What Joe Biden has Done for Moderates

It’s been almost two and a half years since President Biden was inaugurated, and based on the media narrative, you may be under the impression that his White House tenure has been marked by the mirror image of Trump’s extremist policies. Yet while it might not fuel clickbait headlines or drive internet traffic, the truth is that this President has delivered more concrete wins for the vast middle of America than most previous administrations could have dreamed. Most recently, President Biden negotiated a deal to raise the debt ceiling with a Speaker of the House who still denies his election was legitimate. But that’s only the latest in the myriad coups he’s already delivered for the sensible middle of America. In addition to singlehandedly fending off economic disaster, here is a truncated rundown of the extensive advances he’s managed to achieve—particularly compelling for those who abhor the political extremes.

On the Economy

Detractors claimed a Biden presidency would mean a giant socialist state, with higher taxes, anemic growth, and massive deficits. Instead, we’ve seen:

• The strongest economic growth of any G-7 nation including all-time or near all-time highs in the creation of 13 million jobs, more private sector jobs than any time in US history, record low unemployment rates, and the longest-ever monthly streak of sub-4% unemployment.
• Instead of “paying people not to work” and an economy hostile to the private sector, a 20-year high in the labor force participation rate, 70 record-setting stock market closings, 10.5 million new business starts in two years, and higher inflation-adjusted disposable incomes and net worth for working-class America.
• A manufacturing renaissance that doubled manufacturing construction, added 800,000 manufacturing jobs, and is dramatically increasing domestic microchip production.
• A once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure, modernizing our roads, bridges, railways, and waterways—and ensuring everyone has access to clean water and high-speed broadband.
• A rejection of Medicare-for-All in favor of Obamacare and adding consumers to the private sector insurance market, as well as a dramatic push to lower the cost of health care, capping costs of insurance for more people, lowering prescription drug prices, and expanding health care protections for veterans.
• A rejection of unpaid-for spending and an opening effort to reduce the federal deficit.
• Aggressive support for an independent Fed, no flinching at inflation-fighting measures, and a refusal to entertain far-left policies like modern monetary theory.
• Promises kept of not raising taxes on Americans making under $400,000.

On Climate and Energy

Naysayers were emphatic that putting Biden in the Oval Office would lead to a socialist “Green New Deal” that outlawed current forms of energy, left workers stranded, and raised costs for consumers. Instead, we’ve seen:

• Historic investments and tax credits in energy generation and efficiency that will cut household energy bills by hundreds of dollars each year.
• A whopping $500 billion dollars in private sector investment to expand American manufacturing across every state in the country in sectors like clean energy, semiconductors, advanced vehicles, and heavy industries like steel.
• An unprecedented suite of policies creating hundreds of thousands of new jobs across the entire energy sector, including nuclear energy, natural gas production and export, automotive, renewables, and biofuels.
• A rapid response to high gasoline prices caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and global supply chain issues, bringing oil prices down from $120 per barrel in June of 2022 to $69 today, helping the US move toward record-breaking levels of oil production while expanding America’s leadership in clean energy markets.
• A set of centrist legislative victories that are boosting America’s economic competitiveness while cutting the nation’s annual carbon emissions by up to a billion tons by the end of the decade.

On Culture Wars

The caricature was that a Biden Presidency would mean open borders, crime run amok, guns being confiscated from homes coast to coast, and mandatory drag queen story hours in every American school. Instead, we’ve seen:

• The first major legislation addressing gun violence in 30 years—a bipartisan deal spearheaded by Republicans from deep red states.
• Tight border policies that maintained Title 42 limitations for more than 2 years and now have driven illegal border crossings down 70%.
• The installation of new anti-drug smuggling technology allowing Customs and Border Protection to scan six times as much cargo per day at ports of entry and the seizure of record amounts of fentanyl before it poisons American streets.
• A Title IX rule that rejects outright bans on transgender athletes but leaves room for case-by-case determinations by schools and sports associations to make the best decisions to ensure athletic competitions are fair and student athletes are safe.
• A whopping $10 billion from the American Rescue Plan committed to public safety and law enforcement, including funds to hire and train more police officers, hold criminals accountable by clearing court backlogs, and prevent future crime before it happens.
• The murder rates that exploded across the country during the Trump administration finally beginning to come down.

On National Security

In contrast to “soft-on-defense” accusations, Democrats have led the world with military strength under President Biden:

• Outfoxing and humiliating Vladimir Putin in his disastrous war of aggression in Ukraine.
• Strengthening NATO more than ever by adding Finland and Sweden.
• Unquestionably rallying the world coalition to stand strong against Russia and re-establishing America as a rising, not shrinking, world power.
• Tough and smart actions toward China on issues ranging from sensitive technology transfer and production of semiconductor chips to cross-Strait Taiwan tensions and episodic flashpoints like the spy balloon.
• Building on the revitalization of the Quad—the US, Australia, India, and Japan—deepening our ties with the most critical strategic, democratic partners to contain China.
• Expanding the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, inaugurating the Cyber Safety Review Board, appointing the first National Cyber Director and the first Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy.
• Pushing to expand and enhance Arab-Israeli cooperation under the Abraham Accords, signed in 2020.

Conclusion

In his first term in office, Joe Biden has pushed back on extremes on both the left and the right and consistently delivered for the vast majority of Americans who would rather put progress over partisanship and solutions over ideology. Moreover, he achieved crucial components of these accomplishments by smashing the conventional wisdom that bipartisanship was dead and racking up a remarkable number of bipartisan wins for the American people: signing a mammoth infrastructure bill, a major investment in competitiveness through the CHIPS and Science Act, repeated and consistent support for Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion, the biggest expansion of VA health care in decades, historic gun safety legislation, and a bill protecting marriage equality from coast to coast.

With a record like this, there’s no doubt he’s the most successful moderate President of the modern era.