President Joe Biden, his approval ratings underwater for most of the past two years, made his case for a second term on Tuesday. It’s doubtful he changed many minds.
The president’s speech offered little in terms of new legislative proposals. Instead, Biden repeated a handful of talking points intended to deflect attention from rampant inflation, soaring deficits and mortgage rates that tripled under his watch. For instance, the president blamed Russia and the pandemic for the highest inflation in 40 years, ignoring the role his trillion-dollar stimulus bills played in overheating the economy. He then took credit for a few months of receding inflation, though prices continue to rise well beyond the rate he inherited.
Biden also repeated his misleading claim that he is responsible for the “largest deficit reduction in American history.” That was too much for even The New York Times. While the deficit did drop by $1.7 trillion between the fiscal 2020 and 2022, this had little to do with his administration. “In fact,” the Times wrote, “much of that decline can be attributed to the expiration of pandemic-era spending, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.”
A handful of Republicans didn’t help matters by yelling insults during the president’s address. The Biden administration’s misguided agenda presents plenty of opportunity for the GOP to exploit without resorting to callow taunts.
