President Biden is governing like the political insider he’s been his entire career. That’s leaving the door wide open for the return of the “Raging Bull” outsider in 2024.
US President Joe Biden is governing like the political insider he’s been his whole career. That’s leaving the door wide open for the return of the “Raging Bull”outsider in 2024.as America’s 46th president, it is timely to look not only at what he has achieved so far but also to compare his progress with that of his predecessor at the same stage.
Trump knew that new technologies and relentless innovation had already destroyed many jobs, particularly in the manufacturing and retail sectors.So he set about slashing employment-limiting regulation and setting about “the big one” – massive tax cuts and onshore capital repatriation to fund a resurgence of the jobs-laden manufacturing sector.
And he took the people with him. Late in his first year, polling showed 96 per cent of all voters were satisfied with their choice of President and for the first time this century, Americans had become more optimistic than pessimistic about the economy.Trump, the political novice, came to office with few political debts, beholden to no one.
Trump struck political gold with his hard line, in-your-face approach to China. Biden could only follow.Advertisement Physical frailty should not preclude rational decision-making, the essence of success in politics, yet many leaders prefer to pander to the zeitgeist – itself a product of the left media.But instead of learning the Trump lesson and catering for the middle ground, Biden has set about honouring his debts to his political creditors on the left, while ignoring the middle ground.Advertisement
The answer lies partly in political cowardice, or maybe plain laziness – much easier to stay inside his comfort zone, rail against political opponents and not break free from his Party shackles by tackling the big issues, which can make or break a president’s legacy.