“In making appointments as a new president, Biden has a much tougher job than Trump. It’s harder to rebuild a government than it is to ransack, demoralize and hollow a government out,” Presidential
historian Michael Beschloss, New York Times, Jan. 27.
As of March 10, President Joe Biden has been in office for seven weeks. Significantly, many right-wing predictions about his administration have not come true. Nobody’s guns have been confiscated. Former President Donald Trump’s followers haven’t been rounded up and sent to FEMA detention camps.
Christian church services have not been canceled, though there are some limits due to COVID-19 restrictions. The border hasn’t been thrown wide open; undocumented immigrants haven’t been given wholesale amnesty and/or citizenship. Our rights and our Constitution still hold.
Instead of acting like a dictator, Biden has begun rebuilding what Trump tried to demolish. Here are a few examples of what Biden is doing.
Vaccine roll-out: When the coronavirus first hit, Trump downplayed its seriousness. Feb 27, 2020: “It’s going to disappear. One day – it’s like a miracle – it will disappear.” April 3, 2020: “It is going away.”
Trump even downplayed the importance of a vaccine. May 8, 2020: “This is going to go away without a vaccine.” June 16, 2020: “I always say, even without it (a vaccine), it goes away.”
Trump eventually realized a vaccine would help his image, so he created “Operation Warp Speed” to push for vaccine development. When the first vaccine wasn’t approved until after the presidential election, Trump lost interest and handed the distribution process over to the states, a task they weren’t prepared for. This resulted in a lack of supplies, spotty distribution, and general confusion.
Before he took office, Biden assembled a team and began working on a national distribution plan.
Biden knows how to set a goal, create a plan to achieve it, and see that the goal is accomplished.
With vaccine distribution, he set a goal of 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days. In his first 37 days, 50 million vaccinations were administered. We are now administering over 1.7 million shots a day. (Fox News, Feb. 17). Biden is ahead of schedule because he knows how to get things done.
Postal Service: In June, Trump appointed a new Postmaster General, Louis DeJoy. Trump had several goals, including undermining faith in governmental functions. DeJoy succeeded all too well.
“The agency’s delivery times have sunk to historic lows since DeJoy took over in June. … At the end of December, the agency had an on-time rate of 38 percent for nonlocal mail, according to data it reported to a federal court. Traditionally, that number is around 90 percent.” (Washington Post, Feb. 26)
Millions of Americans depend on the Postal Service. It should never be a victim of partisanship. Biden has now appointed three new members to the Postal Board of Governors. They can fire DeJoy and appoint a Postmaster General who will bring the Postal Service back to its respected position. It will take work, but it can be done.
Department of Justice: Trump tried to turn the Justice Department into his personal vendetta machine. He appointed Attorneys General whose loyalties were to him alone. He used them to attack his enemies, a concept abhorrent to American ideals of justice. Morale at the DOJ plummeted.
The DOJ is supposed to be independent from the president, and Biden will uphold this principle. He’s choosing people who are competent and experienced. These professionals know they will be able to do their jobs without partisan interference.
Restoring our standing in the world: Trump made it a policy to kiss up to dictators and insult our allies. This was bad for our national security and our world leadership. Now our allies are relieved that America is back, reasserting itself as a leader for human rights and democracy. They have welcomed Biden enthusiastically.
There are far too many other examples to describe here. Trump’s main requirement for choosing government officials was total loyalty to Trump. Competence and experience were irrelevant. He didn’t care if people knew how to run their agencies. He just wanted everyone to do what he wanted, whether it was good for America or not.
Biden is choosing people who are competent, experienced, and who will work for the American people. His administration is being open, honest and transparent. It will take a lot of work, but our government can be restored and function as it was intended to. We should all support that goal.
Jeanette Strong, whose column appears every other week, is a Nevada Press Association award-winning columnist. She may be reached at news@lahontanvalleynews.com.
