Presidents aren’t supreme beings imbued with the power to dictate economic conditions, pandemics or international events. We give them far too much credit and blame for the vagaries of the world.
That said, there are some things that presidents do have the power to influence. The location of MLB’s All-Star Game, for instance, is not Joe Biden’s bailiwick. The economic recovery is. The COVID-19 downturn wasn’t an organic event precipitated by unforeseeable underlying economic factors. It was an event created by state lockdowns, coupled with widespread consumer fear. So, with lockdowns easing and vaccines entering arms, a vibrant bounce-back should be a slam dunk for the president.
Instead, Biden couldn’t resist the opportunity to stuff expensive, technocratic, completely unrelated agenda items into his “rescue” packages. And disincentivizing work and investments, threatening to raise taxes and energy prices and pumping trillions into the economy tend to dampen growth.
Economists expected the country to add about 1 million jobs in April, but we came up 800,000 jobs short. March’s gains were also revised down another 140,000. Leftist pundits and wonks, as is their wont when Democrats hold power, were “perplexed” by the bad numbers. And Biden is simply in denial. “There’s been a lot of discussion since Friday’s report that people are being paid to stay home rather than go to work,” the president explained. “We don’t see much evidence of that.”
There are 7.5 million jobs available in the United States, but only 270,000 were filled. And Americans are getting $300-a-week bonus checks to stay home. As Bank of America economist Joseph Song noted, even those making $32,000 a year would get a raise by going on unemployment. That seems like evidence.
“I want to put today’s job report in perspective,” Biden also explained. “Quite frankly we’re moving more rapidly than I thought we would.” So, Biden expected a bigger-than-800,000 miss on jobs? That’s quite the admission. Even as he was alleging that the paltry job numbers were outperforming his expectations, Biden was making the non-falsifiable claim that the situation could be improved by passing more colossal spending bills. When the economy bounces back, Democrats will credit spending. When stimulus plans underachieve, Democrats blame it on a lack of spending. Convenient.
How much will be enough? It’s unknown. Right now, Biden wants to spend another $4 trillion. Today, we learned that April consumer prices had “unexpectedly” jumped 4.2% from a year ago. Some economists argue that this is all transitory. Maybe. What would another massive left-wing goodie bag do for inflation? Biden doesn’t seem to care.
What else can the president control? Nationalizing elections isn’t the president’s job. Controlling the southern border is. Yet, when Biden isn’t blaming Donald Trump or seasonal migration patterns for the crisis on the border, he’s pretending nothing is wrong.
There were 178,622 apprehensions on the border in April, according to Customs and Border Protection — the highest total in more than two decades. To put the number in context, last April, there were 17,106 apprehensions.
The president can’t control the movement of migrants outside our borders. But Biden helped trigger this crisis by, among other things, undoing the Trump administration’s “public-charge” policies that barred immigrants from participating in welfare programs and rolling back the “remain in Mexico” policy that impelled migrants to wait in Mexico while their claims were being adjudicated. Moreover, most modern Democrats talk about laws that govern illegal immigration and border control as inherently racist and unnecessary. All of this incentivizes the anarchy we’re seeing at the border.
Demanding we wear masks isn’t the president’s job. Conducting foreign policy is. And since Biden took the reins, the Middle East has dramatically destabilized.
As Hamas rained down rockets on Israeli civilians (and on their own people), White House press secretary Jen Psaki was informing the nation that the president had “directed his team to engage intensively with senior Israeli and Palestinian officials” and is in “support of de-escalation” while also “candidly” telling off Israel on “settlements.”
Treating Hamas and Israel as morally equivalent international actors only generates more violence. This is the same Biden administration that restored $235 million in U.S. aid to the corrupt and authoritarian Palestinian Authority without any preconditions that they refrain from terrorist activities or institute democratic institutions.
The White House is bailing out Iranian mullahs, who will almost surely divert some funding to their proxy terror army in Gaza, which will in turn use it — not to buy vaccines or build homes, but to assemble hundreds of rockets that will be fired at Jewish cities. It’s clear that forces in the region understand that Biden would sell out Israel and Sunni Arab nations for a deal with Iran. And they all act accordingly.
Our president has a habit of enthusiastically taking credit for the accomplishments of others — as he does with vaccine production and distribution — while denying responsibility for, or botching, the things over which he does have control.
David Harsanyi is a senior writer at National Review and the author of the book “First Freedom: A Ride Through America’s Enduring History With the Gun.” To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
Joe Biden can take credit for turning our Country into a liberal wasteland of communism, censorship and cancer. Destroy the middle class and the sheep have their heads buried in their phones. When Venezuela comes, the sheep who voted for this criminal, will be eating out of the back of garbage trucks, with no medical care and their smart phones will be gone. Those of us that are Conservative will be in gulags.
ITS NOT just him that’s to blame. ITS THE ENTIRETY OF the federal govt, from the courts THAT WILLFULLY ALLOWED the election theft, to the never-trumpers who LET THEM DO IT, to the coward rinos in the GOP who just REFUSE TO FIGHT For our rights.
It looks like Democra President, Joe Biden, has been handed, A ” Sticky wicket ” so to speak. The marxists, and the lefties, hate America Groups that make up the democrat party , would like it if like. The Obama presidency, openly aid Iran, and Palistine and against the Jews, such groups as ” The Muslim Squad,,” would like this to happen. There’s no doubt whom, the lefts democrat party would like openly aid Israel’s enemies, this is Joe Bidens ” Sticky Weiket, how to go about it.
“Presidents aren’t supreme beings imbued with the power to dictate economic conditions, pandemics or international events.
We give them far too much credit and blame for the vagaries of the world.”
Explain why Donald Trump created the best economy in decades with the lowest unemployment in decades, made tax cuts plus made the U.S. energy independent all while fighting off the made up charges and attacks by the Democrat Party?
And Explain Why during the last 120 days the puppet Betrayal Biden has destroyed everything President accomplished plus created a massive illegal immigration invasion that Betrayal Biden is supporting and protecting.
Notice how the Democrat minions are trying to make excuses for Betrayal Biden.
That is because, NO LIBERAL IS EVER to blame for their own Chuckups.. ITS always someone or something else, that’s at fault.
Is DEmocrat Presodent, Joe Biden, really ” Puff, The Magic Tragp, Claiming Credit When Things go Well placing the blame on Former Republican President Donald Trum p . Joe Biden is ” Puff, the magic Tragon….
Its because those who manipulate Figure head, Joe Biden, haven’t told Joe Biden, just how they wanted him to preform yet, thats all.
Disastrous? YES! And it ain’t going to get better! This is democrat heaven: Low economic growth, increasing unemployment, increasing inflation, reduced incomes, open borders in crisis, war, increasing control of citizens, and limiting and reducing citizens rights!
Only 43 months to go to dethrone demented joe!
Hang in there!
CAN we as a nation, SURVIVE that 43 months we have left??
Just when we got ” Joe Biden, THe democrat president president that we knew was going to save this country and the rest of the world, Mr Wonder ful, had everything under control. Thank you, Thank you,”Mr Biiden, Thank You, Thank you!…kamala Harris , Kalama Harris, President…..
Joe Biden, Don’t blame me, Man , Thats Not My Job, Man!
It is truly unfortunately that people with LESS than 1/2 a brain (AKA most democrats) don’t read the posts on this website, because they could indeed become a human with MORE than 1/2 of a brain. the GOP news is obviously for people that have some common sense, intelligence and a true desire to make life better for everyone in our country. Corrupt and continually wrong Joe Biden (or the actual people controlling the puppet strings of corrupt & stupid Joe) are NOT interested in making life better for anyone, except for themselves. And, they don’t even know that what they are doing won’t make their life better, due to the multiple repercussions that will occur due to their unbelievably stupid decisions.
TO ME its a true pity, that those without a brain, ARE EVEN ALLOWED TO VOTE.. Let alone hold office.
Just because ” Basemen Joe Biden liked the safe feelings of security of the basement doesn’t necessarily mean he didn’t want to have a press conference and answerer reporters questions, COME On-MAN , ! !
Biden is off to a disastrous start is a HUGE understatement! How many presidents can say they made the peanut famer/nuclear engineer look good? Well, I guess BHO made Jimmy look pretty good. 🙂
“Disaster” is Joe Biden’s alias. We’re only into the fourth month of his stolen Presidency—are we going to be able to survive this?
“Biden Is Off To A Disastrous Start”.
Jeez, I’m stunned! Never would’ve expected that!
It wasn’t just off to a disastrous start, this President created disaster on whichever issue he touched, pipelines and energy, the border and immigration, the Middle East, Iran and Israel, unelployment and businesses restarting, to name a few. There does not seem to a coherant plan in place before actio is taken and then the administration wonders why nothing is working!
IT was planned to be disasterous!
There is a “coherent plan” in place. It was written by karl marx over a century ago.
“Instead, Biden couldn’t resist the opportunity to stuff expensive, technocratic, completely unrelated agenda items into his “rescue” packages.”
His rescue packages?
Those aren’t HIS rescue packages. Someone else compiled them for him. Someone else financed those for him.
I doubt he ties his own shoes at this point. But if there was a buck to be skimmed you’re probably right, he can’t resist.
Hi, my name is Vice president Joe Biden, Come on man, its early in the morning Man…!