The Biden Debacle Part II

 

In my previous post, I wrote about Pres. Biden's disastrous policy at the border, as well as it's impact on the spread of COVID. I also noted his false promise of bipartisanship, and embrace of the far left agenda. This post will deal with some of that agenda, including it's impact on the economy, law enforcement, race relations, education and the military. They're all interconnected in no small way, and Pres. Biden is making a mess of them all. With the left wing ascendant in his own party, he has found it easier to go along with them, rather than work with Republicans, even when they propose policies that a majority of Democrats support.

The economy was recovering before Biden assumed office, and yet he continues to push a long wish list of leftist policies in the name of "recovery." The extension of unemployment benefits is a good example of how they can backfire. While he denies that the extra payments were keeping people from returning to work, the states that have ended them have seen their unemployment drop much faster than those still giving them. There is also another problem his policies have caused, and that's inflation. Some fluctuation was to be expected, as the supply chains adjusted to a reopening economy. However, too many dollars chasing too few goods is the classic recipe for inflation, and many economists warned about it. With the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Act already passed, he is pushing even more fuel for the inflationary fire. The $1 trillion infrastructure bill was passed on a bipartisan vote in the Senate, and it looks as if they will also pass their $3.5 trillion reconciliation budget bill along partisan lines. Biden will sign both, regardless of the negative impact on the economy.

Race relations are another area where Pres. Biden is not helping. His administration's focus on "equity" has resulted in several failed attempts at race (and gender) preferences in giving government benefits, as in his restaurant COVID relief package. His support of critical race theory is damaging not only overall race relations, but specifically education, policing, and the military. In education, it's one of many things he's botching. In July, the Dept. of Education had to rescind a proposed rule promoting CRT, and the use of the factually challenged NY Times' 1619 project, because it violates laws against federal control over public school curricula. Beyond race, the Biden Education Dept. has expanded Title IX protections to cover gender identity, meaning males who say they are female can participate in girls' sporting events, regardless of their physical advantages. It's not clear if this will extend to allowing biological males to use female locker and bathrooms. They are also trying to rescind the rules imposed under the Trump administration that gave due process rights to students accused of sexual assault.

Pres. Biden brags about being a big supporter of unions, and in education, that means the teachers' union. Regarding COVID and school re-openings, he actually allowed the American Federation of Teachers to suggest language to the CDC, which they adopted in their guidance. So much for science-based policies.

When it comes to police, it gets complicated. Biden was known for his support of law enforcement in the '90's, but these days he has to cater to the BLM faction of his party. Also, policing isn't something the federal government has a great role in. However, Pres. Biden pushed for the passage of the failed George Floyd Act, and still maintains there is systemic racism in policing. However, he has had to repeatedly push back against the "defund the police" label, which is still the standard position of the left wing of his party. Of course, Pres. Biden had to take it a step further, and claim that Republicans were actually defunding the police, by opposing his rescue plan. However, a look at the Treasury Department fact sheet from March makes no mention of police funding. Pres. Biden only suggested that states could use recovery funds for police in late June, in order to set up his laughable claim in early July. So while it has been mostly local left wing city governments that have actively defunded police departments, Pres. Biden hasn't directly condemned it, preferring to deny and deflect it on his political opponents.

Finally, there's the military. The current situation in Afghanistan has made his failures there apparent, but let's just look at his actions since taking office. First, he used them as props in the Capitol, keeping them in deplorable conditions to promote a false sense that there was an actual insurrection against the United States on Jan. 6th. He proceeded to have his Secretary of Defense order a "stand down" to root out "extremism" in the military ranks, which again seemed to be political theater. Of course they meant "white extremism," which fits in with the way the far left has characterized Pres. Trump. Meanwhile, there is another kind of extremism that the military seems to be allowing: critical race theory. While the leadership bristled at the suggestion that they've gone "woke," the Navy did put "How To Be An Antiracist" on it's suggested reading list. Let's be clear: books claiming America and it's constitution are irredeemably racist since its founding, and promoting the destruction of our system of government are not helpful to either unit cohesion or accomplishing any mission.

Meanwhile, critical decisions about actual training and readiness seem to be getting put on the back burner. Pres. Biden's budget isn't near sufficient for the global challenges we face, especially in the Navy. Combined with his lack of political leadership, the debacle in Afghanistan was almost inevitable.

This is far from a comprehensive list of the debacles Pres. Biden has has wrought, but it's a start. We're only seven months in, and there is no sign that he's learning from his mistakes. Stay tuned, and I'll keep commenting on them, as well as many other political and cultural issues here at LEAVWORLD: GRAFFITI POLITTI. Thanks for taking the time to read it!