After the primary election, I jumped on the Biden wagon because we don’t have a choice in the general election. His candidacy didn’t inspire me like Elizabeth Warren’s or Pete Buttigieg’s. Even Biden’s record hasn’t been all that great. He made many mistakes and he came off arrogant. I still remember him ridiculing Paul Ryan on the VP debate stage in 2012.

Looking back to his recent primary debates and his first debate with Trump last Tuesday in particular, I noticed the change in him. Despite calling Trump a clown and telling him to shut up, Biden was so much more disciplined. He held his composure. He didn’t counterattack Trump’s family members even though Trump dragged his son through the mud. He tried his best to speak directly to the American people despite Trump’s constant interruptions. He was still sharp. Unlike Trump who wrongly accused him of calling young Black males superpredators, Biden showed no sign of dementia.

Unlike the blustering younger Biden, the older Biden is wiser and quieter. He listens more and he is being honest about what he doesn’t know. Like Obama, Biden is constantly learning and searching for new information to help him make better and smarter decisions.

I was curious to know what had changed him; therefore, I did a bit more research. The pivotal moment was in 2015 when his son Beau Biden died of cancer. The death of Beau had a profound impact on Biden. He turned his tragedy into positivity. He has compassion. He treats people with kindness. He cares for all Americans. By picking Kamala Harris as his running mate, Biden is a man of his word.

I have come to realize that Biden is the right candidate all along to help us get out of this mess. Biden alone can’t fix everything, but he will unite America, keep us healthy, and resuscitate our dying democracy.

I sincerely wish Trump and his wife well. As much as I want to see him lose, I want to see him defeat by votes, not by COVID.

I also sincerely hope his supporters discontinue to believe that COVID is a hoax. At this time, we have over 208K deaths in the U.S. In addition, Herman Cain who contracted COVID at Trump’s rally died 28 days after he was tested positive. Then again, Cain was in a high-risk category because of his history with cancer.

Trump had dodged lots of bullets in the past four years. I hope he will dodge this one as well.

Trump là sự đe dọa cho nền dân chủ của nước Mỹ. Bạn không nhìn ra được điều đó, bạn thật là đồ ngu. Còn bạn nhìn ra được điều đó mà bạn không quan tâm, bạn là đồ rác rưởi.

One of the unspoken rules in politics is to leave family members out of the ring. In the first presidential debate, however, Trump attacked Biden’s son again and again. Biden defended his son, but never returned any attack on his opponent’s family members. Biden didn’t sink low to Trump’s level. He kept his decency. For that alone, I have tremendous respect for Biden.

I first read this book three years ago, but I struggled to grab the story. Not just this book alone but I had a hard time following any work of fiction. My reading interests were mostly none-fiction until the pandemic hit. Being locked down, I wanted to read books I could escape; therefore, I turned to fiction. The more I read fiction, the more my imagination seemed to open up. As a result, I decided to reread this book and I am glad I did.

I read it at a slower pace. If I got lost few paragraphs in, I would reread the paragraphs to make sure I understood what went on. At times, the dialogs can be confusing because Nguyễn omitted quotation marks. It took me a while to get used to who was doing the talking. I also had a cantankerous quibble with the omission of diacritics in Vietnamese words. For example, du me lacks the expressiveness of đụ mẹ (fuck you). The underdots add tremendous weight to the foul language. In addition, I could not figure out the two characters’ name. Without diacritics, Man and Bon don’t sound like Vietnamese names to me. They might as well be M and B.

Nevertheless, Việt Thanh Nguyễn’s The Sympathizer is a well-written novel and a well-deserved winner of the Pulitzer Prize. It’s a lot unpack, but they story about the squid stuck in my mind. I am not sure if I can ever see a squid without seeing what it had described in the book. In any rate, it is definitely worth a reread if you couldn’t get into it the first time. I am definitely looking forward to reading the sequel, The Committed, which will release in March 2021.

Tonight’s debate has confirmed that Trump is an incompetent president. Unlike most incumbent presidents who became older and wiser as they served the country, Trump has become more childish and clownish. It was such a national disgrace witnessing the president of the United States behaved like a toddler who could not follow a simple rule. It’s a damn shame!

The endorsement for Biden from the Washington Post is not a surprise, but its editorial board makes strong case for China and democracy.

On China, the board writes:

Both Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump promise to “get tough” with Beijing and to combat its mercantilism, thefts of technology and expansive claims in the South China Sea. However, Mr. Biden’s approach would be values-based, not erratic and transactional. He would work with allies to confront China’s abusive behaviors while seeking cooperation where interests converge, such as on climate change and health security.

On democracy, the board writes:

Democracy is at risk, at home and around the world. The nation desperately needs a president who will respect its public servants; stand up for the rule of law; acknowledge Congress’s constitutional role; and work for the public good, not his private benefit.

Just as desperately, it needs a president with the know-how and experience to show that values and results can go together.

It is fortunate to have, in Joe Biden, a candidate who can lead an administration that is both honorable and successful.

I have voiced my worry on democracy again and again. The Post has confirmed my concern. Read the full endorsement at the Washington Post.

An endorsement for Biden from the New Yorker isn’t a surprise. The case, however, isn’t as convincing as I had hoped for. I expect much higher from the New Yorker. From the editors:

The polls suggest that Joe Biden currently leads the 2020 Presidential race. We suffer no delusions: Trump has on his side demagogic skill and ruthlessness, a willingness to break any norm or law in order to win. Nevertheless, we hope that Biden will displace him by a margin that prevents prolonged dispute or the kind of civil unrest that Trump appears to relish. Ideally, Biden will have an opportunity to govern with Democratic majorities in both the House and the Senate, which would vastly increase his chances of passing legislation to confront the nation’s array of crises.

Read the entire endorsement at the New Yorker.

I mailed in my ballot on late Wednesday, 23, 2020 and my ballot arrived at the election office on late Friday, September 25, 2020. The mail-in process took two or three days the most. I could have placed my ballot in a drop box at an early absentee location, but I wanted to see if mail-in works. It is still safe and secured to vote by mail in Virginia; however, vote in person if you can. Vote early and get your family and friends to vote. Make democracy great again.

When Trump declared that he won’t commit to a peaceful transition of power if he loses, that is the test of our democracy. We don’t have to wait for four more years to see if democracy will die. If Biden wins on November 3^rd, we will see right away if Trump has absolute power or not. I still strongly believe that the Secret Service and the military will kick his ass out if he loses, but we’ll see.

My Dearest Vương,

The past two years, especially 2020, have been tough. Fortunately, I have you to keep me from going insane. When I feel down, your beautiful smiles never fail to pick me up. You have brought so much joy into our lives.

It has been an amazing experience observing you grow day by day and listening to you say word by word. My heart melts every time you gently ask, “Bà ngoại (grandma), iPad,” “Mommy, bú bú (breastfeed),” or “Daddy, play.” Your brothers have nothing but love for you. I love seeing you imitate your brothers, Xuân in particular. As a result, you are catching up fast in both speech and sharpness.

Of course, you are no softie. Growing up with three older brothers has toughened you up. You scream and fight back when you have to. You show no sign of backing down. Still, you have been the calmest boy out of all them. I hope you will keep your cool temperament for years to come.

I love you with all my heart, son. I am happy to see you enjoyed your second birthday. I am sure we will have many more wonderful moments to come. Don’t ever stop smiling, kiddo.