Biden: Year One

Looking back at Biden's first year in office, did anything go quite as planned?

Very nearly a year ago, President Joe Biden vowed to "restore the soul" of America. On "democracy's day," the 46th president of the United States emphasized that unity was the only way to persevere through the biggest challenges facing the country. 

Biden has received extremely low approval ratings from Republicans in contrast to very high approval ratings from Democrats according to the latest Gallup poll. Biden's partisan approval gap was 83 percentage points– the largest gap ever recorded for the first year of a presidency. In his campaign victory speech, Biden said, "It's time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, and see each other again." But Biden only stoked the polarization fire in January 2022 when he likened anyone who disagreed with him on the issue of voting rights to the secessionist Jefferson Davis.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented a unique challenge for Biden in his first year as president. The delta and omicron strains of COVID-19 largely defined the year, making it eerily similar to 2020. Biden did manage to reach his goal of giving out 100 million vaccinations within his first 100 days, but as vaccination rates stalled, he turned to authoritarian measures to force people to get the jab. Most recently, Biden's vaccine mandate for companies with over 100 employees was blocked by the Supreme Court for being an overreach of federal power. 

After the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor in 2020, then-candidate Biden made policing reform the centerfold of his campaign. He promised to create a national police oversight commission that never got off the ground, then Biden put his weight behind the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act that failed to get through the Senate. Biden may have to resort to executive action in a last ditch effort to deliver on a signature issue. 

Biden did achieve something his three predecessors failed at: getting American troops out of Afghanistan. But, the horrifying and disorganized implementation of this long-awaited plan made more headlines than the achievement itself. As Billy Binion writes, "It is possible to champion our troop removal while criticizing the way it was done. The two are not mutually exclusive." Biden got U.S. troops out of harm's way while leaving thousands of Afghan interpreters and allies at the mercy of the Taliban. The situation in Afghanistan has only gotten worse as large swaths of their population face starvation due to billions of dollars of aid to their country disappearing overnight.

And don't forget, Biden's original promise was to put an "end to forever wars," but America remains involved in long-running wars in Syria, Yemen, and Somalia. 

Biden did have a few early and relatively easy wins when it came to reversing some of Trump's actions. The U.S. rejoined the Paris Climate Accord. Biden threw out the travel ban of people from Muslim countries. And he also halted funding to Trump's border wall. Biden maintains that he didn't "overpromise", but his progressive agenda items seem to be going nowhere.

Today, Biden remarked that it's "never been a good bet to bet against the American people," but no one is betting on Biden getting much accomplished in his next three years either.

Comments

[esteve7]

Biden does every radical left wing thing his campaign website promised

/ says 'unity' over and over

dumbass media: "He's so moderate!"

[VULGAR MADMAN]

The media whores knew what he was.

[esteve7]

true

said in the other thread, that there's an advantage of knowing people so far left, they don't know when to lie like normal lefties do.

These people want gas to be $10 a gallon, so people will be forced to use public transit (and move from the suburbs). They want unlimited immigration to dilute those evil white people, which is why their heads are exploding with how Asians a 'Latinx' people are turning on them. They want free college so college can 'correct' what kids have been taught by their parents (not to learn skills). They want inheritance to be outlawed, and the seizing of property, 'unused' rentals, etc.

All those are branded as ridiculous by the mainstream, and when you talk to people far enough left, they will freely admit it.

[Bluwater]

The advantage of viewing history in real-time over time is that you learn that everything that is part of the progressive/socialist agenda and their supportive media is "ridiculous" and a "right-wing conspiracy theory"... until there it is. Then you're a hater 'n sum other stuff if you point that fact out.

[soldiermedic76]

Wasn't to long ago someone was ridiculing me on here for mentioning the growing movement to normalize pedophilia and add it to the growing alphabet soup of sexuality. Now you have activist openly calling themselves MAPs and people who support them and ridicule you for not using that designation. If you are unaware what a MAP is, it stand for Minor Attracted Person.

[Brad Hobbs]

Not to mention that a majority of people calling themselves Dems want to use the military to incarcerate anyone without vaccination papers in their own homes. That's not just wild eyed, snot nosed, leftist, socialist, 22 year old with degrees in gender studies hoping to take your property and 90% of your income so they can avoid working... It's a huge group 59% of Dems surveyed. Perhaps even more chilling, 45% of democrats want non vaccinated people forced into detention camps.

If we had similar numbers from Germany back from 80 years ago how many Germans would have approved of imprisoning Jews? I suspect that it would be less than this, although I freely admit that I have no information on it. What percentage of the population does it take to allow a Caligula, Ivan the Terrible, Stalin, Pol Pot, or Kim Jong Il to have free rein?

I'm one of those people who thinks that it's possible to get along with almost any person. I am beginning to think that we have a large percentage of people in this country who are enemies of freedom, justice, and liberty. People who we might not recognize as Americans if they are given power much longer.

I hope I am wrong. Does anyone agree with this?

[Chumby]

He is who they he is, and they let him off the hook.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SWmQbk5h86w

[Nardz]

Dennis Green would be a better president

[Yatusabes]

Speaking about the mee-dee-uh…

CNN, there is much controversy over this question, just what IS your favorite ice cream?
MSNBC, after a dramatically successful year how can you improve on it?
CBS, how do we get rid of those evil senators Manchin and Sinema who are preventing your further successes?
ABC, we now understand Manchin and Sinema are racist, but do they also hate children?
NBC, what question would you like me to ask?
FOX, what is with the theatrics, brain farts and discombobulated speeches, why didn't you order the COVID tests months ago, why is Fauci is lying about gain of function funding, why did you have an affair with Jill while she was still married, when is China taking over America?

[soldiermedic76]

And people wonder why MSNBC and CNN had lost so many viewers (CNN down 90%, when will there be a revolt by their stockholders).

[Nardz]

https://twitter.com/ClayTravis/status/1484006088408190982?t=OnPbjim7tMMYZ25OXy5Faw&s=19

If you’re a White House “reporter” who gets retweeted by the chief of staff after gushing out a Tweet like this you aren’t a reporter, you’re a propagandist.
[Link]

[Fats of Fury]

Fuck Joe Biden.

[Union of Concerned Socks]

Fuck Joe Biden. Year one and all the rest.

[Don't look at me!]

.. did anything go quite as planned?

No

[VULGAR MADMAN]

He wanted more expensive gasoline.
Mission accomplished, I’d say.

[Sometimes a Great Notion]

Yes, he has protected himself from investigations into his dealings with foreign powers, most likely running out the clock due to his advanced years and failing health.

[Bluwater]

And also the promise of a Republican House. As was pointed out here sometime recently, the WH is actively building shields around itself and hiring lawyers because they understand that everything will be subpoenaed. Hell, they will classify everything they can and declare everything else including Joe's favorite flavor of ice cream under executive privilege.

[soldiermedic76]

Biden needs to be investigated (as does Fauci and several others) however, I am not really excited by McCarthy making investigations such a priority if he becomes speaker. Might be better to let it lay (strategically speaking) and then if you have control in 2025 of the presidency release it all.

[wareagle]

what happened that Joe's handlers did not want to see happen?

[R Mac]

Plenty went as planned. Poor people will need govt money to afford heat for one.

But within acceptable parameters.

[Nardz]

https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1483947725028741123?t=ZPBb8Jo5OWyhJf92Z8cPvA&s=19

One of Obama's top national security advisers just announced today that "we are potentially on the verge of a land war in Europe" (by which he means not that he'll fight it but other people's kids will), and is implying anyone opposed is a traitor.

Pick your side: it's not hard.
[Link]

[Chumby]

Year one for Biden was a lot of number two.

[Union of Concerned Socks]

"Joe Biden: Painting The Country Brown With Explosive Diarrhea Since January 2021"

[Chumby]

An accurate smear campaign.

[Don't look at me!]

A shitty leg acy.

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

CNN runs article citing 3 public health experts who claim that studies confirm that 98% of studies on flatulence conclude that straining to contract your anus to hold in gas (or liquid) has a 0.2% chance of causing an aneurism in at-risk populations and that to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed by a silent but deadly pandemic, everyone should be emulating the President pioneering example.

CDC presents conflicting evidence that layers of cotton or synthetic fibers can in fact prevent stains in pants despite recent advances in leakage technology asking the public not to hoard adult diapers or pads so as to leave them available for the medical community.

[Chumby]

Did they include graphs and sharts to visually illustrate this?

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

LOL!! And much appreciated. That response made it worth the time it took to write up my stupid joke.

[Rev. Arthur L. Kuckland]

Rejoining the Paris agreement is not a win, it is a trvisty in every aspect. You have blatent constitutional violation of a president unilaterally signing onto a treaty, it destroyed us sovergnty, it cost a ton of money, and there is no way that the goals it states will ever be achieved with what has been proposed.

[Fats of Fury]

Biden may have to resort to executive action in a last ditch effort to deliver on a signature issue.

I don't think this "reporter without borders" gives much thought to the constitution

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

there is no way that the goals it states will ever be achieved with what has been proposed.

We've got to do something!

[Chuck P. (The Artist formerly known as CTSP)]

there is no way that the goals it states will ever be achieved with what has been proposed.

We've got to do something!

[Dillinger]

>>The COVID-19 pandemic presented a unique challenge for Biden

No. Brandon had opportunity to give up the ghost & instead chose to triple-down the authoritarianism

[Bluwater]

Biden was gifted a vaccine, Operation Warp Speed fully deployed and a recovering economy. All he had to do was not fuck it up. And as Obama put it, “Don’t underestimate Joe’s ability to fuck things up.”

[Dillinger]

>>Biden threw out the travel ban of people from Muslim countries.

Brandon let's Colleyville douchebag in, keeps my buddy's Iranian wife out.

[soldiermedic76]

And enacted one for African, mainly black, countries. So, they should have called that a wash at best.

[wareagle]

did anything go quite as planned?
Yes. Everything. No one can be that wrong that often. These are not mistakes or bad policies; they are the foreseeable results of the steps taken. Such consequences are never accidental.

[Bluwater]

You might have a point. Stand him next to Oliver Hardy, put a bowler on his head and he makes a perfectly acceptable Stan Laurel.

[Fats of Fury]

Biden has received extremely low approval ratings from Republicans in contrast to very high approval ratings from Democrats according to the latest Gallup poll.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnnnnd everyone else don't count.

[Unicorn Abattoir]

did anything go quite as planned?

Planned? No. Expected? Pretty much.

[Overt]

Oh for fucks sake.

1) Climate: "Biden did have a few early and relatively easy wins when it came to reversing some of Trump's actions. The U.S. rejoined the Paris Climate Accord." In what libertarian world is rejoining the Paris Climate Accord a win? It is essentially one nation-wide Short Bus for command and control of our energy economy.

F

2) Immigration: Ok, yeah, Biden says the right things about Immigration but you cannot deny that right now, Biden's immigration record is 100x worse than Trump's. If you care more about defunding "The Wall" than thousands of immigrants fenced like cattle under overpasses, then you are just plain gullible. Biden's policy has been to encourage illegal immigration while doing nothing to liberalize laws when they get here. He has essentially advised millions of people to come get stuck in a byzantine and cruel immigration system. That is neither libertarian nor the work of a real leader who cares about the consequences of their speech.

F--

3) Trade: Biden is horrible here, and no better or worse than Trump, whose trade policies he largely copied.

C

4) Afghanistan: Ok, Biden got us out...horribly. But at least the war is over. I give both men credit for doing their part to end the war, and Biden should get credit for actually following through. And yet despite talking his good talk on immigration, he fucked over tons of Afghans and managed to transfer tons of war material to an oppressive regime.

C-

5) COVID: This one is a toughy. I'll look at him from health results and from liberty. Let's not forget that- even pro rated, and with the benefit of a vaccine provided by the previous administration- Biden's record is worse than Trumps on deaths and hospitalizations. Rather than provide the leadership and unity that he promised, Biden has been unnecessarily divisive up to and including using Vaccine mandates as a cynical political smoke-screen for his shitty Afghanistan performance.

Biden could have done much to improve our liberty, including (first and foremost) firing that shit weasle Fauci who has presided over this dumpster fire for two years now. From recommendations on masks, to lockdowns, to vaccinations, Fauci never once missed an opportunity to endorse stricter and harsher government mandates. The CDC has also been terribly inconsistent and obviously politicized. Add onto that the continued foot dragging of the FDA and the Biden Administration's anti-market, command and control meddling in the market for monoclonal antibodies, and you have a shitty record for liberty all together.

I'm willing to accept that there wasn't much Biden could do about COVID deaths (though that never stopped him from ghoulishly standing on the bodies of the dead in 2020 to make Trump look bad). But there is absolutely no excuse for the poor performance of the CDC in informing people and the obviously politically motivated guidance, the continued idiocy of the FDA, and the completely un-libertarian mandates for antibodies and vaccination.

COVID Results: C
COVID Response: F

[A Thinking Mind]

I seriously question whether Biden would have pulled out of Afghanistan if Trump hadn't already made the promise. If Trump had been an abysmal failure at getting troops out, how much progress would we have made under Biden?

[Overt]

I tend to agree. It is pretty fucking obvious that whomever has taken responsibility for steering the SS Biden Administration thinks they are manning the helm when they are actually adjusting a temperature dial in the ship's galley.

The government is full of inertia- from its concentration camps on the border, to its activities in Afghanistan. They have been able to make some small changes with their executive orders, but when it comes time to actually move the whole ship, they are absolutely clueless.

So maybe Biden is lucky that Trump had essentially tied his hands in Afghanistan. But there were PLENTY of people- including people on the right, let's not forget- who would have been happy to use their knowledge to keep us in that shithole. So again, credit where it is due: Biden let the ship stay more or less on course.

[Yatusabes]

Biden’s handlers: Full speed ahead into that iceberg!

[Minadin]

"2) Immigration: Ok, yeah, Biden says the right things about Immigration but you cannot deny that right now, Biden's immigration record is 100x worse than Trump's."

I will deny it! I think that it's actually somewhere between 5x - 20x worse.

At least Trump wasn't misleading people with regard to immigration policy. He said 'stay out or we will kick you out' and they largely took him at his word. Biden (or his admin / handlers) says 'Come on in!' and then basically treats them the same.

[Overt]

Yes that was my point. What's worse than a restrictionist? A person who maintains restrictionist policies while tempting you into the country. Our border has become one big rape van trolling south america for people to detain indefinitely.

[tracerv]

No way no how Biden gets a C for Afghanistan.

The fucked up withdraw and car bombing a bunch of kids gets a F in my book.

[Overt]

Maybe I am being charitable, but consider that by seeing it through, we don't have another 10 years of car bombing and drone strikes on aid workers. I'm comfortable with the C. Others might say a D, and after all "D still means Diplomacy"

[Overt]

Oh
6) 5G - Where the fuck did this come from? One of my coworkers is stuck in Europe because evidently airlines think they will crash into the tarmac Die Hard 2-style if they attempt landing in America?

How the fuck does 5G spectrum get sold, built for years and deployed when the FAA thinks it will cause planes to fall out of the sky?

What a god damn incompetent administration.

I (incomplete)

[Minadin]

Yeah. That's a doozy.

https://notthebee.com/article/major-cell-providers-just-rolled-out-nationwide-5g-but-bidens-faa-didnt-review-how-it-would-effect-aircraft-so-at-the-last-second-it-said-55-of-all-international-air-traffic-couldnt-land-in-a

I personally don't think it will cause any instrument problems. Remember when you couldn't use cell phones or laptops on planes during a flight? It could cause a fatal crash! That is, until the airlines equipped all of their planes with built-in wifi they could charge you for. Now it's fine.

[dan1650]

Trump ended Afghanistan. Hostilities with the Taliban had ceased for over 18 months. He pulled down troop levels in coordination with the coalition only keeping Bagram Air Base manned in an agreement with the coalition to man it. It was all over except for the agreement being finalized. Biden went his own route and secretly left Bagram in the middle of the night disrupting the plan Trump had made after reneging on the timing to score political points by stretching it to Sept. 11.
There was no need for evacuations or the Afghan government to evacuate the capital under Trump's plan. Anyone that read the transcript of the Biden call to the Afghan president knows what he did. He left our allies panicking to withdraw their people and left hundreds of Americans and our allies citizens abandoned and trapped. The only credit Biden deserves is for giving up an important strategic air base and leaving America and our allies more vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

[ElvisIsReal]

https://simulationcommander.substack.com/p/biden-holds-press-conference

I live-blog the press conference.

[Don't look at me!]

Good stuff.

[Yatusabes]

Great humor. Keep going!

[Commenter_XY]

ElvisIsReal....Liked your commentary, LOL.

[Brian]

Senile Old Man Spreads Conspiracy Theories About The Efficacy Of Masks, Vaccines

https://babylonbee.com/news/senile-old-man-spreads-conspiracy-theories-about-the-efficacy-of-masks-vaccines

[JasonAZ]

"Natalie Dowzicky is a deputy managing editor at Reason."

Are there any writers, journalists or non-editors at Reason any more!?!

[Nardz]

No, just left wing activists

[Titus PUllo]

And no Catholics or Irish or Italian Americans allowed it seems.

[JesseAz]

Just want to point out, sarcasmic avoids every thread critical of Biden. Which is an improvement on his thread shitting of every critical article. However proves him a liar when he claims he criticizes both parties equally.

[CindyF]

Just think how much better things would be if Biden had stayed in that damned basement!

[R Mac]

Really excited for Reason’s coverage of that totally not insane press conference.

[LarryA]

"Biden did have a few early and relatively easy wins when it came to reversing some of Trump's actions. The U.S. rejoined the Paris Climate Accord. Biden threw out the travel ban of people from Muslim countries. And he also halted funding to Trump's border wall."
Those aren't "wins," they're disasters. On January 19, 2021, the U.S. economy was rebounding, inflation was negligible, store shelves were full, America was energy independent, taxes had been lowered, jobs were returning to the U.S., the U.S. military was admired worldwide, the U.S. and Mexico were coordinating to secure the border, France was still “America’s oldest ally,” terrorism was under control, and four Arab countries were peacefully negotiating with Israel.
Starting January 20 with cancelling the Keystone Pipeline and sending the troops guarding them to sleep in parking garages, the Biden administration has flushed every bit of it.

[Otis R. Needleman]

Joey's simply the worst "President" ever. And Kamala's the worst "Vice President" ever. Hands down.

[Titus PUllo]

Reason writers are trying to be the "punk kids" that the popular kids at WAPO, NYT, Slate, Salon invite over to "spice up" the party a bit but not too much. Libertarian is not what this writer it in any way it seems. Not one article on Ukraine and the insanity of the elites pushing for war for no reason other than enrichment of the foreign policy class and to get even with the "czar" from 200 years ago. Where is the non interventionism of Reason? Or the concern about the Fed? It honestly would be refreshing to get more "diversity" in the writers..maybe some libertarians (real ones) who are not all the same ethno-religious group. Can't recall the last time an ethic male was published.

[Liberty Lover]

Looking back at Biden's first year in office, did anything go successfully?
No, complete and utter disaster. Reason can't admit that, because they were big Biden cheerleaders during the election.
Reason's three Biden wins were all disasters for the US.

[ONTIME]

I truly think that every wrong headed act was planned, the Cliven and Ploward, communist action plan was instigated and Joe's legacy is of no consequence, the US will be in a major lurch and he will most likely be dead....He is bound and determined to create hostile action with Russia, arming the Ukraines is not enough and by doing so China has plans to devalue the dollar, this leaves us in a major depression with no liquidity and unable to provide national security but ripe for martial law....No need to wonder why this upcoming election is so damn important....

[Titus PUllo]

My local grocery store chain is constantly out of bread (all kinds). That is the legacy of Biden.."we are out of bread" but Harvard "experts" are staying it is only transitory. Reason needs some f'ing libertarian editors...instead of making excuses for Troytsky (their hero).