Politics is still Politics: And Biden is the least interesting President since Bush Sr.
63) Biden’s Presidency is still mostly boring. This is mostly good. Despite the events swirling around him. This is not nearly as good.
Editorial Note:
This post was originally drafted on October 06th, 2023. It was going to go live on October 09th, 2023. Given the events that transpired in Israel, this post is going live now. This post discusses ‘domestic politics’.
There will be a follow-up post on the Israel/Palestine War, tomorrow!
A few people have been asking me when the next time I’m going to drop a new political post or take. And what I typically ask them is - Why?!
Why do you need another half-baked partisan take from someone you largely agree with? Not to be too glib, or even self-effacing, but honestly, so much of what has been happening with American politics, has already been said 100x over.
First of all, the system is so innately corrupt, that all the punditry is a smoke-screen behind which corporation or lobbyist is *influencing which politician or policy decision.
*https://www.followthemoney.org/
Secondly, my opinion however enlightened I think it is, will not all of a sudden make millions of Trump-Followers all of a sudden wiser after having read me, and decide to abandon their positions. Heck, I would even be happy if I could move hundreds of people out of the darkness into the light.
Lastly, politics is not nearly as hopeful now (as oxymoronic of a saying that already is). Inflation is high. Abortion is still a hot-button issue and most of our leaders and most-well known politicians in Washington are old, very very old.
< Source for picture: New Yorker Cover Page (10/2/23) https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cover-story/cover-story-2023-10-02 >
The fact that Kevin McCarthy has been ejected as Speaker of the House in Congress is a joke. I know moderate Republicans that have worked on this bi-partisan caucus with Democrats, are now furious that McCarthy’s job couldn’t be saved. I do sympathize with them, but come on?! In your heart of hearts, ^do you really think Kevin McCarthy deserved saving?^
^https://politicalwire.com/2023/10/04/house-bipartisan-caucus-risks-collapse/ ^
I’m also not exactly sure how additive my take is to the whole national conversation. Politics is toxic, and I’m under the impression a lot of people would rather just avoid it. But, to that I will say, part of what makes Joe Biden a good President is how boring he is. You have to go back to the 1980s to George Bush Sr. to recall a President that people at large were mostly so indifferent about.
Here is a quick recap of all the Presidents’ from George Bush Sr. to present day
#41 George HW Bush (1989-1993): He was not particularly dynamic, nor did he sow such a level of mistrust. He was like a grandpa to the American people. Even though compared to Biden he was quite young, while in office.
#42 Bill Clinton (1993-2001): People don’t call him Slick Willie for nothing. Clinton was an incredibly brilliant, talented man and politician, whom history remembers in very complicated ways. His accolades are deserved, but some of his criticisms are too.
#43 George W. Bush (2001-2009) - He has done a wonderful job rebranding himself as this loveable grandpa figure who likes to paint. Is it too cynical of me to say that the PR machine was working overtime on this one?
If you ask young people today about the Iraq War, many of them will have no idea what you are talking about.
Eighteen years ago, (because of the Iraq War), it was as if Bush’s Presidency was already over before his second term even really started. (He was that unpopular).
#44 Barack Obama (2009-2017) - I have difficulty putting the Obama Presidency into words. I think on one front he is deified by many, yet also vilified by many too. Although his admirers still outnumber his haters, by wide margins. It’s challenging to properly assess Obama’s presidency, given the symbolism of his ascent to the highest office in the most powerful country.
I really do need to invest the time in Michael Eric Dyson’s book The Black Presidency: Barack Obama and the Politics of Race in America.
From the initial reading of the first chapter, Dyson goes on to say how Obama was hamstrung by his blackness, even though it was his blackness while being elected and serving as President that symbolized such a transformational shift in America and the world.
As the assessment of Obama’s Presidency continues to evolve, he is still considered to be my generation’s JFK. https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/01/the-next-jfk-214657/
#45 Donald Trump (2017-2021). General John Kelly was Trump’s longest serving Chief of Staff while in the White House. Kelly did not hold back in what he said about Trump. I’m not exactly sure how General Kelly deserves praise for this, as he did willingly work for the man. But, that’s part of the problem too.
Even if people tried to do the right thing in working for Trump, (or even after working for him) they are still tainted by this man. And they probably are somewhat harrowed by the experience of working in his administration.
I would argue that the *violent rhetoric that Trump continues to espouse and appears to double down on, nearly every day, should not be ignored. Even though I don’t have the words to adequately capture my continued horror and dismay at his continued presence in the American political arena.
*https://apnews.com/article/trump-violent-rhetoric-retribution-authoritarians-2024-39e090680a33c0869312e79bcef106e8
* https://politicalwire.com/2023/10/05/trumps-violent-rhetoric-is-being-muted/
#46 Joe Biden (2021-Present day); I had a student that recently privately asked me what I thought of President Biden. I was honest with her, and told her
I think the office of the Presidency is an impossible job.
I also told her I might be biased, as I do prefer Democratic Party policies over the other party. But, I also told her
I get the criticism of Biden being too old. But, I also like that he is largely in the background after having lived through four prior Presidents that took the oxygen out of any room they entered into.
The funny thing about life sometimes is, the more you learn about it, the less of an expert you feel like you are on it. This is how I feel about politics nowadays. I feel like no expert, nor do I necessarily think anyone else is an expert around me. It’s as if we make it up as we go along.
Government is a funny thing, as the strength is derived from the people. Yet, trust in our institutions is not only at an all-time low, it’s fashionable for there to be such a lack of trust. That leads to some dangerous outcomes. And when it’s not dangerous, it certainly leads to frequent, ‘suboptimal’ outcomes.
Hence why the Speaker of the House has been rejected, and the free–for-all for a new one just seems to be an experience where most people can’t wait to get their pop-corn and watch. Heck, Democratic politicians are capitalizing on the House GOP leadership disfunction, like do-gooder fundraiser capitalists, sending out letters to constituents to rake in more money.
And hear I am capitalizing on the GOP clown show by sharing a new political piece with you. I do hope to continue to create amazing content. But, I also plan to continue to be more sparing in writing about politics. Still, I will follow up with this post on what I find to be reliable news sources. (At least a few I rely on).
Love this commentary and interesting to hear your perspective.
The "Republican clown show" is going to go on until the government shutdown. You think we're having fun now? Wait to see how messed up this can and will get 😒😲 This is an ego based drama we're witnessing. No one in Congress as a collective cares about governing, just getting elected and having their palms greased. Biden is included in that. Caring more about optics of his re-election rather than the of situations. Thanks for a stimulating read 👍