r/tuesday • u/CheapRelation9695 Right Visitor • Dec 04 '24

Joe Biden’s Legacy of Failure

https://thedispatch.com/article/joe-bidens-legacy-failure/
3 Upvotes

51% Upvoted

View all comments

10

u/CheapRelation9695 Right Visitor Dec 04 '24

When Joe Biden took his oath of office in January 2021, he outlined a bold vision for his presidency. “Together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear,” he said on the steps of the U.S. Capitol which, just days before, had been swarmed by protesters rioting in the name of Donald Trump. “May this be the story that guides us, the story that inspires us, and the story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history. We met the moment. Democracy and hope, truth and justice, did not die on our watch but thrived.”

Nearly four years later, Biden’s single term is limping to an end, with the president—dogged by concerns about his age and mental acuity that eventually forced him to end his reelection bid—more unpopular than he’s ever been, increasingly out of view, and widely considered the primary culprit in Democrats’ post-election autopsies. His recent decision to issue a sweeping pardon to his son Hunter—after repeatedly pledging not to do so—led several prominent Democrats and media allies to accuse him of selfishness and putting “personal interest ahead of duty” in a way that will “tarnish his reputation.”

There are plenty of specific examples of Biden’s failures, to be sure. Persistent inflation made worse by excessive federal spending that even some Democratic economists warned would overheat the economy. The disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, pushed through despite the admonitions from top military leaders. A lack of urgency about illegal immigration. His disinterest in even trying to unify a divided country. His decision—after implying in 2020 he’d be a “bridge” candidate—to launch a quixotic reelection bid when his advanced age and mental decline were all too apparent in private and in public.

But even setting all that aside, Biden’s presidency has been an unmitigated disaster on its own terms: His entire raison d’être was to keep Trump—and Trumpism—from returning to the Oval Office. “If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running,” the president told donors a year ago this week. “We cannot let him win.”

-1

u/Chemical-Oil-7259 Conservative Liberal Dec 04 '24

It wasn't just "some Democratic economists" warning against inflation, it was many prominent, highly-respected Democratic economists warning against inflation.

The Biden admin chose to ignore them because Biden wanted to push his Build Back Better agenda, and you can't push for massive spending if inflation is in play.

39

u/TychoTiberius Right Visitor Dec 04 '24

The recent inflationary spike was a global phenomenon mainly cause by Covid supply chain crunch, not by Build Back Better. Every single developed country experienced inflation but the US had among the best reductions in inflation and had the best post-Covid recovery among developed nations.