I always liked Biden too, and always thought he would make a good President, but in 2020 I worried that he was too old, although I voted for him.
I do believe that his failings as a leader are mostly due to his age and whatever infirmities and cognitive issues he is obviously dealing with. Because of those issues he was unable to sell his administration’s accomplishments and was also unable to make the case against Trump. If Joe Biden were the man he was fifteen or even ten years ago I think that things would have turned out very differently.
Yes, the hair-trigger temper, the delusional self-regard, the bombast and bad judgment of Joe Biden c. 1972-2016 would have ensured that things turned out very much worse. Democratic voters hypnotized themselves into thinking he was some avuncular wise man out of their hatred/fear/envy of Donald Trump and/or Bernie Sanders.
Good one. I have a different take on Biden's Hunter pardon, but you're on target with the "strength" thing. It's something Democrats lacked even when they pushed people like John Kerry, whose service in war made him appear strong, but he wasn't.
This was the 50th year that I have been voting. The 13th presidential election, 10 for the Democratic candidate and three write-ins, all since 2016. Joe Biden? Somewhere around the house I have a collection of buttons (remember those?), one of which was a Biden button, probably from the 1970s. Back then, as a Midwestern college liberal Democrat, I quickly decided that Biden was an Eastern fraud.
People here liked him? It only shows your superficial credulity. His "Scranton" act was transparent from the get-go. With the exception of Bill Clinton, the Democratic Party has long lost its ability to speak the people's language. Not surprising for a party that has come to spout "The People" while actively disdaining people.
Biden is "brilliant" in Ukraine? Excuse me, but are you on drugs? Putin took Crimea under Obama, and invaded Ukraine under Biden. As presidents, Democrats project weakness. Why? Because the "progressives" who dominate the party are the picture of weaklings. This is not, not, NOT the party of FDR, Truman, JFK, or even Bill Clinton. It has lost its way in so many ways. Think '24 was bad? Just wait.
Joe the problem with your analysis is that it generalizes the Democratic Party as “feminine “, which is silly. It ignores some very strong Presidents including Obama and Clinton, not to mention Johnson , Kennedy and Rosevelt .
On the other hand your point that Biden was a “legislative” rather than “executive” President is well taken. His withdrawal from Afghanistan was unorganized, irrationally rushed , did not give his generals the time to properly plan and was an embarrassment. He reacted emotionally to frustration. That’s not what a President should do.
On the other hand , his handling of Putin and Ukraine is a master class in crisis management. The real issue was stopping Putin’s without igniting a nuclear exchange. Today the NYT has a chilling story on the secret 1983 war game that was unique in that it utilized a realistic scenario of move and counter move during a theoretical invasion of Europe by Russia. Read it! Everyone should read it. It was so shocking that President Reagan turned his policy toward the Soviet Union around in a a dime. It scared the shit out of him. He immediately started arms control negotiations which kept the peace through the end of the Cold War.
The reason Biden has been brilliant in Ukraine is his slow strangulation of Putin and Russia. His so called drip drip drip of Ukraine assistance has stopped Russia’s dominance of the battlefield and avoided Ukraine attacks deep into Russia that could readily provoke a nuclear exchange that could lead to world extension. Biden was very tough and brave to accomplish this. Historians will give him great credit. Trump could easily misunderstand the Russians and led us to nuclear Armageddon!
I’m an historian, author of a textbook “ Politics American Style”. I give Biden an A- B+. He kept us out of a direct armed exchange with Russia, a soft economic landing after Covid and Saved the American Economy during Covid. These accomplishments far outweigh his very human act to protect his only son from the wrath of Donald Trump. That pardon also included protected his time in Ukraine for which he almost certainly would have been persecuted in retaliation by Trump.
Biden justifies changing his mind and pardoning his son by alleging that Trump would now vindictively pursue Hunter for OTHER supposed crimes.
So why didn't Biden limit the pardon to ANY OTHER possible crimes which Hunter might have committed since his 18th birthday? Hunter could then serve his sentence on the two cases where a jury found him guilty and he pled guilty -- and the stink of favoritism would not adhere.
Another slightly more palatable act would have been to commute any prison sentence but allow the convictions to stand.
Not to mention that he lied about his intentions, repeatedly, and allowed his apologists in the media to indulge in an extended orgy of self-satisfied praise for it. Chris Wallace called it months ago.
Biden was a poor excuse for a liar, and so was his administration. He told us he knew absolutely nothing about his son's business dealings, when even his most ardent supporters knew that was obviously preposterous. Then he insisted there would be no pardon when everybody had to know that THIS father, with this tragic family history, was never going to let his surviving son -- the one he talks to every day --spend time in federal prison. Same for the administration. The border is secure; those millions you see marching across it are a mirage. Those price increases, they'll be gone in a flash and in any event they're not our fault and others have it worse. Believe what I tell you, not what you experience. A successful liar either does it so subtly one can't quite be sure it doesn't contain some grain of truth, or does it so pervasively, and with such gusto, that it strikes some (many?) as entertainment. Think I have someone in mind?
Older even than Joe Klein, I remember Jack Kennedy telling the country that as the senior officer of the government the responsibility for the Bay of Pigs fiasco was his, even though planning had begun in the Eisenhower administration, a few months earlier. Owning up to mistakes; how quaint!
No, actually I wasn't a "big" Hillary supporter--for president. I thought she was a great Senator and a pretty good Secretary of State, but I supported Obama in 2008 and didn't have much of a choice in 2016, especially against Trump...as for the feminization of the Democratic Party, it's something seen more clearly now than in the past.
I thought she could have been an effective prez in 2008 but the ensuing years have not been kind to either Clinton. I think you nailed it with the "permissive parent" metaphor: it's the metaphor for our age. Anything goes, no matter how obviously loony or antithetical to common sense. Dad (and Mom) are too wrapped up in themselves (and terrified of being cancelled) to do any actual parenting.
Great piece, Joe! You have brilliantly summarized and explained Biden's failures. He has been a major disappointment. As for the broad scope of the pardon, I cannot help but assume that Hunter was guilty of other crimes and Biden has now prevented prosecution of those crimes -- and I am not a conspiracy theorist! I am sure millions believe that Biden is covering up something with this pardon.
I always liked Biden too, and always thought he would make a good President, but in 2020 I worried that he was too old, although I voted for him.
I do believe that his failings as a leader are mostly due to his age and whatever infirmities and cognitive issues he is obviously dealing with. Because of those issues he was unable to sell his administration’s accomplishments and was also unable to make the case against Trump. If Joe Biden were the man he was fifteen or even ten years ago I think that things would have turned out very differently.
Yes, the hair-trigger temper, the delusional self-regard, the bombast and bad judgment of Joe Biden c. 1972-2016 would have ensured that things turned out very much worse. Democratic voters hypnotized themselves into thinking he was some avuncular wise man out of their hatred/fear/envy of Donald Trump and/or Bernie Sanders.
Good one. I have a different take on Biden's Hunter pardon, but you're on target with the "strength" thing. It's something Democrats lacked even when they pushed people like John Kerry, whose service in war made him appear strong, but he wasn't.
This was the 50th year that I have been voting. The 13th presidential election, 10 for the Democratic candidate and three write-ins, all since 2016. Joe Biden? Somewhere around the house I have a collection of buttons (remember those?), one of which was a Biden button, probably from the 1970s. Back then, as a Midwestern college liberal Democrat, I quickly decided that Biden was an Eastern fraud.
People here liked him? It only shows your superficial credulity. His "Scranton" act was transparent from the get-go. With the exception of Bill Clinton, the Democratic Party has long lost its ability to speak the people's language. Not surprising for a party that has come to spout "The People" while actively disdaining people.
Biden is "brilliant" in Ukraine? Excuse me, but are you on drugs? Putin took Crimea under Obama, and invaded Ukraine under Biden. As presidents, Democrats project weakness. Why? Because the "progressives" who dominate the party are the picture of weaklings. This is not, not, NOT the party of FDR, Truman, JFK, or even Bill Clinton. It has lost its way in so many ways. Think '24 was bad? Just wait.
Joe the problem with your analysis is that it generalizes the Democratic Party as “feminine “, which is silly. It ignores some very strong Presidents including Obama and Clinton, not to mention Johnson , Kennedy and Rosevelt .
On the other hand your point that Biden was a “legislative” rather than “executive” President is well taken. His withdrawal from Afghanistan was unorganized, irrationally rushed , did not give his generals the time to properly plan and was an embarrassment. He reacted emotionally to frustration. That’s not what a President should do.
On the other hand , his handling of Putin and Ukraine is a master class in crisis management. The real issue was stopping Putin’s without igniting a nuclear exchange. Today the NYT has a chilling story on the secret 1983 war game that was unique in that it utilized a realistic scenario of move and counter move during a theoretical invasion of Europe by Russia. Read it! Everyone should read it. It was so shocking that President Reagan turned his policy toward the Soviet Union around in a a dime. It scared the shit out of him. He immediately started arms control negotiations which kept the peace through the end of the Cold War.
The reason Biden has been brilliant in Ukraine is his slow strangulation of Putin and Russia. His so called drip drip drip of Ukraine assistance has stopped Russia’s dominance of the battlefield and avoided Ukraine attacks deep into Russia that could readily provoke a nuclear exchange that could lead to world extension. Biden was very tough and brave to accomplish this. Historians will give him great credit. Trump could easily misunderstand the Russians and led us to nuclear Armageddon!
I’m an historian, author of a textbook “ Politics American Style”. I give Biden an A- B+. He kept us out of a direct armed exchange with Russia, a soft economic landing after Covid and Saved the American Economy during Covid. These accomplishments far outweigh his very human act to protect his only son from the wrath of Donald Trump. That pardon also included protected his time in Ukraine for which he almost certainly would have been persecuted in retaliation by Trump.
You're absolutely right. But a crucial part of the presidency is political leadership. He did not succeed there. Which is why we have Trump II.
You give Biden an A-/B+. How utterly pathetic.
Biden justifies changing his mind and pardoning his son by alleging that Trump would now vindictively pursue Hunter for OTHER supposed crimes.
So why didn't Biden limit the pardon to ANY OTHER possible crimes which Hunter might have committed since his 18th birthday? Hunter could then serve his sentence on the two cases where a jury found him guilty and he pled guilty -- and the stink of favoritism would not adhere.
Another slightly more palatable act would have been to commute any prison sentence but allow the convictions to stand.
Not to mention that he lied about his intentions, repeatedly, and allowed his apologists in the media to indulge in an extended orgy of self-satisfied praise for it. Chris Wallace called it months ago.
Biden was a poor excuse for a liar, and so was his administration. He told us he knew absolutely nothing about his son's business dealings, when even his most ardent supporters knew that was obviously preposterous. Then he insisted there would be no pardon when everybody had to know that THIS father, with this tragic family history, was never going to let his surviving son -- the one he talks to every day --spend time in federal prison. Same for the administration. The border is secure; those millions you see marching across it are a mirage. Those price increases, they'll be gone in a flash and in any event they're not our fault and others have it worse. Believe what I tell you, not what you experience. A successful liar either does it so subtly one can't quite be sure it doesn't contain some grain of truth, or does it so pervasively, and with such gusto, that it strikes some (many?) as entertainment. Think I have someone in mind?
Older even than Joe Klein, I remember Jack Kennedy telling the country that as the senior officer of the government the responsibility for the Bay of Pigs fiasco was his, even though planning had begun in the Eisenhower administration, a few months earlier. Owning up to mistakes; how quaint!
But Joe, wasn’t Biden the guy you wanted, precisely because of his ability to “reach across the aisle,” and compromise?
And as for the alleged “feminization” of the Democratic Party, well, weren’t you a big Hillary supporter, too?
It looks like, in both cases, you got what you wanted.
As you berate the Democrats with your postmortems, maybe a glance in the mirror wouldn’t be such a bad idea, either.
No, actually I wasn't a "big" Hillary supporter--for president. I thought she was a great Senator and a pretty good Secretary of State, but I supported Obama in 2008 and didn't have much of a choice in 2016, especially against Trump...as for the feminization of the Democratic Party, it's something seen more clearly now than in the past.
In the end, you will swallow whatever turds the Democratic Party squeezes out, and come up with some justification.
I thought she could have been an effective prez in 2008 but the ensuing years have not been kind to either Clinton. I think you nailed it with the "permissive parent" metaphor: it's the metaphor for our age. Anything goes, no matter how obviously loony or antithetical to common sense. Dad (and Mom) are too wrapped up in themselves (and terrified of being cancelled) to do any actual parenting.
Great piece, Joe! You have brilliantly summarized and explained Biden's failures. He has been a major disappointment. As for the broad scope of the pardon, I cannot help but assume that Hunter was guilty of other crimes and Biden has now prevented prosecution of those crimes -- and I am not a conspiracy theorist! I am sure millions believe that Biden is covering up something with this pardon.