It's Midterm Elections day, which means we all gathered around our TVs for most of the evening to watch newscasters announce that, like a groundhog seeing his shadow, things will be mostly the same for the foreseeable future. The Republicans got a bit more power, but nothing drastic. The Democrats lost a bit of power but proved to be surprisingly resilient. Everything about Congress will find a way to be much more complicated than it has to be. Same old America.
But these midterm elections have me reflecting quite a bit on the current state of US politics, and I must say one thing on my mind.
I think Biden has had the most productive first two years in office of any president in recent memory.
By "productive," I don't really mean that as a reflection of my own political beliefs. It's often not clear for many years after a president enacts something whether or not that action was successful. But the resume he's put together speaks for itself, even if the man hardly can. The $1 trillion infrastructure bill. The Inflation Reduction Act aimed at curtailing climate change. The almost $2 trillion COVID relief package. The cancellation of student debt (provided it stands in court). The first gun reform bill in almost 30 years. The CHIPS act for semiconductor production. All of these are either landmark pieces of legislation that prove our democracy is at least sometimes functioning properly or major campaign promises that he followed through on. Sure, Obama had the Affordable Care Act, and Trump had the wide-sweeping tax cuts, but neither had the breadth and depth of significant accomplishments that Biden can claim. Biden positioned himself as a bipartisan deal-maker throughout his entire presidential campaign, and his resume proves he was more successful at this element of the job than either of his immediate predecessors.
Afghanistan sucked. Inflation rates are horrible even if that is a global issue, not a Biden issue. But whether you like him or not, Biden is getting things done, and it's good to see even this minimal level of functionality in government again.
Way to go, Joe.
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