Summary

The article presents a positive perspective on President Joe Biden's tenure, highlighting his life experiences, job creation achievements, infrastructure success, ecological initiatives, judicial appointments, and international leadership, while contrasting these with the perceived shortcomings of his predecessor.

Abstract

The author of the article expresses admiration for President Joe Biden's mature leadership and extensive life experience, emphasizing that these qualities are essential for effective governance. Biden is credited with creating over 6 million jobs during his first year in office, a significant achievement in the face of economic challenges such as inflation. The article commends Biden's passage of a substantial infrastructure bill, his efforts to address climate change through the promotion of green energy, and his role in rallying international support for Ukraine amidst conflict with Russia. Additionally, the author notes Biden's impact on the judiciary, with a record number of federal judge appointments, many of whom are women and people of color. The piece contrasts Biden's accomplishments and demeanor with those of his predecessor, who is criticized for a lack of maturity, empathy, and effective policy implementation, particularly in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The author suggests that Biden's presidency is characterized by seriousness and a commitment to the rule of law, which are necessary for the office's global influence.

Opinions

Joe Biden's age and life experiences, including personal tragedies, are seen as assets that contribute to his wisdom and empathy as a leader.
The previous administration, and specifically the former president, is criticized for immaturity, lack of empathy, and ineffective policy, particularly regarding gun control and the COVID-19 pandemic response.
The author believes that Biden's job creation record, despite economic challenges like inflation, is a testament to his effective leadership.
Biden's infrastructure achievements and ecological initiatives are highlighted as crucial for the country's future and the fight against climate change.
The article praises Biden's judicial appointments, noting the diversity and potential long-term impact on the Supreme Court.
The author expresses that Biden's international leadership, especially in supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression, demonstrates his formidable presence on the global stage.
There is a clear preference for substantive policy achievements and traditional presidential behavior over the reality TV-style politics associated with the previous administration.
The author suggests that Biden's occasional gaffes and moments of fatigue are acceptable signs of humanity and do not detract from his overall performance as president.

Old Joe Ain’t No Reality TV Star: The Man Gets S**t Done

Illustration by **BSIENKART** (with permission from the artist)

You know, Old Joe Biden gets a bad rap. He’s old. Personally, I’m delighted by this fact. The last fella had racked up a lot of years but he wasn’t old. Joe has seen a lot of life in his years. I don’t think that it’s a good idea to have young people in leadership positions who haven’t lived life. I don’t mean that they’ve been alive either. For example, Joe knows what it means to lose kids and a wife. The last fellow didn’t. He had not been tempered by abject horror. That allowed him to be glib about things of that kind of devastating nature. We need only look at his recent speech at the NRA convention¹. He said that killing a few kids was not a reason to disarm law-abiding citizens. That is not a direct quote, but it is not far off in terms of meaning. The problem with what the man was talking about is that no one is talking about disarming anyone. The subject concerns sensible registration of firearms and sensible restrictions applied to who can buy firearms. But then I wouldn’t expect that guy to have the maturity to address an issue of such dire consequence. He hasn’t lived life.

Joe, on the other hand, has lived life his whole life. Joe served in the senate and commuted back and forth to his home in Delaware so his kids would have their father. That is something that fathers all across America do. They make sacrifices for their families. This requires humility that is just not all that apparent in the Senate of the United States. I can not imagine Joe pushing the Prime Minister of Montenegro out of the way so he can be front and center of a photo op.

Think about this for a moment. Joe has created more jobs in his first year as president than anyone². 6,000,000 jobs ain’t chicken feed. That is a staggering number. Yes, he has run away inflation and prices are sky-high, but wages are higher too. Not as high as inflation, but higher nonetheless. Joe has not had an infrastructure week³. He got a huge infrastructure bill passed though. He got average run-of-the-mill folks struggling with the income and cash money to pay rent during the pandemic’s darkest hours. The other guy denied there even was a pandemic and whined about it coming out of China. It is highly likely that there was gross mismanagement (if not outright dishonesty) on the part of the Chinese government, but what good did that blame do for any of us regular work-a-day stiffs?

Another thing old Joe has done is to get us back into an ecologically friendly position. We have to come to grips with the stone-cold facts on this one. We’re all like a bunch of retired people. We’re living on a fixed income. Not of money, but of energy. We have to find renewable sources of energy. It isn’t that we have a choice in this. We have to get that done. Joe has supported electric car development and other green energy development. Look, folks, these are things that our kids have to have. We don’t have to have these ideas in play, but our kids damn sure do.

Joe understands something else that we kind of ignore. That old man has been formidable on the international stage. That comes from years of experience. Consider for a moment that he has rallied the world to come to Ukraine’s aid. He may or may not be able to stop Russia, but he is putting up a hell of a fight. He has managed to bring the income-producing part of Russia’s economy to a near standstill. As opposed to the other guy who couldn’t believe that Vlad would have meddled in the US election. Do you think that Ukraine would be in the position they’re in now if that guy were providing aid? Would there even be aid?

Joe has appointed more federal judges in his first year since Reagan⁴. More than twice the other fellow. Most of those judges are women. A large percentage are people of color. These judges are the ranks from whom future Supreme Court Justices will be chosen. In other words, Joe is shaping the future of the Judicial. Moscow Mitch and the other fellow tried to weigh the Judicial with right-leaning folks, although I don’t think many judges lean one way or another. They all pretty much apply the law and that’s just wonderful. It’s how the rule of law is upheld.

Here’s the straight skinny on this one. Joe isn’t going to make everyone happy. He isn’t supposed to. He’s supposed to lead. I don’t care if he dozes off during boring presentations. He works more than I do. I don’t blame him for sneaking in a little cat nap when he can. He ain’t a kid that’s afraid he might miss something. The man earned all that white hair.

A man of his stature deserves to have respect from his party. All of his party. That would even include Senators from West Virginia and Arizona. That other fellow had support from the entire Republican Party. It’s hard for me to imagine why or even how he is still being supported. He is a loser. He is a con man. It will probably be proven that he is also a criminal who has committed grievous crimes against the country he claims to love. But then talk is cheap, especially for reality tv stars. They live off ratings. Accomplishments are counterproductive for reality tv. Accomplishments are too mundane.

The Kardashian Klan are entertainment values. We expect them to be squirrelly eccentric and overtly fashion conscious. But they even eventually lose their glitter. Those are not characteristics that are becoming the president of the United States. We want serious behavior from that office. It is a position that has worldwide influence. It is not only about making America anything. Any and every action or word uttered by the person who occupies that office has weight felt around the world. It just is not a position to be occupied by lightweight rating hounds trying to out-poll the Kardashians for this week’s Nielsen numbers.

Nope. I’m glad Joe has lived a lot of life. I’m glad that he’s suffered in that life. Not for the suffering, but for the patience and wisdom that suffering has wrought in the man. I’m glad that he understands the pain the people in Texas are enduring with the loss of their babies⁵. I’m glad that he has the experience to unite the world to resist the vile actions of Vladimir. I’m glad he has all those years commuting back and forth from Delaware so that he understands what ordinary people do every day for their kids. I’m even glad that Joe has trouble saying things every now and again. That proves he’s a regular man. I’m glad that we have such a man in the Office of President. Pride is not something that belongs in that Office. I doubt there can be enough humility expressed in that Office. So Joe, yeah, you screw up every now and then, but you’re doing what you think is right by all of us. Kudos.

References

1. Hooper, K. (2022, May 27). Trump champions gun rights in NRA speech days after Uvalde school shooting. Politico. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://www.politico.com/news/2022/05/27/trump-gun-rights-nra-speech-uvalde-shooting-00035836

2. Isidore, C. (2022, February 4). Biden sets first-year record with 6.6 million jobs added. CNN. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/04/business/joe-biden-jobs-record/index.html

3. Rogers, K. (2019, May 22). How ‘Infrastructure Week’ Became a Long-Running Joke (Published 2019). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/us/politics/trump-infrastructure-week.html

4. Maag, B. (2022, May 3). Biden has appointed most federal judges through May 1 of a president’s second year — Ballotpedia News. Ballotpedia News. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://news.ballotpedia.org/2022/05/03/biden-has-appointed-most-federal-judges-through-may-1-of-a-presidents-second-year/

5. Neilia Hunter Biden: How did Joe Biden’s first wife and their daughter Naomi die? (2022, March 2). The Independent. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/neilia-hunter-biden-death-naomi-b2026390.html