BIDEN’S BROKEN PROMISES
A First Year List
To be fair, Biden made few promises during his candidacy, holing up in his basement rather than engaging with the public. But he did make some, especially as he took office. Untrusting of politicians as I am, I do contrast this with Trump, who actually made every attempt to deliver on his promises. But then, he’s not a politician. Biden relied on his reputation to win the nomination (and the widespread discontent with Trump, the man).
Important Promises
1. Moderation – Biden’s many years in office highlighted his ability to work across the aisle and to be more of a moderate in his party. During the primary, voters chose him instead of the far more radical members of his party clearly voicing an opinion on how far the Left should go. Immediately after his victory, Biden became Bernie Sanders, delivering on Bernie’s promise, not his own. This was a betrayal to his voters.
2. Mandates - “I don’t think [vaccine mandates] should be mandatory.” Spoken just after the election, it didn’t take him long to go against his word, causing untold damage to our economy. Medical professionals are losing their jobs after sacrificing everything to help keep us safe and heal us. And it hasn’t mattered. Since his party ignores immunity based on having had the disease and the number of “protected” keeps rising, he can never really get us to the endemic (flu-like) phase. And where’s the mandate on illegals? We don’t even test them, but we’re expected to house and care for them. Getting on top of illegal immigration might make a huge difference in infection rates.
3. Coming together as a country – At his nomination, Biden voiced stirring words, but they came to nothing, as he made things far worse by his policies and actions. “If you entrust me with the presidency, I will draw on the best of us, not the worst. I will be an ally of the light, not the darkness. It is time for us, for we, the people, to come together. And make no mistake, united we can and will overcome this season of darkness in America.” Everything he has done has drawn more division and enmity.
4. Withdrawal from Afghanistan - “We will not conduct a hasty rush to the exit [out of Afghanistan]. We’ll do it — we’ll do it responsibly, deliberately, and safely.” None of that was done and now, people are starving and the Taliban is well supplied with weapons systems. Enough said.
5. Safe Withdrawal – Biden said, “We’re going to stay until we get [all Americans] out [of Afghanistan].” Thousands brought in without vetting and thousands left behind.
6. No New Taxes – Sadly, almost every President says this and then reneges. “No new taxes” for Americans making less than $400,000.” Even if Build Back Better fails, his economic decisions mean that inflation has eaten up every cent of recent raises and more and even his own offices have stated that it will be impossible to pay for his wish list without impacting nearly everyone. At a time when we are desperately trying to recover from the pandemic and the impact of lockdowns, we need the government to just let the economy recover, not impede it.
7. Tough Stance on Russia – Biden said, “I will make it clear to the Kremlin that it must end its aggression toward and occupation of Ukraine.” Not only has he done nothing, he also approved the pipeline, enriching Russia and impoverishing the Ukraine. Appeasement is the word we use to describe his response to the massing of thousands of troops at the Ukraine border.
8. Weaponizing the DOJ – Biden said, “I will not…use the Justice Department as my vehicle to insist that something happen.” And yet, that’s his favorite weapon; whether it is to go after parents as domestic terrorists, continuing to go after Trump, or interfering with election policies of the various states. Merrick Garland is his troll and he sends him after any purported enemy. People now fear the DOJ and that’s not how our government should work.
Promises That No One Should Make
Despite the success of the Manhattan Project during WWII, no one would have actually held the President to a promise to create the first atomic bomb. It was an aspirational goal, but not a promise. Biden loves being popularity, so he doesn’t hedge his bets when he states what he will do.
1. Ending the Pandemic – Just as Trump couldn’t be sure his Operation Warp Speed would get the vaccine out there any faster than the long projections estimated by scientists. And yet, four days after the Chinese delivered the virus samples, Pfizer had a vaccine. All Trump promised was an investment; he’s not a scientist. Biden promised to “shut down the virus, not the economy.” He has failed on both. Most of his initiatives have caused far more economic damage than anyone expected at this venture, and as the vaccine doesn’t completely protect anyone, his mandates don’t do any good.
2. The Opiate “Crisis” – Biden said, “[I will] end the opioid crisis.” To solve a problem, you need to understand it. And he doesn’t. Nor do many people. Just like homelessness, there are many causes, so there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
No one really expects presidents to deliver on all their promises, but at the same time, we don’t expect them to continuously employ strategies that make every problem worse. Biden has taken “the road less traveled by,” and damaged our economy and our freedoms in ways we will struggle to transcend.
