Biden's pride comes before the fall

[Counselor706]

What is the salient feature of Joe Biden as president? If you had to choose one standout characteristic, the signature, the leitmotif of the man in the Oval Office, what would it be?

It is a stunningly consistent record of empty and swiftly demolished claims. But we should not be surprised. The gulf between Biden's claims and achievements has been exposed again and again though five decades in political life. He has always been an empty suit, or rather a suit filled to overflowing with hot air. His unvarying modus operandi is all about making himself look better than he is, less like a hack pol who on his early presidential runs mustered so little support that his percentages would have been a rounding error for more impressive candidates.

He was, however, chosen as America's president not for who he is but for who he was not. First he was not Sen. Bernie Sanders, so Democrats accepted him as their nominee. Then he was not Donald Trump, so the country seized upon him as their alternative president.

The signature characteristic of Biden is hubris. Sadly for the country, hubris is traditionally stalked by nemesis.

Source

 

[Sean Renaud]

Marked for lulz. I want to see what all our resident historians bring up over the first year since we are closing in on the one year anniversary. So where was Trump, Obama, the Bushes, Clinton or Reagan at a similar point or did they just have the brains not to make any promises which might be wise.

 

[pecksniff]

"Hubris"? The more usual complaint about Biden is that he is boring. Hubris is more of a Trump thing -- "I alone can fix it" -- that's not political-candidate talk, that's false-messiah talk.

 

[YDB95]

Marked for lulz. I want to see what all our resident historians bring up over the first year since we are closing in on the one year anniversary. So where was Trump, Obama, the Bushes, Clinton or Reagan at a similar point or did they just have the brains not to make any promises which might be wise.

Except for the Bushes, who both enjoyed a big spike in popularity due to the rally-round-the-flag effect, they were all in roughly the same territory Biden is in. There is nothing unusual about what we're seeing right now, and in no way does it have anything to do with his chances in the next election.

 

[Sean Renaud]

Except for the Bushes, who both enjoyed a big spike in popularity due to the rally-round-the-flag effect, they were all in roughly the same territory Biden is in. There is nothing unusual about what we're seeing right now, and in no way does it have anything to do with his chances in the next election.

I'm too young to look up Bush Sr and never bothered to look at Reagan but the rest I knew. I just wonder WTF, do they really think people's memories are that short? Are there memories that short?

 

[pecksniff]

I'm too young to look up Bush Sr and never bothered to look at Reagan but the rest I knew. I just wonder WTF, do they really think people's memories are that short? Are there memories that short?

Memories, no.

Attention spans, yes.