Also: What you said about boredom.
 | By Max Strasser International Editor, Opinion |
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Political conventions aren’t really about policy, are they? You probably know that if you’ve been following the news since the beginning of last week. Conventions are about pageantry and narrative and … Rhode Island calamari and Kimberly Guilfoyle? |
But being president isn’t just about the story you sell on a stage, it’s also about big policy decisions. And as the Democratic convention dragged on last week, I found myself wondering what kind of foreign policy Joe Biden would have if he wins in November. |
Emma Ashford, a researcher at the libertarian Cato Institute in Washington, thinks she knows. Based on his history, his campaign staff (“personnel is policy,” Emma notes) and his rhetoric, Mr. Biden is peddling one thing: a return to the foreign policy status quo. That may sound like a good idea after four years of Trump’s global mayhem, but it’s also a missed opportunity. |
Even if Emma isn’t a particular fan of Mr. Biden, she still thinks that anything would be better than President Trump. But a majority of Americans are hungry for change, for new ideas — not a tired post-Cold War consensus that persisted with only some variations through several administrations until Mr. Trump was elected. This year’s Democratic primary demonstrated how eager Americans are to rethink their place in the world; so, in a way, did Mr. Trump’s election. But if Mr. Biden just takes America back to where it was before, he won’t give anyone what they want — or make the world a safer and more stable place. |
On Monday, I asked if you were bored under lockdown — and how you were counteracting it. I received more responses than I could have expected and it’s been great to read your thoughts on life under lockdown. I wish I could include them all! But for now, please enjoy just a few highlights, lightly edited for clarity and length: |
Lisa Ditalia: Bored? Who has time to be bored? People without the luxury of full-time paid employment need to keep working as the cost to exist doesn’t go away. No time for boredom around here. Gig work has been a salvation. Guess that status is becoming the new norm. |
Joan Bunney: When my grandchildren tell me they’re bored, I always tell them only boring people are bored so find something to get un-bored — reading a book, drawing a picture, or taking a nap because this grandmother doesn’t hang with boring people. Life is too short to be bored. |
Donna Scarsciotti: I feel like I’m living the movie “Groundhog Day.” Every day is the same. I get up and relive the same day — over and over. Don’t get me wrong, I feel blessed that I’m working and that I also get to take care of my 95-year-old father every day. But it does feel very surreal. |
Mickey McGovern: I have an 11-year-old doing distance learning. I sit in on her Zoom classes to make sure she understands how to access the apps the teacher wants her to use to do her classwork. I’ve visited Khan Academy with her to do math. I was never a fan of math when I was in school and now suddenly I find it interesting. |
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