The world’s liberal democratic order has been in a tailspin. A new wave of nativist, white supremacist fascists has been on the rise across the globe. Trump, Putin, and the European right had taken an axe to NATO, the European Union, and democratic institutions in the US and Europe. Mini Trumps were popping up all over, in countries like Brazil, and Hungary. It looked like we were doomed to replay the 1930’s only this time with Nuclear weapons.
President Biden inherited a complete sh@tshow at home and abroad and his collegial bipartisan style seemed completely out of step with reality. In his first year, he certainly made an effort at bipartisan legislation with the expected negative result. It seemed the President’s initiatives were dead in the water and Democrats were going to get nothing done.
The change started with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Biden made the daring decision to release all the intelligence on Putin’s planned invasion in the lead-up to the invasion. When the invasion happened and confirmed Biden’s warnings. Biden used the shock to undo all the damage Trump had done to NATO and the European alliance almost overnight. Europe and America were acting with a united purpose that has not been seen since WW2. Putin was completely outfoxed and outmaneuvered by Biden. Democracy was on the march in a new war with Fascism in Europe and it was President Biden leading the charge.
The President was kicking ass on the world stage but what about domestic policy? Well, to the shock of many Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law. Combined with the infrastructure bill and the American Rescue Plan this added up to 4 trillion dollars for struggling Americans! The icing on the cake was his announcement of the student loan forgiveness program. Republicans complained that Biden was just buying votes and pandering to young voters. The norm has been for lobbyists to buy politicians to enact policies that voters don’t want. Imagine a politician actually enacting the policies that voters elected him to enact. What a novel idea! I’m hoping this ‘pandering to voters” is a trend.
But the final transformation of the old Uncle Joe into the fire-breathing Dark Brandon came with his speech on the threats to Democracy and the American experiment. Biden challenged all of us to step up and defend our democracy and our hard-won rights. Just as he did in the lead-up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The President laid out clearly the threat to democracy represented by the violent anti-democratic MAGA movement. Finally, a leader of a democratic country lays out the stakes in no uncertain terms and draws the line in the sand against the forces of authoritarian hate and destruction.
The networks refused to carry one of the most important Presidential addresses of this century. The unvarnished truth-telling that Biden engaged in is anathema to a media that has been derelict in its duty. But if the Republican reaction is any indication, the message got out… loud and clear. Sometimes in history, the most unexpected figures rise to the occasion. A comedian turned President has done it in Ukraine and here in the USA, it seems that Joe Biden has stepped up to the plate. The US was in desperate need of a leader who was up to the challenge of the times. 3 years ago Joe Biden would not have been anywhere on my list of candidates for that position but damn President Biden has risen to the occasion. Say bye, bye to old Uncle Joe and say hello to Dark Brandon. He is ready to take names and kick ass in defense of democracy and I’m sure the majority of the country and the world are ready to follow his lead.