Rubenerd

The fact my American friends are even analysing Joe Biden’s transition team is a brief glimpse of sunlight through the 2020 pea souper.

Mr Orange’s dwindling supporters don’t realise the laughing stock he is to the rest of the world, how he’s left America’s international reputation in tatters, and has forced friends of America like me to coach everything we say about the country, lest we be ridiculed ourselves. Mr Orange’s America was the butt of jokes around the world pre-COVID, now people say it could be worse, we could be in his “shithole country”.

Nobody has done more in recent memory to embolden the free world’s enemies, from dividing and pissing off America’s allies, to providing cover for despots. Mr Orange is a hollow man and a liability, just as well all said he would be.

Whew! It’s almost as though I was letting off pent up steam after being that guy who defends the US. We digress; Alex Thomson wrote for Politico:

Two of the full-time staff hires also have ties to the tech industry, which could draw criticism from the left. Cynthia Hogan, a longtime aide to Biden who helped in his vice presidential search, is a former lobbyist for Apple. Jessica Hertz, who worked at the Obama Justice Department, was most recently a director and associate general counsel at Facebook.

At least Apple’s record on privacy generally favours consumers compared to most of the industry. By comparison, the latter appointment’s ties to a certain social network are scary.

Still, I suppose two steps forward, one step back, is still one step forward. If the world is fortunate enough to have America deliver Joe Biden victory, let’s hope it thoroughly holds him and his cabinet to account as they haven’t for his predecessor.