By: Keith Kappes
Columnist
Carter County Times
Many of us diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea need the nightly help of a CPAP machine and we often have vivid dreams. That occurs because our snoozing falls into what medical science calls REM sleep, the deepest and most restful, supposedly.
It happens to me on a regular basis, and I usually enjoy the full-color videos playing and replaying in my subconscious brain. But sometimes those dream scenarios can be unsettling, even frightening.
As a student of politics and a former elected officeholder, I spend a great deal of time reading political commentary and history. For example, my former colleagues in the world of journalism have been turning out reams of analysis on the ups and downs of President Biden’s first year in office.
Pondering those opinions from the left, right and middle of the American political spectrum no doubt set the stage for a dream I had recently about the Biden Presidency.
I imagined I received a letter from the White House in which I was asked to help the President make changes in the direction of his administration so that his approval rating would improve, and more citizens would be positive about our nation’s future.
In my dream, I was asked to give the President advice on the issues of inflation, climate change, the pandemic, etc., but I quickly realized that list was far above my pay grade.
So, I decided to simplify my advice as follows:
First, he should stop acting like a senator and start being a president. He should insist that members of Congress come to the White House instead of him going to the Capitol. He obviously needs the homecourt advantage.
He should make more visits to the press room but not stay for two hours, get tired and make mistakes by forgetting what he said earlier. He should spend more weekends in Washington instead of going “home” to Delaware. Again, he has a 24/7 job in DC.
In the spirit of FDR’s legendary “fireside chats” on radio, the President should start “kitchen table chats” on TV with American families now worrying about grocery bills, jobs, and gasoline prices.
However, I’m also sure from his years in Washington that he knows that free advice is generally worth what you pay for it.
Keith Kappes can be reached at keithkappes@gmail.com
