Biden’s leadership is a far bigger problem than his health

The Spectator ^ | 07/11/2024 | Lee Cohen

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All brouhaha about Biden’s decline has distracted the public from critically examining his administration’s more significant failures

Since Joe Biden’s now infamous debate performance, the Democratic Party has been having palpitations about his candidacy. But all brouhaha about Biden’s decline has distracted the public from critically examining his administration’s more significant failures.

Democrats now talk as if the only problem with Biden is his ability to convince the public that he’s fit to serve. But a fish rots from the head and, thanks to his inept leadership, Biden’s government has weakened America’s security, its economic stability and its international standing. These shortcomings should not be ignored.

The failing policies of the Democratic left have made America less safe and less prosperous.

One of the most contentious issues of Biden’s presidency has been the handling of the southern border. Since taking office, the Biden administration has overseen approximately 7.2 million illegal border crossings, setting new records each year. Biden’s effectively open-borders agenda has significantly weakened immigration enforcement and exacerbated the crisis. The unprecedented surge in migrants has strained local resources, overwhelmed border enforcement agencies, and led to significant humanitarian and security challenges. The focus on Biden’s cognitive condition and debate performance detracts from this critical policy failure, which has substantial implications for national security and public safety.

The chaotic and abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 stands out as one of the most glaring failures of Biden’s foreign policy. The operation not only left over $7 billion worth of military equipment in the hands of the Taliban but also resulted in the deaths of thirteen American service members. This debacle is widely held to be one of the most humiliating foreign policy catastrophes in American history, severely damaging the nation’s credibility with its allies.

During an emergency session of the UK’s parliament convened after the Taliban’s takeover, lawmakers from across the political spectrum, including Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer, criticized Biden and accused him of abandoning Afghanistan. Johnson argued bitterly that Britain was forced to withdraw its troops after Biden committed to the departure. Starmer called Biden’s chaotic withdrawal a “disastrous misjudgment.”

In other foreign areas, the Biden administration has undermined US credibility as a defender of democracy, fueled resentment in the developing world, emboldened aggressors like Iran and Russia and enabled authoritarian rivals like China to gain influence by presenting themselves as an alternative to US hegemony.

Biden’s presidency could be forever remembered as one of history’s most corrupt. His Department of Justice targeted and undermined political opponents, chiefly Donald Trump, in the run up to the 2024 election. That smacks of a banana-republic government.

Democrats will continue to deny it, pompously insisted that “nobody is above the law.” But to the rest of the world it seems clear that the Biden administration has pursued retribution against Trump and other political enemies through investigations, indictments and other legal action.

The debate, while deeply concerning, should not obscure the broader context of Biden’s presidency and the woeful impacts of his policies on the nation. The central question burns as to who is formulating and driving those policies, because Biden clearly lacks the wherewithal.

From the urgent border crisis to serious foreign policy missteps and a reputation for worrying corruption, these issues have profound implications for America’s future. Voters must not lose sight and perspective that, at this point, Biden is nothing but a placeholder. Whether he remains on the ticket or not, if not replaced by a Republican administration, the failing policies of the Democratic left have made America less safe and less prosperous.

In this pivotal leadership crisis, the American electorate faces a crucial decision that transcends the immediate spectacle of debate performances and media frenzy. The challenges presented by president Biden’s administration are not just political talking points but fundamental issues that impact the health of the nation and the globe.

Voters must demand not only cognitive competence, but accountability, clarity and vision from those who seek to lead us, recognizing that our choices now will determine the trajectory of the nation. In the end, however, it is not just about who stands (if they can) on the debate stage, but who stands for the principles and policies that will ensure a secure, prosperous, and just America. On his current record, Joe Biden fails on that score, too.

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His kind of leadership should be known by a different name.