Dear Joe,

Hi, I’m among the 72 million or so who voted for you.

Here’s my advice. You need to get to the bottom of the mess that’s driving the other 68 million American voters to choose alternative candidates. Its a real serious divide, and it appears on the surface at least to run right through the center of our country.

You don’t need my opinion on what’s wrong, you need theirs. It will be a tough go. Some of them are angry. There’s no other word for it. but if anyone can truly listen to them, it’s you. Make sure that you do.

I’m depending on you for this one thing. All the electioneering, the platform specifics, the legislative initiatives, the committee work, your consultant’s input, relationships with your donors, kicking out the political hacks in charge of various government offices will count for nothing if you don’t get a significant number of those 68 millions on your side.

To do that, you’re going to have to listen. A lot. To a lot of very ordinary people. People who get up and go to work, people who are poor, middle class and wealthy, mostly moderately but maybe fantastically. People who are succeeding over the last four years, and those who are failing. People who are struggling and those who get along just fine and don’t want your help “thank you very much”. People who are getting ahead, and people who are in fact being left behind. My point is all of them, not just a few volunteers. Don’t look for experts, look for real people. Avoid the noisemakers. Listen.

Get these people behind you Joe. Make it happen. Their representatives in Congress will follow if you do. If you don’t we’re in for another round of governmental grid lock and obstructionism.

Let me know how I can help you with this.

• Pat Callahan
• Framingham, Ma. USA

And no this is not intended that Biden pander to anybody as is being suggested in several public forums.