Ol' Sleepy Joe has been busy!
I saw this list online and the author cautions that he swiped the data from elsewhere and some details may be off. But even if half of it isn't totally accurate, it still is quite a list of accomplishments - and far more that Trump accomplished in four full years. What did he do again? Oh, right, outlaw abortion. Nice work, Donnie!
I would also add that attributing economic conditions to a President is a double-edged sword. As many have noted, there is no knob on the wall of the Oval Office labeled "gas prices" which a President can turn up and down at will. One item not on this list was Biden releasing oil from the strategic reserve - and selling it on the open market at a high price. He later bought back a similar quantity of oil at a much lower price, earning a profit for the government. Too bad a "businessman" President didn't think of that! Then again, Trump was beholden to the Koch Brothers. They have a copy of the pee-pee tape and it's worse than you can imagine.
Often economic conditions are beyond the total control of governments. Or pandemics - but we can control how we respond to them, however. Trump was booed when he mentioned he got vaccinated - remember? But he and his toadies encouraged the climate of fear and superstition among his followers as he thought it would be good politics. Then again, we can't go back in time and do it over again and see whether things would have been different.
In a way, the pandemic was the ultimate "pick me!" moment as many protesting the lockdown restrictions felt that the other guy would be the one to get sick and die. Indeed, when many of the pandemic deniers or their loved ones did get sick and die, they refused to admit it - blaming hospitals and doctors for killing off grandma when in fact it was the unmasked birthday party with 50 people in attendance that did her in. To this day, people still are in denial.
The economic, employment, and crime statistics may or may not have been influenced by Biden's actions. However they negate the drumbeat of negativity from far-right news outlets, who have been telling everyone the economy in ruins and Democrats are "destroying America!" Sadly, a lot of people believe this. Even on the Left, some young people - encouraged by foreign propaganda - believe that Biden hasn't gone far enough left or denounced Israel strongly enough.
Of course, Presidents can only do so much, particularly if they are thwarted by Congress. In a way, that is how the system is supposed to work - "checks and balances." Trump called it "the deep state" and proposes eliminating all checks and balances, if re-elected.
Biden just announced a new border measure - capping the number of people who may apply for asylum every day. It might not be the perfect solution - and I am sure Republicans will say it is too little, too late. But those same Republicans voted down their own border bill just so Biden wouldn't score a "win." They want to keep the issue festering until November so they can make hay with it.
Sort of like how they kept the abortion issue simmering for half a century just to get out the vote. Now that they "won" on that issue they are like the dog who finally caught a car - now what do you do? I guess the only thing is to pivot to another self-made "crises" and keep that simmering (and the hatred going) for another 50 years.
Anyway, here's the list that was posted (reformatted by me):
Highlights from Year One:
- Reversed Trump's Muslim ban
- Historic Stimulus Bill passed
- Ended the war in Afghanistan
- Reduction of poverty levels by 45% along with reduction of child poverty levels by 61% by the first 6 months
- 5 Rounds of cancellation of student loan debt totaling almost $10 billion
- Passed largest infrastructure bill in history
- The unemployment rate dropped from 6.2% when Biden took office to 3.9%, the biggest single year drop in American history.
Highlights from Year Two:
- The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
- 3 Additional rounds of student loan debt cancellation (8 rounds so far), totaling up $35 billion for 20-40 million Americans
- First major gun legislation in 30 years
- CHIPS Act to protect American supply of semi-conductor chips
- $62 billion worth of health care subsidies under the ACA (Obamacare), capping insulin at $35
- Allows Medicare to negotiate 100 drugs over the next decade, and requires drug companies to rebate price increases higher than inflation
- Unemployment at 50 year low
Highlights from Year Three:
- Got republicans to publicly take Social Security and Medicare cuts off the table by tricking them during the State of the Union
- 6 More rounds of student loan debt cancellation (14 rounds so far), totaling up to $127 billion
- As of October 2023, 34 straight months of job growth, longest stretch of unemployment below 4% since the 1960s
- Child poverty rates fall from 12.6% to 5.8% due to Biden's Expanded Child Tax Credits, 2.9 million kids escape poverty
- World's best post-pandemic recovery, doubles all nations except Japan
- Created 14 million jobs since he took office - More than any president in history did in four years (and its only been 3 years)
- Black unemployment rate lower under Biden than any other administration (4.7%) - Compared to black unemployment under Trump was 2nd worst number in history, reaching over 16%
- Diversity in justice: Majority of Biden’s appointed judges are women, racial or ethnic minorities – a first for any president
- Rail companies grant paid sick days after administration pressure in win for unions. Most people will only remember that he forced rail workers to go back to work in December 2022, even now that will be the top answer if you google "Biden Railworker Deal". But most people do not know that the Biden administration continued to pressure the rail corporations and work with the unions so that in June 2023, the corporations capitulated and gave the rail workers what they wanted. Biden knows how to work politics and knows that the real work isn't done with the cameras on you for a soundbite, but in the background where people can debate without a fickle public watching every move.
Highlights from Year Four (So Far):
- Another round of student loan cancellation, $1.2 billion this time, 15 rounds so far, totaling more than $128 billion
- Growth shatters expectations: GDP expands 3.1% - a year beginning with heavy odds of a recession
- Post-pandemic recover still leading the world by far
- Plan to modernize American ports
- Rescinds Trump-era "Denial of Care" rule that allowed health care workers to deny medical care to patients because of their personal religious or moral belief
- Violent crime drop significantly since 2020
- $5.8 billion to clean up nation’s drinking water and upgrade infrastructure
Despite the Supreme Court shooting down Biden's student loan forgiveness plan, he has managed to forgive loans to millions of students, many of whom were victims of ersatz "for-profit" schools. What did Trump do? He tried to start his own fraudulent "for-profit" school and had to pay $25 million as part of a court settlement.
That right there shows the stark difference between the two candidates. When you hear someone say, "both parties are the same!" be sure to cry "BULLSHIT!" loud and long.
Ditto for "crime rates are skyrocketing!' and "inflation is out of control!" and "the economy is tanking" and "there is a crises at the border!" Bullshit. Bullshit! Bullshit! and Bullshit!
But tell that to old people watching Fox News. Gee, maybe things would have been different if more boomers bit the dust during the pandemic. But that's "pick me!" thinking. The "other guy" is us.
Perhaps the tide is turning - worldwide - against authoritarian right-wing thinking. Recent elections in India show that a majority of the citizens are rejecting Hindu nationalism. All across the globe, strong-men and strong-men wanna-bes are seeing support lagging as ordinary citizens are perhaps realizing that scapegoating and hate mongering only go so far, particularly when nothing of substance gets accomplished.
Well, we can only hope people are coming to their senses.
