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The worst president ever?

Politically speaking, I’ve not been a Biden fan. For years I supported primarily Republicans until moderate Republicans became known as RINOS (Republicans in Name Only).
But when I heard individuals complain that Biden is the “worst president ever!”, it motivated me to do some fact checking.

Few would deny Biden mishandled the retreat from Afghanistan. How he handled COVID and its effect on the economy is a matter of how one values individual rights vs. social responsibility. The Fed is far more responsible for the state of the economy than is the president; and, the “price at the pump” is due to the international price of crude. (We are a net exporter of crude oil.)

So, what has “the worst president ever” accomplished? While the end result of the war in Ukraine is yet to play out, as in Gaza, his role in uniting NATO vs. Putin is to be commended.
David Leonhardt noted in the New York Times that in spite of the perceived Congressional gridlock in Washington the past four years, they “have been arguably the most productive in Washington bipartisanship in decades.”

How so? Consider the Infrastructure Act to rebuild America’s highways, bridges and rail networks; to increase access to clean drinking water and expand high-speed internet to everyone.

The Inflation Reduction Act (a misnomer?), which allows Medicare to negotiate drug prices and caps out-of-pocket costs to $2,000 for seniors; continues the Affordable Care Act through 2025; invests in domestic clean energy; and imposes a 15% corporate minimum tax.

The Chips Act provides incentives to bring previously outsourced microchip manufacturing back to the states.

It should be noted that Biden maintained some of the former president’s policies such as tariffs on Chinese subsidized imports. And he embraced Sen. James Lanford’s (R-OK) immigration bill, which sealed the border and passed the Senate. It was not voted on in the House.

The worst president ever? Maybe not. But one thing on which we can agree. When it comes to charisma, Biden is no Ronald Reagan or Barack Obama.

Kenneth Jensen
Albert Lea