Having Class

 ITS CALLED "CLASS", and some have it, others don't.  Joe Biden stood backstage before the final Democratic party primary debate, and looked at his stat sheet. On the left side of the page were the names of all the other candidates, the usual suspects; David Booti-judge, Bernie Sanders, the whole crowd, more than a dozen of them, and ensconced in the middle of the page was the name of California Senator Kamala Harris, a strong candidate, but at this point not distinguishable in any special way, not yet standing out from the crowd. On the right side of the page Biden had written in a paragraph's worth of remarks next to each name, like a scouting report, listing each person's strengths, weaknesses, including suggestions about how to deal with him or her. Harris, a strong, determined, smart former prosecuting attorney from California, had already earned her stripes in the previous debates against Biden, directly attacking him on his long record in the Senate, his vulnerabilities and achievements evident, on the record, evident, as anyone's would be who had served in the United States Senate for thirty six years. Biden had nothing to  hide, nothing he could hide from the scrutiny of the other candidates. Harris had attacked Biden for having apposed affirmative action busing in the early nineteen seventies, and for now being, or seeming to be, all in on racial equality of opportunity. It was a valid point. Biden's response that he hadn't actually been against busing, but only against busing imposed from above by an overbearing federal government, rather than built from the ground up by the people on the ground at the local level, the people who really knew and understand their own school districts. His rejoinder was also valid; the exchange of verbal punches ending, by most accounts, in a tense draw. A camera zoomed in on Biden's stat sheet, eavesdropping over his shoulder at the list of names and comments. And there it was, clearly written in neat cursive, but a single sentence, no analysis, no strategies, only a single sentence; "don't hold grudges". Biden, talking to himself, telling himself; man, whatever else you do...do...not...hold...grudges...Meaning, of course, that his testy little war of words with Senator Harris was yesterday's news, and that today, today is a new day, a new game, a new battle to fight, as it always is with us all. Don't be petty, do not waste time and energy seeking revenge, do not fight yesterday's battle anew. Move on to a new day, today. And this is the essence of Joe Biden, the basis of success, the formula of a winner. A winner, President Joe Biden. Its called "class", and some people have it, and some do not.