What The Biden Presidency Truly Lacks
By: Tannishtha Adhikary
Tags: Government, Democrats, Republican Party, Politics

What The Biden Presidency Truly Lacks

Illustration by Arial Davis

Biden’s notable 47 years in the Senate is primarily identified and driven by his extensive personal relationships with people from both sides of the aisle. Best understood by his close proximity with Republican Segregationist Strom Thurmond, Biden’s ability to work across the aisle is not only his key strength, but serves as a glimmering hope of establishing solidarity within the government.

During the 2020 elections, many of us saw a competitive zeal within Joe Biden which laid dormant for the greater part of his political life as he led a formidable campaign against Trump by promising to rebuild an America very few now recognised.

His overwhelmingly neutral position within the moderate and progressive arms of the Democratic party headed by Nancy Pelosi and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez respectively, make him theoretically one of the most strategic and reasonable voices within the party.

On an average, the democrats settle on a left-wing inclination of -0.36, and Joe Biden in specific, rests at -0.34 on the same distribution. Source: The Economist.

While a true moderate progressive with promising relationships and influence within the government may be what the country wants, is he the leader the country needs?

In response to overthrow Trumpism, most of Biden’s campaign was guided by “beat Trump like a drum” as he repeatedly condemned the Presidential incumbent’s leadership and stressed on the imminence of more egalitarian policies such as health care in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, his bold and ambitious promises of rehabilitating American lives across climate change, gun control and more, unfortunately, are feared to be potentially laying flat, because of his current attitude towards the stimulus bill.

Every increasing day, the president-elect’s hollow rhetoric is becoming more obvious and alarming. His recent attempts to encourage the House-passed HEROES Act in Congress by

has been met with lack of assertiveness at a time when the nation needs it the most.

The short-lived yet unprecedented 4-year term served by Trump dismantled the democratic ethos of the country — where healthcare translated into a culture war and ANTIFA criminalised for peaceful protests, negative partisanship was glorified. Trump’s governance has established a new normalcy of despair and lack of faith in the government which cannot be healed with Biden’s traditional methods of ‘strategic patience’ and calm moderation he has been revered for.

While his mellow attempts at bringing Mitch McConnell to the bargaining table can be certainly appreciated as an attempt to amend the partisan divide between the Democrats and the Republicans, establishing a strong stance to ensure compliance should precede it.

In a country that is more polarised than ever, his compromising outlook, encouraging the dems to:

“…lower their expectations for a next stimulus package in an effort to bring Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) back to the bargaining table.”

may not be the leadership to actually unite an America where McConnell, a strong agent of Trumpism, controls the Senate.

As Biden’s presidency seeks to advance his ambitious agendas, he is further challenged by the likelihood of being the first president in more than 30 years to take office without his party controlling both chambers of Congress, the ramifications of which are already unfolding, quickly.

In the face of such adversity, Biden’s lack of an accost leadership may be laying the groundwork for more unrest while patience, is running thin.