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June 12, 2025

Talbot Spy

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Op-Ed

Obama’s Endorsement of Biden: Come in, He Said, I’ll Give Ya Shelter from the Storm by Maria Grant

April 16, 2020 by Maria Grant

I just heard Obama’s endorsement of Joe Biden.  As someone with a strong thirst for sanity, reason, and humanity during these confusing and frightening times, the former President’s words were akin to seeing an oasis in a desert storm. Obama spoke of reason, grace, empathy, respect, dignity and science. He talked about the importance of having a team on the ground with knowledge and expertise in governing. 

If nothing else, this pandemic has taught us how small our world is. How the actions of one person can affect millions—that at the end of the day we are all in this together. It sent chills through me listening to Andrea Bocelli sing Amazing Grace at the Duomo in Milan while seeing the empty streets of Paris, Rome, London, and New York.   

Like many of us, I am weary of finger-pointing, arrogance, lies, incompetence, and self-serving rhetoric. It’s ugly and, as my mom used to say, “singularly unattractive and unbecoming behavior.” The level of animosity between the press and the President during these daily briefings is close to horrifying.  Neither side is perfect. Neither side is innocent of twisting facts and figures. I stopped listening because I heard little information that would lead to solving the current international crisis. Blame China. Blame the World Health Organization. Blame the governors. Blame GM. Blame 3M, and on and on.  

When I was in consulting, I was a huge advocate for “diversity of thought.”  I loved having a variety of deep expertise on my team: communications, logistics, data analytics, technology, operations, strategy.  When a multi-disciplinary, multi-generational team was assembled, amazing things happened. So many perspectives were considered. So many ideas that had not originally been put on the table were discussed. Nuggets of gold would emerge. It was exhilarating. Rules applied that no idea should be summarily dismissed without at least weighing its value, its practicality and its possibility for solving a problem. Such an environment spawns creative genius. Bringing in experts from within and outside organizations with different perspectives, priorities, and points of view is a good thing. 

I assume that somewhere out there such brainstorming is going on around a vaccine for the pandemic–for how to get the country back to work; how to identify a future pandemic as early as possible and take more precautionary steps. I have read about various hospitals and research facilities putting together such teams. But we need more brainstorming and more cross-pollination of ideas from different milieus.   

I loved hearing about Governor Cuomo’s Northeastern governor swat team that is working together to figure out next steps once the curve is flattened. About Google and Amazon working together to perfect Covid-19 contact tracing. This is no time for partisan politics, for commercial competition, for hunches, for lashing out and bringing up ancient history to suit your own campaign as opposed to solving this global crisis.  

We are so much better than this as a nation. You see it in the heroic acts of healthcare workers, first responders, grocery clerks, delivery people—the list goes on. Let’s celebrate our heroes and applaud their immense sacrifices. Let’s encourage scientists and doctors and data analytics experts and technologists and logistic specialists to submit ideas that can help us develop solutions to our current problems and prevent future occurrences. Let’s all put our thinking caps on and strive to find pieces in this incredibly complex puzzle.  

In the last stanza of Four Quartets, T.S. Eliot, says:

 “We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.”

Perhaps this is a day of reckoning for all of us.  And we can know for the first time that together each one of us can be part of a greater solution.

Maria Grant served as Principal-in-Charge of the Federal Human Capital practice of Deloitte Consulting. Since her retirement from Deloitte, she has focused on writing, music, reading, travel, gardening and nature. 

 

 

   

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: Op-Ed Tagged With: Biden, Maria Grant

Good Enough by Craig Fuller

March 4, 2020 by Craig Fuller

Delegate counts continue to be tallied, but one overwhelming message came from Super Tuesday, Democrats in huge numbers find Joe Biden good enough to challenge President Trump in November.

Winning always impresses. Throughout election night, though, it became clear that voters decided in close proximity to voting that the candidate who delivers what they want most is former Vice President Biden. And, what they want most is to defeat the incumbent President, suggesting in the exit interviews at polling places that winning mattered more than issue agreement.

Early on, many Democrats looked to alternatives having reservations in the beginning about the lifelong Democrat again seeking his party’s nomination. And, he gave them reasons to shop around. Then came South Carolina. Then candidates fell away and backed Biden. The wakeup call came, and voters turned out to send a signal that they are serious about winning in November.

There are many more contests and hundreds of more delegates to win before the Democrats open their national convention on July 13th in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; however, the contests ahead bring out voters that look more like those in the states Biden won than the states Sanders won.  Still, it is not over, and the number of delegates necessary to lock up the nomination before the Convention could prove elusive. “Could,” but it feels like and looks like Joe Biden is on the move.

Maryland voters get their say on Tuesday, April 28th where 102 delegates could matter a great deal. So, get ready if you care to shape the election contest heading into November.

One thing for sure, voters will have a clear choice in November…but, more on that in the months ahead.

Craig Fuller served four years in the White House as assistant to President Reagan for Cabinet Affairs, followed by four years as chief of staff to Vice President George H.W. Bush. Having been engaged in five presidential campaigns and run public affairs firms and associations in Washington, D.C., he now resides on the Eastern Shore.

The Spy Newspapers may periodically employ the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance the clarity and accuracy of our content.

Filed Under: 3 Top Story, Craig Tagged With: Biden, Craig Fuller

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