It’s been a full year since U.S. President Joe Biden declared victory over Donald Trump. To say that the honeymoon is over is an understatement.
The proof is in the Republican surge in the Nov. 2 election just held in Virginia, in particular, and in Biden’s approval ratings (around 42 percent and dropping), in general.
Even Biden’s trustworthy echo chamber, The New York Times, had an analysis piece last month stating, “Mr. Biden’s approval ratings have declined on nearly every issue, and among nearly every demographic group in national surveys over the last two months, as the promise of a return to normalcy has given way to rising inflation, a simmering pandemic, gridlock in Washington and chaos on the border and in Afghanistan.”
In other words, Biden’s freshman report card isn’t looking too good. And it’s his kowtowing to the radical-leftist flank of his party that’s doing him in.
The economy—including skyrocketing gasoline, food and medication prices; the increase by 20-30 percent in home and building supplies; problems with the transport of vital products from docks and storage centers; and the stagnation of the labor force—have all contributed to his poor grade-point average.
The humiliating, disastrous and bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan, which I referred to in a previous article as his “Waterloo,” probably hurt him the most.
In the aforementioned New York Times article, Nate Cohn writes, “Even weeks later, voters still say ‘Afghanistan’ is the negative thing they have most recently heard about Mr. Biden.”
His report card looks even worse when you factor in his pressure on Israel. Currently, the administration is trying to shove down the throats of a very fragile Israeli government the illegal and counterproductive opening of a consulate in Jerusalem for the Palestinian Authority. Not only is this against American law; it’s totally inappropriate, given the fact that all consular services are provided to the Arab population at the American embassy in Jerusalem.
Sadly overlooked is the fact that Biden has done everything in his power to open up the PLO mission in Washington that Trump had shuttered.
So far, the only thing in Biden’s way has been the Taylor Force Act, which was enacted to stop the “pay for slay” policies of the P.A., making the P.A. and PLO liable for damages awarded by a jury if they reopen offices in the United States. Biden already agreed to fill the P.A. coffers with $235 million—no strings attached. This means that UNRWA and the PLO can continue their use of anti-Semitic textbooks for their youth. This does not inculcate peace; it fosters terrorism.
Biden’s report card really takes a dive where his handling of Iran is concerned. His appointment of Robert Malley as special envoy to Iran at the beginning of his term set the tone for a poor grade. Malley was the architect of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear deal with Iran. Tehran received $150 billion in sanctions relief and $ 1.7 billion in cash for a signature. Biden is trying hard to make a similar foolhardy deal.
Biden deserves a failing grade for his far-from-stellar performance.
Dr. Joseph Frager is first vice president of the National Council of Young Israel.
