When I was a boy 60 years ago, one of the sayings I heard was, “Don’t change horses in the middle of the stream.” 

In other words, in the middle of a difficult task or challenge, it’s better to stick with the approach or leader you started with than to abruptly change in the middle of what is begun.

Mayor Rory Hoskins was committed to sticking with the “horse,” i.e. Joe Biden, whom he had been riding since 2020 until that horse decided to no longer move toward the opposite bank. Hoskins was chosen as a Biden delegate to the 2020 Democratic National Convention (DNC) and again for the 2024 DNC, which will be called to order in just 20 days at the United Center.

“Despite his age,” Hoskins explained, “at this time last year, I thought that President Biden would be the best person to represent the party in the 2024 general election.”

A lot of political water, however, has gone over the dam in the last 12 months and at this point Hoskins said, “I think that President Biden made the right decision.”

Our mayor might be channeling Kenny Rogers who years ago sang,

You’ve got to know when to hold ‘em

Know when to fold ‘em

Know when to walk away

And know when to run …

Or, to put it a little more elegantly, many are familiar with the Serenity Prayer attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr which reads,

God, grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change,

Courage to change the things I can, 

and the wisdom to know the difference.

In the wake of Biden’s weak performance in his debate with Donald Trump on June 27, our current president seemed to be focusing on courage to fight on more than the serenity to accept the reality that it’s over.

Ego and ambition make a two-edged sword that can cut both ways. Biden has wanted to be president for decades, and once he arrived at the White House he accomplished a great deal, but when it was time to let go, his courage had a hard time yielding to serenity.

Most of us, I think, agree that Mayor Hoskins has an ego and ambitions for higher office. The results of the last mayoral election in which he defeated a good and experienced man named John Doss by a wide margin reveal that the majority of us in town don’t want his ambition to get in the way of what’s good for the community.

In that regard, President Biden revealed the same depth of character by being able to accept the inevitable and “hand the torch” to the next generation.

I’ve heard the quip that anyone who actually wants to be president should automatically be disqualified. Ego and ambition can cut both ways. 

We all know of one politician who will fabricate false narratives and foment violence in his desperate, ambitious attempt to hold onto power.

Biden didn’t do that. He reluctantly but finally came down on the side of both serenity and “the wisdom to know the difference.” My sense is that Rory has the wisdom to sense when to continue the fight and when to retreat.

And when to switch horses midstream. 

“Earlier today [July 25],” he told the Review, “I signed a document titled, ‘Official Nominating Petition for President of the United States,’ that was sent to me by the Democratic National Committee. It was sent to me in my capacity as an elected Democratic National Convention delegate. In so doing, I pledged my support for Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s nominee.”

Politics is not religion. No human, especially those running for office, deserve absolute loyalty. We are to love God with all our heart and soul. The last time I looked, that does not apply to politicians.

The form of government we call democracy is a strange amalgam of idealism and pragmatism, which seems to be fueled by ambition. The preamble to our Constitution declares that government’s task is to form “a more perfect union.” Not perfect. Just better than it is right now — or maybe sometimes getting us through a tough time without losing too much of what previously had been gained.

Idealism and pragmatism. No one has ever made it to the North Star, yet it has guided travelers for millennia. 

At the level of our village, Hoskins won the last election, I believe, not because while he was in office we became the perfect village. Exhibit A: he did not resolve the D209 conundrum. But alleys are being paved incrementally, potholes are being filled and lead pipes are being gradually replaced.

The mayor, the council and village officials are focused on the North Star of perfection while understanding that we will never get there but using it to guide us in the right direction.