Minority Report: Hail, Biden

Don’t let partisan squabbling bury the lede: President Joe Biden is off to a hot start.

His 100th day in office will be April 29, but Friday, he already achieved his most significant pledge to have 100 million coronavirus vaccine shots administered within his first 100 days.

He also signed into law a landmark stimulus bill of $1.9 trillion to send direct relief to Americans in need, boost unemployment assistance, give aid to state and local governments, distribute vaccines, support small businesses and more.

Biden was elected, in large part because former President Donald Trump mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic. The predictable partisan rancor from extremists has been distracting from Biden’s impressive job performance thus far.

All of this was so predictable, as I wrote last November after Biden’s victory. Right-wing zealots were always going to complain about Biden, and so were leftists determined to hold someone not yet in power “accountable.” Both of which would fit into the category of “gesture generals,” which Neil Kinnock excoriated in the 1980s.

I believe in criticizing the president and politicians when I think they are doing a bad job. I also believe in praising them when they do a good job. I believe doing so does not make someone a sellout — it makes someone honest.

Being dishonest about Biden’s political leanings and nihilistic about his administration to get likes and fit into an orthodoxy makes you just that: dishonest.

A clearer set of eyes would lead you to understand Biden’s success in passing a landmark stimulus bill and being ahead of schedule on vaccinations.

One of the problems right now in U.S. politics is that some want to make government into a sport. The government is not supposed to be about your team scoring points and dunking on the other side — it’s about helping those in need and making sure we have a functional society, in addition to many other things.

Many complained about the minimum wage increase not being included in the stimulus bill. I agree that the minimum wage should be raised. Still, I do not think the rules of budget reconciliation allowed for its inclusion in the bill, which is the position the senate parliamentarian took as well. Blowing up basic, nonpartisan rules of government for temporary gain is short-sighted and foolish.

Writing off Biden’s start as a failure because he did not pass the minimum wage increase, abolish the Pentagon and socialize American health care is much closer to nihilism than speaking truth to power.

Biden is not leaning into culture-war issues like Dr. Seuss or starting his presidency with divisive, unpassable policies. He has thus far been an effective administrator, which is what a president is supposed to be.

Unlike Trump, I do not have to think about Biden every day and wonder what terrible thing he said or did to my country. I trust him to run the country well and be a shrewd decision maker, underrated but essential qualities for a president. I prefer presidents who make the trains run on time.

When Biden came into office, the United States was on fire. The Capitol had been ransacked, coronavirus cases were extremely high and vaccine distribution was pathetic.

Since then, Democrats have already passed meaningful legislation, coronavirus cases have slowed, as have deaths and hospitalizations, and vaccine distribution is humming. Of the major nations in the world, only Israel and the United Kingdom are faster in distributing the vaccine.

I am willing to admit I’m optimistic. As a country, we are doing a fantastic job with vaccine distribution, and Biden is off to a good start. It’s time we start acting like it.