In an earlier post I included a letter to the editor which I wrote in 2019 suggesting Joe Biden should not run for President in 2020. While at that time I feared he could not win, I am so thankful he ran and did win. I don’t think any American politician in either party could have repaired the diplomatic and military relationship with the European community after the Trump era the way Biden has. That is particularly true given the stress of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

And though average Americans don’t see it yet, President Biden has had a similarly successful domestic legislative agenda including major infrastructure initiatives, bringing high tech manufacturing back to America, and negotiating drug prices with pharmaceutical companies to name three. Those benefits will make a major impact in the future, but probably mostly after the 2024 election.

While Biden’s current poll numbers do not reflect his success, and he could be seriously in danger of loosing re-election to the four times indicted Trump I predict history will reflect quite favorably on the Biden Presidency.

And the most amazing part of his presidency is that he was successful in spite of ignoring all my best political advice after he secured the nomination in 2020. Following is a letter I wrote directly to him recommending key candidates he should tap for leadership positions in his potential new Administration that could give him the best chance of winning the election and successfully governing afterwards.

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May 7, 2020

Joseph R. Biden

American Possibilities

918 Pennsylvania Avenue S.E.

Washington, DC 20003

Dear Vice President Biden,

Enclosed please find a contribution to your presidential election campaign. At the same time I want to offer my opinion regarding your choice of a vice presidential running mate and other potential appointments.

While there are many good women candidates for Vice President, the current bet here in Ohio seems to be that you will chose Kamala Harris as your running mate. I think that would be a mistake. Ms Harris is likely qualified for consideration, but I think she brings “baggage” you don’t need. She comes across as militant and abrasive in public; that will turn off many independents and even some Republicans whose support you need to court. She would, however, make a dynamite Attorney General in my opinion.

Probably the most qualified woman to become President on day one would be Susan Rice. Her resume of experience should put her on any short list for Vice President. However, she would probably also be a polarizing figure because of the Benghazi debacle. Her professional style is also strong and direct. Those are intimidating qualities for lots of old white men voters. I would strongly support her nomination to be Secretary of State. I don’t think you could do better.

I think for political balance and support from liberal Democrats, you need to offer Elizabeth Warren an obvious position of power in your administration; she is probably too liberal for moderate elements of the Democratic Party to accept as Vice President, let alone independents and disgruntled Republicans. I suggest, though, she could be a powerhouse as Health and Human Services Secretary, or perhaps even better as a Strategic Presidential Advisor whose team is tasked with delivering plans for universal healthcare, mitigating economic inequality, garnering public support for such plans, and shepherding the associated legislation through Congress.

If it were my choice I would select Amy Klobuchar as your Vice Presidential running mate. She has a significant record of working across the aisle on critical legislation. When the Trump nightmare is over you are going to desperately need the partnership she could bring. She can help you (and Elizabeth Warren) deliver new legislation critical to infrastructure investment, climate change mitigation, economic inequality, as well as universal healthcare legislation. She is also from the Midwest where she could help you win over the electorate in some critical states in that part of the country. Finally, but especially, she could complement you in defining and bringing the country together around a common national vision and strategy.

This is a unique election season with social distancing required, unemployment exploding, tens of thousands hospitalized and dying of the virus, and a President playing for reality show-like ratings. I encourage you to make your VP choice known soon, before the convention. I also would encourage you to publicly identify your nominees for critical cabinet positions and key advisors well before the election so voters can begin to see the kind of people a rational government will employ in vital positions.

Thank you,

Mark Mathys

340 W Goodale Street

Columbus, Ohio 43215

markmathys@icloud.com

864 378 4811

Late in 2019 I wrote the following Letter to the Editor of the Columbus Dispatch. I feared Hunter Biden would make his father too vulnerable to win against Trump in the 2020 election, and said so. I took substantial abuse in subsequent editorials as well as from my neighbors at the time for daring to express such views. And of course Biden did not take advice from people like me, ran anyway, and wound up winning the Presidency.

Now 4 years later what I feared then may actually be coming true this campaign season. According to the polls, most Americans think the President was engaged in wrongdoing with his son while Vice President. Even a large minority of Democrats seem to fear the President is seriously weakened and may not win. Maybe I was right, but just got the year wrong.

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Letters to the Editor – Columbus Dispatch – October 22, 2019

It’s time for Joe Biden to gracefully bow out of the 2020 presidential race. I was a supporter of Joe for President in 2008 until he dropped out. So I am clearly not anti-Biden. But things are different this time.

I don’t subscribe to the conspiracy theory that Vice President Biden used his office to cover up corrupt behavior of his son. I also doubt that his son was in fact involved in any corrupt behavior in his position on the board of Burisma, the Ukrainian energy company.

However, I have no doubt that Hunter Biden got his position because his father was Vice President.  I am also certain the company used Hunter Biden to enhance its credibility as a legitimate business by exploiting that father/son relationship. And that, whether corrupt or not, is an optical problem both Joe Biden and his son should have recognized and avoided.

Hunter Biden has taken full responsibility for their errors of judgement but that is not enough. You can’t “un-ring a bell” so to speak. Regardless of whether there is evidence of wrongdoing or not the Republicans and Trump will continue to exploit that optical misstep. Biden’s Party and the country as a whole don’t need that distraction.

Joe: Do the right thing and withdraw from the race.

Mark Mathys

Columbus, Ohio