During Donald Trump’s presidency, the Washington Post kept a running tally of his lies, ultimately counting 30,573 “false or misleading claims” in four years. It has kept up that work under President Joe Biden, finding he lies with less abandon but on occasion with comparable shamelessness.
Fox News is performing its own version of this public service by counting what it calls gaffes, tracking the moments Mr Biden forgets a politician’s name, refers to Vice-President Kamala Harris as the president or stumbles through a thicket of numbers.
Its approach raises some epistemological questions: why were the misstatements gaffes, rather than lies, when Mr Biden said his home state, Delaware, had no turkeys, which it has, and has the most chickens in the nation, which it hasn’t? (In fairness to Fox, even a prepared text is not proof for this president against gaffes: in his state-of-the-union address, on February 7th, Mr Biden demoted Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, to the minority, among other slips and puzzling dad jokes.)
A gentle soul might think Fox, in counting its chickens, was being forgiving because of Mr Biden’s advanced age. A cynic would infer cruelty—an effort to boost the gaffe count—for the same reason. And, indeed, Fox’s report in November sounded disappointed at a presidential “slump” to just 11 gaffes during the month, including the two most fowl. “Biden’s November gaffe average: the president hits .500”, Fox reported (he was closer to .367, if you count weekends).
The gaffe is more dangerous than the lie for Mr Biden because it plays to the perception that, at 80, he is too old for the job. Only 23% of Americans say they have “a great deal” of confidence he can manage the White House, according to a poll taken by the Associated Press and the NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, down from 44% as he took office. Even most Democrats do not want him to run again, though he is clearly preparing to. These harsh…
2023-02-08 00:49:35 History may yet judge Joe Biden’s presidency as transformational
Original from www.economist.com
Joe Biden is only the beginning of his presidency, but history may judge his monumental leadership as transformational.
Throughout his political career and in the beginning of his presidency, Joe Biden has implemented numerous progressive policies and has consistently stood up for the rights of Americans. From his military service in the Vietnam War to his commitment to human rights and economic understanding, Biden has continually demonstrated his dedication to the country and its citizens.
In his first days in office, Biden achieved an incredible amount of successes, from signing an impressive number of executive orders on issues ranging from immigration to healthcare to civil rights to the environment. He has worked to make the promise of the American dream a reality for everyone in the country. His proposed American Jobs Plan is the most expansive jobs and infrastructure package in modern history; it aims to invest an estimated $2 trillion in the country’s roads, bridges, airports, schools and more, with the explicit goal of generating millions of good-paying jobs that could help to lift millions out of poverty.
At the same time, Biden has demonstrated admirable qualities of leadership, including empathy and passion, strong diplomatic instincts, and an ability to work with diverse coalitions to reach necessary compromises. He has also teamed up with other national partners to encourage vaccinations and further progress in ending the coronavirus pandemic.
Without doubt, President Biden’s achievements thus far have set a high standard for future presidents, as well as for our nation, and will continue to follow his commitment to change and progress. Despite the current challenges, his legacy may be remembered by future generations, as a powerful leader who was able to take action on the nation’s greatest problems, and who was instrumental in advancing the country in a positive direction.
It remains to be seen how future generations will view the Biden presidency, but history will certainly have the opportunity to judge. Only time will tell.