Joe Biden Was Always Doomed

"It is impossible to overstate just how desperately Joe Biden wanted to make himself president. That ambition was made crystal clear across his two bids for the Oval Office in 1988 and 2008, before he finally got over the hump in 2020 after leveraging his claim as the dubious successor of the Obama years. His approval rating swooned shortly after that belated triumph, but judging by the policy ledger alone, it can be argued that Biden weaved together a moderately successful administration."

"He was able to usher several of his long-standing fixations across the finish line with acceptable consensus. Some of those achievements were broadly popular (the infrastructure bill); others were controversial but nonetheless hugely necessary (the long-overdue retreat out of Afghanistan). When the 2022 midterms rolled around, pundits predicted a harsh repudiation of the Biden coalition, due in large part to the gathering malaise that has yet to clear from the American consciousness. But that rebuke never materialized."

"Under Biden's stewardship, career wingnuts like Kari Lake, Dr. Oz, and Herschel Walker were barred from Capitol Hill, thrust forever into make-work programs propped up by MAGA benefactors. (Walker is currently waiting to be approved for his position as ambassador to the Bahamas.) Sure, President Biden did also cultivate a vast collection of familiarly shaped neoliberal failures across those four years, earning a simmering distaste from many of the people who helped put him into office."

Joe Biden pursued the presidency in 1988 and 2008 and won in 2020 by positioning himself as an Obama-era successor. His approval rating dropped after the victory, but policy outcomes produced a moderately successful administration. He advanced long-standing priorities with consensus, passing measures like the infrastructure bill and executing controversial but necessary actions such as withdrawal from Afghanistan. The predicted 2022 electoral backlash did not occur, and several prominent MAGA figures failed to gain office. Biden accumulated neoliberal policy failures and drew criticism for his response to Gaza and deference to Israel, yet he fulfilled presidential responsibilities.

Read at Slate Magazine