Letters from Our Readers

The End of Bidenomics

I was halfway through Nicholas Lemann's well-researched about how Joe Biden's economic policies were starting to transform America, when the Presidential election was called for Donald Trump ("The Big Deal," November 4th). On November 6th, I made myself read the rest of the , and I'm glad I did. The section that casts doubt on whether Kamala Harris would "stay the course" with Bidenomics brought to mind a litany of explanations for her loss. Biden worked with Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to forge a sweeping new economic agenda. The idea, Lemann explains, was that "what people see happening around them matters far more than what the latest statistics tell us about the state of the economy."

But Harris, who has significant ties to Silicon Valley, seemed more wedded to Wall Street than to a fresh progressive economic vision. When fielding questions on inflation, she talked mostly about trusting economists. For some voters—including many who stood to benefit from the continuation of Bidenomics—her messaging came off as classist. While increasing the child tax credit and providing a financial boost to first-time homeowners were nice proposals, they were not far-reaching enough for those of us who live paycheck to paycheck.

Buffy Aakaash East Calais, Vt.

Garden Variety Kathryn Schulz, in her absorbing review of Susana Monsó's "Playing Possum," mentions snakes among the "creatures that feign death" (Books, November 4th). I'd like to single out a case for accolades: the eastern hognose snake (Heterodon platirhinos), a nonvenomous, at-risk species that can be found in my region of Ontario. When sufficiently alarmed, the eastern hognose adopts the mien of a cobra, coiling, rearing its head, flattening its neck, hissing, and making faux strikes. Having witnessed the show myself, I would imagine that for potential predators this usually suffices. But, should it prove ineffective, the snake will roll over and play dead, lolling its tongue, secreting blood, and soiling itself. I have not seen these aspects of the repertoire but happen to know that, given sufficient berth, one of the snakes on my property, Hoggy, will curl up peaceably in a sunny spot, more companionable dog than fearsome serpent, and let one get on with the garden chores.

Anne Marie Todkill Wollaston Township, Ont.

Greek Art Jazmine Hughes's on Alpha Kappa Alpha, the oldest Black sorority, offered an enlightening social history of middle-class Black identity in the United States ("Alpha Girls," October 28th). I was the head of public programs at the National Gallery of Art in the nineteen-eighties and nineties, when, as Hughes writes, Black people made up sixty to seventy per cent of D.C.'s population. N.G.A. educators worked on a number of programs to engage Black students and teachers, hoping to broaden the museum's audience, but, in retrospect, we would have done well to reach out to "the Divine Nine"—the council of the largest Black fraternities and sororities. The Divine Nine has recently promoted the work of Black American dance companies; could art museums be next?

Linda Downs New York City

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