Yesterday showed that Biden understands the «dignified» part of politics.
Walter Bagehot, in The English Constitution, argued that the success of the British political system rested in the division between the dignified and efficient parts of the government. While Parliament got the actual work of governing done, the monarchy embodied the equally important “dignified” or symbolic elements. We don’t have to get into an analysis of British politics to grant Bagehot’s point, that politics involves much more than just policy. Nothing illustrates that point more than yesterday’s inauguration and the Celebrating America event in the evening. Biden got down to work right away, signing executive orders addressing COVID-19, the environment, and other critical topics. But at this critical moment in American history, when a polarized, stunned, and frightened country faces an uncertain history, signing paperwork was not enough spectacle. We needed a moment when we conjured up a vision of the United States we want to have. How much of that vision we have now, and how much is yet to be achieved, are both important questions to address. Yesterday definitely delivered a vision in a very meaningful and occasionally powerful way. Past Inauguration Days had the inaugural ceremony itself and follow-on activities, including trips to symbolically important places like Arlington Cemetery, and outdoor concerts.
