As the right-wingers out there — assisted by their pals in the right-wing media — look for reasons to impugn President Biden, I want to offer a few words of encouragement for the 46th POTUS.
He is being pounded because the “economy is in sorry shape.” What the … ? Joblessness is at a historic low, at 3.4%. Job growth keeps beating economists’ expectations. The March figure, for example, was forecast at 175,000 jobs added; we ended up with 254,000.
The debt ceiling debate centers on whether the federal government is cutting spending. MAGA cult members in Congress want to shred even more spending from the budget before agreeing to increase the debt ceiling. President Biden is proposing a budget that already slashes the annual budget deficit and cuts into the national debt. Joe Biden is trying to fend off economic catastrophe if we fail to honor our debts!
Tax policy looms as a major issue. What has the president — with help from Democrats in Congress — done about that? He has forced billionaires to pay their “fair share” of taxes. Are they losing their fortunes as a result? Hell no! They’re still worth billions, still richer than God. So damn what if they have to pay more in taxes? Many of them have gotten away with paying nothing!
The president stands foursquare in favor of democracy here at home and around the world. Joe Biden has led the international coalition that has enabled Ukraine to turn back the Russian invaders. That international strength well might produce a Ukraine victory on the battlefield; many of us, including me, didn’t believe that was possible when Russia launched its illegal, immoral and unjustified invasion in February 2022.
The nation has invested in improving our infrastructure, it has sought to produce clean energy while continuing to drill for fossil fuels, it has invested in battling the climate change crisis that threatens life on Planet Earth.
And, no, the nation’s borders are not “open” to anyone who wants to enter. The MAGA crowd is lying when it says otherwise.
I simply am not going to accept this nut-job notion that the nation is going to hell under President Biden’s leadership.