Joe Biden is back in the limelight after a long hiatus from politics. The former Vice President has been going on strong about his support for women and minorities in recent interviews, but don’t expect any course corrections down the line.
On January 19, President Joe Biden delivers a formal press conference in the White House’s East Room.
KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE/REUT
On his 364th day in office, President Biden accepted almost two hours of questions from the press, which would have been an ideal time to declare a shift in strategy or agenda. According to a recent survey, 37% of voters scored his first year an F, while another 13% gave it a D.
Mr. Biden, on the other hand, gave more of the same. He didn’t overpromise the people on what he could do, he said. He considers himself to have “outperformed” and made “enormous development.” Americans are just unaware of his achievements. He made “no apologies” for the Afghan disaster.
The supply chain, not Washington’s bad policies, is to blame for the inflation Americans are experiencing at their grocery shops and petrol stations.
Is he happy with the government’s handling of Covid-19? “I’m pleased, yes.” “I believe we’ve done a fantastic job,” he remarked. He said that the White House might “have acted a month sooner” on testing, but that “with everything else that was going on, I don’t consider it as a measure of incompetence.” Here’s where the money doesn’t end.
Mr. Biden is still promoting his Build Back Better strategy for the next year. He’ll have to split it apart as he attempts to push it through the Senate, which is his one concession to political reality. He’s still advocating for a hefty tax hike, and he’s still claiming that BBB won’t contribute to the federal deficit.
The fact that Mr. Biden is still enslaved by his fantasy narrative on voting suppression is particularly depressing. He even refuses to state if the elections in November would be genuine, as his predecessor did, and he continues to claim that Republicans do not want minorities to vote. If his speech in Georgia last week, equating his opponents to Jefferson Davis and Bull Connor, hurt Americans, Mr. Biden blamed individuals who misread what he meant.
President Biden spoke with the press, and he said that he would take his political show on the road more than he did in his first year. However, whether or not it will assist depends on what he is selling. And he didn’t appear to be thinking about it. Despite his dismal poll ratings, he will not alter his advisors, and he does not believe he has sought to rule too far to the left.
“Can you think of any President who has accomplished so much in a single year?” Mr. Biden had inquired. “Please name one for me.” I’m not joking.” For example, Ronald Reagan. But it seems that changing Mr. Biden’s attitude will need an election.
Potomac Watch: A year after delivering an inauguration address in which he appealed for ‘unity,’ Joe Biden has stoked divisiveness with a speech on voting rights that Mitch McConnell described as “incoherent, inaccurate, and beneath his position.” So, why has the President’s tone changed so drastically? Images courtesy of AFP/Getty Images Mark Kelly’s composite
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The print issue of the January 20, 2022, was published.