President Joe Biden leaves after a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
As the story from the 2020 presidential campaign goes, former President Barack Obama said of Joe Biden, “Never underestimate Joe’s ability to foul things up.” (Only he didn’t say, “foul.”)
As we mark the one-year anniversary of President Biden’s inauguration, I confess that I, myself, am guilty of having underestimated Biden’s abilities to foul things up. I predicted this time last year that this was going to be a bad administration. But I didn’t think it would be this bad.
This time last year, distressed as I was over the prospect of a Biden presidency, I nevertheless tried to take comfort in my belief that Biden would do what politicians do, which is to say, act first and always in his own self-interest. Would that he had done so.
Instead, Biden went on a far-left tear. For his trouble, he has been rewarded with catastrophic poll numbers from which he will likely never recover.
It needn’t have been so.
For starters, he could have left Donald Trump’s immigration policy in place. He could have let construction of the border wall continue and blamed its existence and the government’s commitment to finish building it on Orange Man. He could have continued the ‘remain in Mexico’ policy and blamed that on Trump as well. Of course, his far-left base would have yipped and yapped and howled. But the far left, being impossible to ever fully please, will always yip and yap and howl. If Biden had simply resolved to endure the yapping, the far-left would still be stuck with him but he would have retained the support of moderate Democrats and independents – support that he’ll likely never regain.
He could have similarly treated the Keystone XL pipeline and the rest of the Trump energy policy as fait accompli and taken credit for low energy prices. Instead, he is being blamed for high gasoline and home heating oil prices – both contributing to a severe spike in inflation for which he is also being blamed.
He could have taken the Trump plan for withdrawing from Afghanistan, relabeled it as his own, and today be basking in praise for having ended America’s longest war. Instead, he failed to follow Trump’s withdrawal blueprint and failed to heed the advice of his senior military advisors. Those failures cost an unknown (and probably unknowable) number of innocent lives while turning an indeterminate number of American personnel into de facto hostages. Afghanistan stands now as the most humiliating chapter in U.S. military history.
Biden’s rhetoric of the past year could have followed through on his Inauguration Day promise to unite the country. He has instead repeatedly used the presidential lectern to characterize anyone who disagrees with anything he says as a latter-day reincarnation of Bull Connor.
These failures and more have caused Biden to suffer the worst first-year presidential polling collapse in living memory. He has fouled things up, indeed.
For all of this, however, there is a bit of bipartisan silver lining.
Barack Obama and I finally agree on something.
I couldn’t have said it better my friend. Just keep up the great “You Tell Me Texas”.
I’ve always wondered about Trump’s withdrawal plan. I’ve never been able to locate it. Will you please post its contents for everyone’s edification?
Like so many things mentioned in that administration I’m betting you never heard because there was never a plan, just like Healthcare, infrastructure, just to name a couple things there were never plans for. They often mentioned these big glorious plans said to be rolling out any day as the years went by. These things ( plans ) never existed .
With all due respect Mr. Milam, The reason you cannot find Trump’s plan is that it was never published for enemies, including those in the U.S., who would take full advantage of the information to sabotage the success of the withdrawal. Of course, some would not understand this strategy; it is much too logical. Even though Trump did not advertise his plan, you can be absolutely certain it would NOT have included:
1.) Leaving American citizens, green card holders, interpreters, and other vulnerable Afghanis in the hands of terrorists.
2.) The military leaving before the defenseless civilians.
3.) Allowing the terrorists to control Bagram Air Force Base.
4.) Leaving over $80 billion of military equipment for terrorists.
5.) Allowing the perimeter of the Kabul airport to be controlled by terrorists to allow the deaths of 13 of our military, and many others mutilated.
I am not a big Trump supporter, but anyone who has been paying attention to the actions of his administration, as opposed to what we witnessed in the withdrawal debacle, must admit that his plan would have been much more efficient. Unless of course, the person has been paying attention, and is one of the 33% who feel Biden is doing a great job! C’mon man!
Call me next time
I thought I Trump would win 85%to 15%
There are a lot of ignorant people
Many people predicted a Biden presidency would result in disaster, but few thought it would be this bad. He chose to follow the progressives to the end of the road, and it is near. He is losing support across the political spectrum. Even the media is starting to abandon ship. Joe seems unaware, unapologetic, and is charging full steam ahead. Conventional wisdom predicts a republican landslide that dwarfs 2010, and likely so. But we can only hope we can rescue the country, and the world!, from those intent on dividing it.
Apparently this ” Keystone ” pipeline talking point regarding current energy costs is not going away. Surely most people with minimal thought no better ? Maybe not on second thought. Would this line even be finished by now ? If it were would it even be on line ? So getting past those two first before one could even begin to calculate any affect on supply. If it were only as simple as some want people to think,it’s amazing to think that many may not be insulted by idea they should believe such rhetoric.
So let me get this straight, America being energy independent and a net exporter under Trump versus being dependent on foreign oil as all those many years in the past and importing a high percentage of our energy needs? As our Dear Leader would say…..”COME ON MAN!” Tell you what, forget your utilities and get rid of them, now. Don’t wait, disconnect them all. I will sell you energy at a higher cost and guarantee you nothing. That is exactly what is going on now. I KNOW you are not that ignorant.
How does a person or political party want to go from being independent of foreign anything to being dependent? Either by total stupidity or they have something monetarily to gain for themselves. It ain’t rocket science.
That’s assuming there was true independence. Net exporting such an apparent precious commodity like oil while still importing large amounts doesn’t equal low pump prices. Covid = huge drop in demand = less production = less invester interest . Covid rebound = surge in demand, supply still has to catch up. It’s a world wide supply issue still ,not just here. Either way it’ll all work itself out regardless.
Amen Little Dutch! However, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but your very fertile seed is falling on unproductive soil…sometimes we just have to admit that there are some things that cannot be fixed!
Apparently tunnel vision affects reading comprehension . Editorial implied what is causing energy costs in a particular statement ( Keystone). What is happening and why it’s happening are two different things, smh.