WASHINGTON – President-elect Joe Biden has made the nation’s union one of his most pressing priorities as a candidate. Your task has become exponentially more difficult.
The deadly attack on the United States Capitol by a crowd of President Trump supporters on January 6, a global pandemic and deep racial and cultural divisions, created a toxic mix that threatens to overwhelm Biden’s agenda early in his presidency.
Biden will take office facing two dilemmas – one practical and the other political. The first is how to move quickly through its legislative agenda, especially to deal with Covid-19 and boost the U.S. economy, while the Senate seeks an impeachment trial for Trump on the charge that he incited the riots.
Second, Biden must reconcile his campaign promise to be a bridge builder for Republicans with the demands of many in his party that he punishes those who joined Trump in the search for baseless allegations contesting Biden’s victory.
“A president inciting insurrection is unforgivable, unacceptable and needs to be punished, which is why I support the impeachment articles presented in the House,” said Senator Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), One of Biden’s primary opponents in last year in an interview. “But if all we get stuck in the next few weeks, months, is impeachment, that would be a terrible service for the American people.”