The Biden Presidency has never been "off the rails," at least, not from my perspective. It has functioned as the Presidency should function, reacting, responding, negotiating with legislators, issuing executive orders and managing the business of the executive branch with competence. It has responded to crisis, including the war in Ukraine, the temporary spike in inflation and the Afghanistan exit, exactly as it should have. I continue to insist, in the face of pundits and prognosticators, that the Afghanistan withdrawal was one of the great logistical achievements of the U.S. military, under the orders of the Commander in Chief. And it has achieved legislative accomplishments many pundits thought were impossible to achieve.
But the criminal activity of the former, failed President dominates the news cycle.
As negative as the news is about the failed former President, and as bad as his administration failed, fascination and attention now focused on his criminal behavior, and the guessing game as to whether he will ever be called to account for it eclipses the remarkable success of what has been one of the most effective Presidential administrations since the end of the Second World War. That's a travesty which is blocking the full view to this Presidency and one of the more pervasive factors influencing and interfering with his job approval ratings.
Oh, yeah, there was one report that made its way through the fog of Trumpian criminality to be reported about the Biden administration. His job approval rating eked back up to 41%. Of course, that's one of the lower figures in a two week period that had even the Rasmussen poll showing one survey as high as 45%. But of course, if most of what we're seeing and hearing is Trump did this, Trump thinks that, Trump complained about this, it might be a little bit difficult to know what the real, current, legitimately elected President of the United States is doing. I'm at the point now where I think that a lot of the Presidential job approval data is being skewed by the pollster's "factoring" and by data that is months old.
We Could See This Coming, That's Why We Elected Joe Biden
The experiment involving electing a "populist" who came from "outside the beltway," not of the Washington political tribe, failed miserably. Instead of the image that Trump projected, or attempted to project to those gullible enough to believe it was accurate, we got a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants incompetent egomaniac unable to function in government because it didn't work the way he wanted it to work, and much of it was beyond his ability to control. By any historical standard honestly applied, Trump was the worst President in American history, in every way that he could be, including his ignorance of and disdain for the Constitution.
Joe Biden, in stark contrast, is a seasoned, career politician. That's not always a bad thing. Knowing how government works, especially in a democracy with a huge marketplace of ideas, is a necessity for the presidency and I think it is accurate to say that the American people saw this and made their choice. It's certainly been a good thing up to this point. And with this fomenting extremism, the anti-patriotic, anti-democratic, anti-everything conspiracy theorists pushing it to its limits and testing principles that haven't been stretched like this since the Civil War, Joe Biden's experience and knowledge of government is especially valuable. I see the phrase, "Our democracy is teetering in the balance" appearing in the media with frequency and I think we have the best man in the White House to help push it back toward democracy.
Things are Going Well
The price of gasoline is always a huge deal, though the President really has little control over it or power to really make a difference. The right keeps whining and pushing its same narratives over and over again, but this Presidential administration has essentially opened the taps. It's the companies themselves who have created the price increase, some of it because of transportation and employment issues, partly because they are never afraid to capitalize on the slightest little breeze in order to profiteer. The pipeline and environmental protection is always a bugaboo for them, though the facts don't support their complaining.
But it's been steadily dropping and getting close to exactly where it was when it started going up, which is good news for everyone, except Republicans who can't attract voters with good news. Maybe if they had a legislative agenda other than being the party of "NO!", then they wouldn't be dependent on the price of gasoline to help get some voters.
But there's no question about the legislative success of this administration. No, it wasn't all of what the President wanted. But that doesn't change the significance of what he has accomplished with the Inflation Reduction Act. This bill was significant in two big ways. One, no Republicans supported it, which identifies it completely with the Democrats and the Biden Administration. Without having to say anything at all, the President has sent the very clear message that Democrats aren't just talking and clicking their tongues about inflation, they are doing something about. And two, it will impact segments of the population that will drive turnout in the direction of the Democrats in November.
Today, the President cancelled student loan debt, up to $10,000 in some cases, recognizing that, as a nation, we have some obligation to provide at least some help to those whose lives and education will make this country a better place to live. Perhaps, after the mid-terms, Democrats can consider proposals to provide up to two years of community college for anyone who wants to go. Education is not the answer to all of the problems of the human race, but critical thinking skills are essential to the preservation of democracy. It's the best way I can think of to put an end to Q-Anon and the ridiculous fantasy world of election deniers.
I'd probably be completely satisfied, and very optimistic, if the justice department decided to pounce, hand down some indictments and let the chips fall where they may with regard to the failed former President. I expect that this administration is well prepared for the possibilities of any kind of violence that might be stirred up as a result of his arrest and indictment. Frankly, most of those people are brainwashed followers and cowards, though some of them are dangerous thugs. Deal with it, let him have a quick, speedy trial and put him out of sight, out of mind.
I like government that works this way, even if no Republicans want to cast ballots to support it out of some sense of misplaced loyalty. Another two years of this and they really will be irrelevant, and the President will have accomplished as much as he originally set out to do. Let it be his choice to run again, he has earned it.
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