Thank You, Joe
18/01/25 07:30
January 18, 2025 (Vol. 19 No. 5) - When Joe Biden took office as the 46th President of the United States, our country was in chaos. The incompetence of his predecessor had led to more than a half-million deaths in the COVID-19 pandemic, left the economy in a shambles, generated a insurrection that threatened to overturn a free and fair election, left our allies to wonder if they could trust us and gave aid and comfort to our enemies. Now, four years later, America is much better place than President Biden found it. The pandemic is behind us, the economy is the strongest in the world, democracy has - at least for now - survived, our allies trust us and our enemies fear us. That's because with Joe Biden in the White House, America finally had an adult in charge. Of course, as President Biden leaves office, we will hear a lot of Republican revisionism. They will say that inflation is out of control, ignoring the fact that the disruption of the supply chain created by the former (and soon-to-be current) President's incompetence is its root cause. They will say that Biden cut-and-ran from Afghanistan, weakening our position in the world. Again they will ignore that is was Biden's predecessor that set the sudden withdrawal of American troops into motion with an ill-conceived agreement with the Taliban. And while it was Biden's predecessor who pledged to put an end to a seemingly never-ending war, it was Biden who actually did it. Republicans will complain about Biden's spending for COVID relief and much-needed infrastructure improvements increasing the budget deficit. They will also point out that not a single Republican voted for these measures. But that will not stop them from sending out news releases - at taxpayer expense - claiming credit for projects they voted against. Also of note is that the deficit created under Biden is a mere fraction of that created by his predecessor - the worst in American history. Did President Biden make some mistakes? Sure he did. There are two that stand out. First is his appointment of Merrick Garland at U.S. Attorney General. His snail-like approach to addressing the crimes of the 45th President has ensured that the son-of-a-bitch will never be held accountable for his seditious actions. The second is Biden's failure to recognize his own limitations. He should have dropped out of the race in February, opening the door for a true selection process to determine his party's nominee. I'm not saying that Vice President Harris would not have won that campaign. However, whoever the Democratic nominee was would have been in a much stronger position to challenge the felon who will take the oath of office next Monday. However, that's all water under the bridge. At the stroke of noon on January 20, Joe Biden will conclude a half-century of service to this nation. He was the man we needed at the very time we needed him the most. He is a decent, God-fearing man - something no one will ever say about his successor. His public opinion polls may be under water as he leaves office. However, no President since the days of Lyndon Johnson got as many things done as Biden did. As Citizen Biden heads home to Wilmington, Delaware, I am compelled to say - from one Delmarvan to another - "Thank you, Joe." That's it for now. Fear the Turtle.