Joe Biden doesn't get enough credit for our A+ economy.
The management of our economy is complicated, so too is the path through this terrible crisis in the middle east. Biden is leading on both.
Once again, the US economy shocked the media, accustomed as they are to bringing us bad news. Not only did businesses add 353,000 new jobs in January, but the Labor Department also reported the revised job numbers for 2023: a stunning 3.1 million new jobs in a year. The University of Michigan’s highly anticipated Index of Consumer Sentiment came out yesterday and showed the highest level of confidence since 2021.
The management of questions as diverse as global supply chain bottlenecks, tax policy, trade policy, infrastructure spending, federal science and health research priorities, anti-trust and fair labor enforcement actions, our approach to public health, as well as the legal frameworks we maintain that support business growth, all shape our economy.
Image Credit: New York Times
It is incontrovertible that we are doing well, and that Joe Biden’s leadership has a lot to do with that. The only response that candidate Donald Trump has to the rising stock market is the risible claim that all of the gains are due to the expectation that he will return to the White House.
Let’s consider the other big news. Once again, US B1 bombers are flying missions over Iraq and Syria. The intent of this very terrifying force projection is to raise the cost of attacking US troops in the region and to lower tensions by degrading the military capability of those who would escalate the current Gaza conflict into a larger regional conflagration. This action takes place in the context of some of the most intense and challenging diplomatic work in memory.
What is happening in Gaza is, well, it is many things. But I think everyone agrees on this: it is a screaming reminder of the terrible cost of war. The anguish has driven many around the world to the streets to protest, and has increased pressure on the Biden Administration to make seek a short term solution. The domestic politics of this foreign conflict are difficult, but so far, Biden has kept his eye on the horizon and is working to find not just an end to this terrible war, but to create a post-conflict reality that gives Palestinians the sovereignty and dignity they have for too long been denied and gives Israel the regional security it has never had. As always, bad actors in the region are willing to go to great lengths to preserve the struggles that give them room to maneuver for their own ends. Hence the B1s this week.
Just as the management of our economy is complicated, so too is the path through this terrible crisis in the middle east. Once again, there is no GOP alternative to Biden’s leadership. All they offer is to rail against university Presidents who they claim have not gone far enough to ban speech on their campuses, to tweet that the US response military response is too slow and too weak, and to bang the drum for an invasion of Iran.
Look, the stellar performance of our economy and the disciplined and thoughtful approach to truly grave threats to peace at stability around the world are the hallmark of American leadership.
Joe Biden does not get the credit he has earned for this work. Meanwhile, the other party is focused on bathrooms and bedrooms and bookshelves.