Personal

Interim is meant to be temporary, something inferior to make do with until a permanent, more satisfactory option becomes available. That was the whole purpose of Joe Biden’s run for President in 2020, as a man who could provide leadership, taking over for the inferior leadership of Donald Trump during the COVID pandemic.

Joe Biden got his term, his four years that weren’t awful but hardly notable either. The economy was strong but inflation was bad coming out of the pandemic, as supply chains recovered and pandemic related costs were passed along to consumers. Those laid off during the pandemic never really recovered and were still hit with the bill for the pause by higher costs after either receiving reduced or no income during the business shutdown. It was a raw deal for many.

Joe Biden faced the no good situation of Ukraine. I don’t think the US should have gotten involved but maybe there was no alternative. Ukraine only poured gasoline on the inflation fire. Things got better eventually but it just made the whole situation all the more painful for Americans with high energy prices compounding the costs to be paid back for the pause. Biden got saddled with many of the costs of pandemic even if he wasn’t the reason for most of them.

Biden’s first half of the his term was pitted with narrow majorities in Congress and while he got some major initiatives done on industrial and environmental policy, many were hard to understand or show benefits to ordinary Americans. Republicans took control of Congress during Biden’s second half of his first term which only further lead to his woes. Inflation bit hard.

But most historians will probably see Biden’s biggest failure is that of being the interim but not wanting to give up the stage. He liked power and thought he was doing a good job even as he appeared more frail and out of touch to ordinary Americans. By the time he decided to hang up his hat it was too late, his nemesis in politics, Donald Trump well on his way back to winning the White House. It’s often hard to walk away from the interim solution when it still works acceptably even if it’s failing.