So has anyone else thought that President Joe Biden is basically the Ted Lasso of American politics?

In the midst of all the ugliness and negativity between the two parties, Biden stays positive. He never trashes the opposite party, just rejects the “extremists” that he claims don’t really represent the Republicans. He invites collaboration, cooperation, and bipartisanship. He knows exactly what he stands for, but realizes he may have to give up some things to get the votes of people who want other things. He knows everyone and he still believes that politics is based in relationships, not tweets and followers and digital likes or unlikes that seem trendy but don’t actually mean very much.

People may not be passionate about Joe Biden like they are about Trump, or Bernie Sanders, or Elizabeth Warren, or maybe Ron DiSantis (not sure people are passionate about him, but I’m trying to be bipartisan), or like I was about Cory Booker in the last presidential election. But on the other hand, no body hates him. He’s just a nice guy and people trust him. For those who have taken my classes, he is an Innocent Everyman.

And maybe, that’s exactly what we need right now. Because despite all the drama around our divided government, somehow we managed to pass legislation to raise the debt limit so that the US wouldn’t default on it’s debts for the first time in history and plunge the country, if not the world, into economic chaos.

So that is is something to celebrate. Regardless of party or political inclination, it is a good thing for the world that we haven’t defaulted on our debts.

It just feels like a sit com to me, because there was all this drama and discussions and negotiations for weeks or months before, but then 48 hours before the deadline, everything fell into place and disaster was averted. It made me think of a scene from the delightful movie Galaxy Quest where the Captain Kirk parody (played by Tim Allen) and the Uhuru parody (played by Segourney Weaver) hit the button to stop the space ship from self destructing but nothing happens…until there is 1 second left on the clock, because in the television show, everything was always saved at the very last moment.

And so it was with raising the debt ceiling. In contrast to the spectacle surrounding Kevin McCarthy becoming Speaker of the House, which took 3 days and 15 votes, the legislation passed the House with votes to spare Wednesday night, the Senate did the same Thursday night, and President Biden signed the legislation Saturday morning before Monday, June 5, when the Treasury was supposed to have run out of funds. And to me, the compromise hammered out was pretty tame. There are no deep cuts that the Freedom Caucus insisted required to get their votes…turns out, their votes weren’t necessary. It doesn’t seem to me that Biden gave away too much and he got most of what he wanted…perhaps most importantly, the fact the current agreement extends past the 2024 elections, so it won’t be a political issue during the next elections. So I say, way to go Joe!

So was all the Sturm und Drang phony? Did the media make it out to be a bigger deal than it really was? Was McCarthy playing a role to keep his Freedom Caucus allies happy but intended to ignore their demands all along? It just all felt like a TV show to me, and all this drama that resolved itself simply and easily as we got to the end of the show, just as you expect sit coms to do. And, of course, they fact that Ted Lasso‘s star, Jason Sudekis, did what I think is the best Joe Biden impression during his years at Saturday Night Live, adds to my feeling of what is real and what is fiction.

But I’ll take it. I feel good not only because the debt ceiling issue has been resolved, but because it demonstrates that the government can still work despite all the division between our parties. I feel good that one of our NC senators, Thom Tillis, continues to be a reasonable Republican who lends his bipartisan support to important legislation such as the debt ceiling agreement (and shame on our other senator, Ted Budd, for voting against the bill).

But back to Joe Biden as Ted Lasso…I don’t know when I’ve seen a less ego-driven politician than Biden, especially in contrast to his predecessor, Mr “I alone can fix it.” Maybe not since Gerald Ford, a quiet and underestimated man who put his principles before his political ambitions.

One of my favorite scenes from Ted Lasso is a darts match that Ted enters to get Rupert to leave Rebecca alone in which he talks about being underestimated.

That is a FANTASTIC life lesson (other than about doing a better job of checking citations, because WALT WHITMAN NEVER WROTE THAT. Sigh). But otherwise, it’s great. And it seems to be lesson that Joe Biden embraces. He has had one of the most significant first terms in recent history, having passed COVID provisions, stimulus spending, gun legislation, election reform legislation, and perhaps most importantly, the infrastructure bill that everyone else thought was DEAD. Many people were angry and judgmental about Democartic West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin’s refusal to vote for the legislation, with some even arguing Manchin should be stripped of some of his Democrat privileges. But not Joe Biden. He just kept being curious about what it would take to get Joe Manchin’s vote…and somehow, the bill got passed.

And yet he gets NO CREDIT for all the great things he’s done for the American people. In April, CNN said President Biden’s approval ratings were tied with the lowest of Presidental ratings in the past 70 years. But apparently, just like Ted, he can live with that.

Here’s what President Biden had to saysdafter signing the debt ceiling legislation into law:

” [W]hen I ran for President, I was told the days of bipartisanship were over and that Democrats and Republicans could no longer work together. But I refused to believe that, because America can never give in to that way of thinking…. [T]he only way American democracy can function is through compromise and consensus, and that’s what I worked to do as your President…to forge a bipartisan agreement where it’s possible and where it’s needed.”
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“[The two negotiating teams” “were able to get along and get things done. We were straightforward with one another, completely honest with one another, and respectful with one another. Both sides operated in good faith. Both sides kept their word.”
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“[House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY)] acted responsibly and put the good of the country ahead of politics.”

And if that speech, shining the spotlight on everyone except himself, isn’t a Ted Lasso /sit com moment, I don’t know what is.

So we may have come to the end of our fictional Ted Lasso series, but we still have his real world alter ego demonstating the power of positivity and patience and friendship and kindness for at least another year and a half. And who knows? Maybe one or both will get a sequel.

A girl can dream…