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.”
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.”
Voters were pretty wrong, tbh. Not in the sense that I disagree with them, but in the sense that a lot of special interest groups--veterans, Teamsters, price-conscious shoppers, Muslims, pro-Palestinians--broke for a candidate who was explicitly against those interests.
Dems being out of touch of course is also true, and will probably still be true even if they win in 2028.
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u/CheapRelation9695 Right Visitor Dec 04 '24