Joe Biden is Now a Lame Duck President.
Just one year in, and predictably he’s blown it.
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As we all know, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema have sided with Republicans in order to kill voting rights legislation by voting against filibuster reform even just in this one specific instance. Obviously, it should go without saying that this wasn’t just about their concern over Senate tradition and some archaic formality that has historically been used to prevent the passage of anti-lynching laws. Manchin, Sinema, and I’m sure a number of Democrats hiding behind them are keenly aware of the fact that if they set it aside even to pass voting rights, people might begin to question why they won’t set it aside to pass things like a $15 minimum wage, universal pre-k, or an expansion of healthcare. The filibuster is the perfect excuse for the obstruction of progress, and keeping the status quo exactly as their wealthy donors like it.
All that being said, in the days since voting rights and filibuster reform failed, it’s begin to sink in that just one year in, thanks to his fecklessness and refusal to confront those among his own party who obstruct his “agenda”, Joe Biden has effectively made himself a lame duck President.
One year in, even with a majority in the House and Senate, Biden’s made himself absolutely useless for the rest of his term.
“It’s not Biden, it’s Manchin and Sinema…”
Ah, but is it?
After all, as TYT’s Ana Kasparian put it, the fish rots from the head down.
As the leader of the Democratic party, does he not bear any responsibility for what has happened? Is the President really blameless for the fact that under his leadership, the Democratic party has given the middle finger to the grassroots organizers and Black leaders in Georgia who counted on his promise to pass voting rights legislation? Are we really prepared to say he did everything in his power to ensure he could deliver?
Biden had the opportunity to make his Presidency historic. There’s no denying we are living through an incredibly pivotal moment in American history that has the potential to shape the direction the country heads in for at least the next fifty years. For months throughout the Democratic primary and leading into…
