The dawn of Bidenism

by | Jan 25, 2023 | Editor's Blog | 9 comments

Friday marked the half-way point in Joe Biden’s first, and possibly only, term as president. It’s been a remarkable two years. His election marked the end of the short-lived Trump era, though that was not obvious as Biden took the oath of office. 

The dangerous reactionary populism that rose during the four years of the Trump presidency peaked on January 6 and would wane in the aftermath. In its place is a new feeling of cautious optimism about our country and the sense that the power of democracy is still alive. We are also at the dawn of a new age that will change the way we power our nation and possibly renew our manufacturing economy. While Trump tapped into the anger and resentment of the working class, Bidenism is trying to offer them a chance at the American Dream again.

The Trump era was really the end of the 40-year Reagan Revolution, taken to its logical extreme. Reaganism embraced the idea that poverty is a choice, government is more harmful than helpful, that free markets are a panacea for all ills, that individualism is morally superior to community, that wealth trickles down, that tax cuts pay for themselves, and that free trade trumps fair trade. 

The result was a concentration of wealth that created gaping income inequality. Unchecked trade devastated areas that depended on manufacturing, leaving residents without the government assistance that would have been available during the New Deal and Great Society eras. Extreme individualism, fostered by a resentment of government, created a distrust of community that led to a proliferation of guns among people who became irrationally scared of their neighbors. 

Joe Biden brought to the Oval Office a sense of optimism and a belief in the power of the federal government to make our lives a little better and solve the problems that collectively threaten us. He kicked off his presidency with a vaccine rollout that largely stopped the pandemic in its tracks. While COVID will be with us forever, the government response to the disease saved 3 million lives and $1.15 trillion, according a report from the University of Minnesota. His stimulus program brought the country out of the recession and created more jobs than any president in history. And he passed a massive infrastructure bill that had eluded his predecessors and will begin modernizing and rebuilding the country. 

While Biden’s popularity suffered in the aftermath of the Afghanistan pullout, he kept his head down and continued to work. By the summer of 2022, his administration was cutting bipartisan deals that put restrictions on guns and increased the manufacture of semiconductors. He also offered a student loan forgiveness program and passed the Inflation Reduction Act, making the rich and big corporations pay their fair share of taxes, reducing the cost of prescription drugs for seniors, and accelerating our transition to clean energy. His accomplishments will transform America.

The 2020 election signaled the end of the Reagan Revolution and the beginning of the Biden Transformation. In the wake of the 1982 midterm, most people didn’t realize the transformation that had occurred, but Reagan had put in place the foundations for a new approach to governing. As the country came out of the recession that ended stagflation, Reagan touted his accomplishments as Morning in America. Similary, most people don’t recognize the shift taking place today, but Joe Biden is changing America. He’s slowly but surely restoring faith in the power of government. He’s putting in place transformational policies that will be seen as the beginning of the end of the threat of climate change. He will be credited with ending the most serious threats of the pandemic. And he will be seen as resurrecting manufacturing in the country. 

We still have a lot of challenges to our country, not the least of which is defeating the authoritarian right that is still a menace to our democracy. However, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. The GOP is in the midst of civil war that that will either end with the governing wing of the party taking control or with populists who find themselves unelectable in any place but the narrowest of districts. The legislation passed over the past year will begin to have an impact before the end of the year with new jobs and improved infrastructure. The economy is continuing to grow and inflation is quickly subsiding. Americans are starting to feel better about their future for the first time in years. The president has shown them that, together, we can solve our problems and that the divisiveness that’s defined the past decade won’t. It’s the dawn of Bidenism.

9 Comments

  1. Mike

    Want to talk about a puppet? Putin’s Puppet is living large at Mar-A-Lago while he dreams of fomenting another coup to install himself as fascist dictator for life. Bashing China has become trendy for Republican politicians, as Governor Youngkin of Virginia turned down a $3.5 billion battery factory that would have created at least 2500 new jobs.

  2. Edward Hamilton Davis

    Thomas Mills has bsed his comments on considerable amounts of good data. They can be discussed and critiqued, and I am glad to see healthy debate about issues. It is unfortunate that a commenter has chosen to use poor logic here – to dismiss the argument on the grounds that Biden has dementia, and that he is simply a puppet. The industrial investment and trade policies of the Biden administration have real consequences, and many of them are positive, according the the Wall Street Journal’s recent reporting. Also, Biden’s policies on China are far more complex and effective than the commenter claims. Sure, global shifts are out of the control of any president, but the new report by the Brookings Institute (another conservative source) show that Biden and the Democrats have helped our economy a great deal with the “Chips and Science Act.” https://www.brookings.edu/research/with-high-tech-manufacturing-plants-promising-good-jobs-in-ohio-workforce-developers-race-to-get-ready/

  3. Tommy Lambeth

    you are f.o.s., Adamclove.≥..

  4. adamclove

    You know, people tell themselves lots of stories. Being that this is your blog, you’re free to tell yourself whatever story you like, and you’re free to DECIDE to feel however you like.

    Stating those feelings as though they are facts, as though they are things which have actually happened, just makes you (and your fellow spinners) look silly.

    There is no such thing as “Bidenism.” The sometime-occupant of the White House is a dementia patient whose administration is run by a collection of faceless handlers. He’s a puppet.

    Manufacturing is coming back, but it’s not because of anything Biden’s handlers have done. It’s also not because of anything Trump, or any other President, have done. It’s the result of demographic changes happening in Asia, as China spirals the drain of demographic collapse and the cost of their labor skyrockets. Chinese labor is now 3X more expensive than Mexican. Incidentally, Biden’s policies toward China are nothing more than the institutionalization of those that Trump put in place.

    Keep weaving your tales, but at least have the honesty to acknowledge them for what they are.

    • Carolyn B Guckert

      Rush lives! Even your photo projects a likeness. You must be so proud continuing his tradition of hateful comments. “Dementia patient” — really? Your post would have been mostly credible and worthy of thought had you not included that label. If you want to be taken seriously, knock off the hate.

    • Larry Starnes

      While I also resent the sour grapes reference to “dementia” I do want to recognize that you had the objective motivation to at least read the article. That is a hopeful sign.

    • Wray

      Adam,

      I do not think you have many takers on your biased and cynical world view. We’re kind over that, but hey you are clearly channeling Rush, so enjoy the ride down with him.

      Wray

    • TC

      “Feelings. Whoa, whoa, whoa….” Thanks a lot Adam. Now I can’t get that stupid song out of my head. Half-way through I remembered why I didn’t like the song when it came out.

      I read Tom’s piece not once, not twice, not three times, but four. I picked every paragraph apart in the last two nights looking for an expression of some sentiment. Something based on emotion. Something that would fuel your response and the context of what you had to say in your response. Then I started wondering what it was you did read, or wonder if you read, what Mr. Mills wrote.

      I read opinions. I saw some conjecture. I saw some careful reflection and conclusion based on rationality and careful consideration.

      Then I read your response carefully too. “Feelings…” dammit. The only emotion I detected reading both was expressed by you. A kind of rambling narcissism lobbing grenades to induce a response so you could martyr yourself for the MAGA God you made.

      Rather than do that, I’m just going to shake my head in haughty derision and pity you. Feelings…

    • cocodog

      Adam, I suppose using that WBT backdrop gives your internet trolling a classy look. Did you work there with your idol George Santos or was he in training at NASA at the time? LOL

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