Conservative Analysis of the First Year of Joseph Biden’s Presidency

Joseph Biden was sworn into office as President of the United States one year ago today. His record has been mixed, as predictable. It is not surprising that Biden has adopted a stronger policy toward the Russian Federation, provided better leadership internationally and implemented better measures against the Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic than Donald Trump and used much more effective rhetoric that has helped persuade an increase in vaccinations and boosters. It is also not surprising that he has favored the usual liberal Democratic policies, with some notable exceptions. American leadership in international affairs and closer coordination with allies has returned, although the Trump-Biden abandonment of Afghanistan to the Taliban who had harbored the Islamist al-Qaeda Terrorists responsible for the September 11, 2001 Attacks was a disaster. Biden has continued to carry out the War on Terrorism, especially against Iranian-backed terrorists, but to a more limited degree overall. U.S. leadership in human rights has been restored, with the imposition of sanctions on numerous foreign States, as well as in terms of rhetoric, which is influential. The 46th President has particularly been tough on Communist China in regard to human rights, which is an Achilles heel for the rising power, and has continued American policy of defending the freedom of the seas against Chinese machinations, as well as defending and respecting Taiwan. These policies are more effective than Trump’s bluster focused only on trade that sometimes counterproductively gave China an opening to make trade agreements with other Sates. It is especially noteworthy that Biden is the first Democrat in over half a century to increase instead of decreasing defense spending. His trade policies have been an improvement over Trump’s protectionism, but only slightly. There has been some improvement in abandoning excessively harsh policies toward refugees while implementing a more rational border policy that enhances security without violating human rights. On the negative side, Biden’s pro-abortion policies undermine his defense of human rights and his rhetoric has inflamed racial divisions. He has advocated for an unconstitutional bill that would excessively democratize the American representative republic, thereby leaving it even more vulnerable to populism and foreign influence, while trampling on States’ Rights, but the bill was blocked by the minority Republicans in the Senate, together with some Democrats. Like a typical liberal Democrat, Biden has spent too much money, although some of the items of his bipartisan infrastructure bill were beneficial and necessary, such as better defense of the electrical grid against cyberattacks, but his larger plans to tax and spend have also been blocked by the Senate. He is excessively hostile to fossil fuels, like liberal Democrats usually are. Politically, Biden’s legislative overreaching and some of his particular policies have emboldened and boosted Republicans and conservative, as they have been able to oppose his and Congressional Democrats’ liberal excesses by advocating for true conservative principles, instead of Trumpism (protectionism, isolationism, nativism and authoritarianism), although they remain divided over Trump and have continued to allow Trumpism to re-define conservatism.