear both chambers. 

I assure you there are Republicans in Congress who will listen and who understand the significance and seriousness of this matter. I know them, and I have worked with them. In fact, in the shadow of the outgoing administration, Republicans worked with Democrats to pass modest but significant legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

While it might be tempting for some to continue weaponizing this issue for political gain, regrettably there is no time for such games. I strongly urge you to meet early and often with willing Republicans in order to continue building momentum for the climate solutions that will secure a healthy and prosperous future for rising generations.

Focus on stemming both racial and wealth inequality 

By James Pierce 
Mr. Pierce, an executive with the global food corporation Cargill, is a newly elected member of the Edina City Council in Edina, Minnesota.

The year 2020 was challenging, yet I have never been more encouraged by the human spirit. In the face of so many challenges – exacerbated by the events over the past few weeks – our country continues to find ways to endure. To maintain momentum, we need to resolve issues of racial equity, socioeconomic equality, and climate change.

The fabric of our nation is knitted together in a belief that the Declaration of Independence got it right with the words “all men are created equal.” As aspirational as these words were, many argue that Thomas Jefferson was not really referring to humanity. Regardless, this great nation has yet to live up to the promise of this seminal statement. 

As our demographics continue to shift, I ask you to intensify your focus on racial equity. To continue to grow this nation, all Americans must believe that our success is inextricably tied together. We must eliminate systems, practices, and policies that create an environment of institutional unfairness. Its effects are present throughout our justice, education, and health care systems. It is this unfairness that continues to hold back people of color. If left unchecked, it will inevitably undermine our future. For America to fulfill its promise, we need every American to thrive, not just survive.  

The pandemic is the most recent event highlighting the socioeconomic inequalities in our nation. Those with professional jobs were able to continue making a living, with minimal risk. Many with nonprofessional jobs were no longer able to earn an income. Those who could did so at reduced pay and in greater danger.

We must find a way to share these burdens more equally. When everyone shares in the success, more are able to develop wealth and build equity. Staying on our current path will continue to increase the wealth divide and ultimately threaten the socioeconomic fabric of the nation.

Finally, Mr. President, I implore you to refocus on the issue of climate change. My favorite quote is from Nelson Henderson. “The true meaning of life is planting trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.” For the good of future generations, I ask you to solidify our approach toward green energy, setting us on a path to reverse climate change.  

Legacies are created during a lifetime, but often not fully recognized until well after. I hope that your presidency will be remembered for setting us on a path to truly fulfill the promises of this great nation for all Americans.