Opinion: Biden understands the pace of governance, the media not so much https://t.co/udKiNGgkP2

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) May 10, 2021

President Biden came into office promising to be a decent, competent and normal president. “Normal” in part entailed no incendiary tweets, no self-dealing for him and his family, and no staffing government with unqualified hacks. If those are the criteria, then he has succeeded.

But “normal” also means patient, often tedious and sometimes imperceptible statecraft. You pass legislation. The economy takes a couple steps forward, seems to hesitate and then continues on. The opposition party takes definitive stances on everything in proposed legislation, and then the White House tries to pick off allies. Major legislation takes months, not days or weeks…

Normal governance means the instant “take” and the premature prediction of doom are often wrong. Instantaneous analysis from people with little expertise and incomplete information might not be the most enlightening form of journalism. Biden understands that governance requires persistent messaging, patience, calm and an appreciation for detail and nuance. That’s what normal governance, at least good governance, entails. Maybe the media will catch on — with time.