You can't escape the immediate critique from both sides of the aisle starting before Biden even swore the oath saying that he had failed on his promises and betrayed the voters.
Look, let's be real here. His administration isn't even seated, yet. Most of his appointees are stuck in a Senate traffic jam, and an impeachment trial is set to start soon which will only further slow things down.
Add to that the fact that 4,000 Americans are dying every day right now, and his number one focus is putting a stopper in the bottom of the American ship so it doesn't continue to sink under the pressure of the virus.
But, what about prison reform? What about the stimulus checks? What about packing the court? What about the paint job on the new Air Force One plane?!
In this citizen's humble opinion: we need to give the man a minute to get his team in place before we cast him off as a failed President.
Nothing in government ever happens quickly. That is unless there is a deadline before politicians can't get it done anymore. Like when a new seat opens on the Supreme Court and they want to fill it before the new administration takes over.
But for things that actually affect the lives of everyday Americans in the short term... a snail's pace is the best we can expect from a government as large or as divided as the United States of America.
Biden's team is taking over a White House that has, until this week, operated in the complete reverse direction to the one the Biden team wants to take the country in. Imagine the United States is a massive boat and the government is a tiny propeller. Ok, I'll say it, we're like passengers on the Titanic.
This is why most incoming administrations are judged on their 100-day deliveries rather than their first week. 100 days is the earliest anyone can expect real change within the government. I intend to judge the Biden administration on that scale.
One of the core promises of the Biden administration was a return to an era of compromise and unification within the government. This means if he follows through, a lot of discussions and an attempt to compromise on new legislation rather than ramming it through with a thin majority.
That means bringing Mitch McConnell to the table at every opportunity and sitting down with the very Republicans that voted to disqualify his electors on the day of the insurrection.
I don't see that happening, but it probably should if Democrats want any chance of maintaining their majority in 2022 and/or 2024. Republicans have to not only be convinced that Biden doesn't want to push them out, but that he genuinely wants to hear what they propose and take their side on things.
Hardline leftists don't see any reason for compromise, feeling that every stance they make on every issue is flawless in its logic and necessary. All or nothing. The far-right feels the same way about its policies.
Compromise, if there is any to be had, takes time.
Biden would be the first President in modern history to have kept all of his promises upon entering the White House. Fact is, politicians promise what they see as their constituent's perfect world during the campaign and accomplish whatever it is they need to accomplish to achieve re-election.
What we don't see is the numerous discussions that happen off-camera where a President, like Biden, will make an honest effort to meet the goals of the office and face resistance in doing so. So, they compromise, and that often means they give up some things in order to get just enough support to get other things.
If you want to have all of the promises kept, you'll need a supermajority in the House and Senate, and a Supreme Court that doesn't see a reason to block any of the promises from being kept.
We're probably not going to see that in our lifetimes, unfortunately.
I love Bernie Sanders for his honesty and lifetime of service, but I don't believe in this polarized environment that a Democratic Socialist would be able to bring any Republicans to the table.
Bernie Sanders could rant and scream and sign a million executive orders, but he wouldn't be able to get any legislation passed without a supermajority in Congress.
Biden is, in this citizen's opinion, the best shot Democrats have at making progress on policies that Republicans themselves aren't championing. He is the closest thing the Democrat party has to a moderate outside of Tulsi Gabbard, and she isn't winning the Presidency anytime soon.
Bernie Sanders has an important role in this administration. He's in charge of the Senate Budget Committee which gives him a lot of power over the country's purse strings. He will have more impact there than he would have as President.