There are not a few voices out there who find deep faults with Joe Biden, and his accomplishments. Or his (perceived) lack of accomplishments. And I do not refer to the insane and anti-logical cacophony of the MAGA crowd. History will eventually bury their empty noise, and rightfully so. No, I am talking about the “friendly fire” on the Left, those impatient souls who demand and insist that Biden “do more”, or worse, that he has “done bad”.
History may seem dull to those who are focused on the future. Yes, working on the future is absolutely the prime responsibility of the leaders in the present. And God knows, the Climate and the Threat to Democracy loom over us all. But let’s be clear. Joe Biden has managed, via legislation and executive action, to get a rather incredible amount of things in place to deal with these and other issues, including the largest federal allocation ever made to combat climate change. But also repairing a badly crumbling infrastructure, canceling student loan debt, and measures to increase voting rights. And all this while working with one of the most antagonistic Congresses imaginable. That’s astonishing. But apparently not enough.
Admittedly, Joe has not reversed Dobbs and restored Rowe. He has not halted all fossil fuel usage and shut down all drilling and mining. He has not reinstated the Voting Rights Act. There are many things still needing to be done that Joe hasn’t done.
But then, History (and the Constitution) reveal that Joe Biden has no unilateral power to do those things.
In America, government actions require laws, and laws require consensus. Only autocrats will bypass those mechanisms. Now we all rightfully oppose the obscenity that is Donald Trump, and his lust to be a strongman tyrant, the equal of Putin or Kim Jong Un. If Joe Biden had such power, he could singlehandedly fix all these wrongs, no sweat. But surely we can see that an autocratic Biden (or any progressive), though he or she would undoubtedly “use the power for good”, is not an acceptable or desirable state of affairs. It would be as if Gandalf had decided to wield the One Ring “for good”. The outcome would be inevitable and disastrous.
So, perhaps it would be best to temper those rash denouncements of “Old Joe”. Joe Biden is 80 years of age. He is old, yes. But it is very important to remember that above all, he has a big heart and an old-fashioned love for America not still seen in many places. He most assuredly continues to act for the good of the country and its people, and not out of personal greed and aggrandizement. That aspect of his character cannot be overemphasized. And especially when contrasted against the sociopathic, narcissistic shitstorm that is Donald Trump.
Just as in 2016, and again in 2020, elections have consequences. Consider well how you vote in 2024.
(c) 2023 Chuck Puckett