January 17, 2025
History
will vindicate Joe Biden
Our 46th president has proven to be a person who not only
talked the talk but walked the walk of middle-class values for over five
decades in public life.
Nathan R. Shrader | Page: A13 | Section:
Opinion
Weblink: https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/biden-administration-legacy-history-20250116.html
I am convinced that several decades from now, President Joe
Biden will be considered among the finest presidents in the history of the
United States of America.
Sure, there have been flaws in the Biden administration, as with every
presidency, but in great measure, President Biden has presided over the country
with determination, patriotism, success, and sanity at a time when the nation
was most in need of such a leader.
Although Biden is departing office with an approval rating in the red,
currently sitting at -19.2% as of Wednesday, we know polls are simply snapshots
in time and not indicative of the long-term arc of American political history.
Just ask a few other presidents who were disparaged at the time of their
departure from the Oval Office.
Several commanders in chief have seen a remarkable rehabilitation of the
prevailing historical view of their respective presidencies decades after
leaving office. For example, in the 2021 CSPAN Presidential Historians Survey,
Dwight D. Eisenhower was rated fifth among all former presidents. Compare that
with back in 1962, just a year after leaving office, when Arthur M.
Schlesinger’s survey of presidential historians placed Ike as 22. In the same
1962 Schlesinger survey, Ulysses S. Grant ranked 30 of 31, but by 2021
historians moved him up to No. 20 of 44. More recently, Ronald Reagan
experienced a similar reversal of fortunes, moving up from 25th in
Schlesinger’s 1996 rankings to ninth in the 2021 CSPAN survey.
Our view of past presidents is always in flux.
The point is that judging a president’s place in history during or immediately
following their presidency is risky business. Historians, political scientists,
journalists, and the American public need time to properly evaluate our
presidents after departing the White House.
Decades, or even centuries, later, their successes and failures are viewed in a
different light when removed from their own eras. I would not be surprised if
my students 30 years from now will read considerably different reviews of the
Biden presidency than they will when he leaves office on Jan. 20.
During the final year of his presidency, Biden has become a convenient
scapegoat. He is falsely blamed for our present inflation situation, is
routinely faulted by some fellow Democrats for their recent electoral ills, and
Republicans have been trying to sabotage his presidency before he even took
office with unfounded accusations of corruption, incompetence, and malfeasance.
Because he is a lifelong creature of Washington, Biden became an easy target
for spinmeisters who were more interested in his " stiff gait" or his
footwear than in the actual achievements of his administration and his
unwavering optimism.
The passage of time will show the historic economic growth under Biden, booming
job creation, his firm and steady hand guiding the free world through a war
started by Vladimir Putin’s Russia, scores of actions taken to protect the
environment, saving Americans over $1.5 billion in lifesaving prescription drug
costs, staunch support for women’s rights, unwavering commitment to working
people, and a steadfast defense of democracy at home and abroad.
Perhaps more so than others, the Delaware Valley should be thankful for Biden’s
leadership. For 36 years in the U.S. Senate, Biden functioned much like a third
senator for Pennsylvania. He always looked out for the interests of the state
of his birth, even during his eight years as vice president and four years as
president.
For example, thanks to Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure law, the city of
Philadelphia alone will have received over $531.5 million just for city
infrastructure projects presenting tangible progress. Biden’s American Rescue
Plan Act aided Bucks County with over $122 million to negate the economic
impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, water and sewer infrastructure, and public
health. Throughout the Keystone State, over 800,000 people will save nearly
$500 annually due to Biden’s law lowering prescription drug costs that take
effect this year.
As Biden himself might say, "Not a joke," especially since it is only
the tip of the iceberg in terms of what his administration has done to benefit
middle- and working-class people in the Philly metro area and nationwide.
One day my children and grandchildren will likely look back on America in the
Biden administration as "the good old days" when one of the most
capable, ethical, and honorable men to ever lead the country was at the helm.
Our 46th president has proven to be a person who not only talked the talk of
middle-class values but walked the walk of middle-class values for over five
decades in public life.
As the old Irish proverb I’ve heard Biden invoke many times in his career
suggests, "May the road rise to meet you," Joe.
Our nation will eventually recognize the enormity of your service and the
magnitude of your accomplishments.
Nathan R. Shrader is a graduate of Temple University and a former resident
of East Kensington. He serves as associate professor of politics and co-director
of the Center for Civic Engagement at New England College in Henniker, N.H.
