Biden/Harris Spring Forward

President Biden and MVP Harris are proving that experience and willingness to work hard can deliver significant accomplishments in a short amount of time. The dynamic duo are also showing the nation and world that having a strategic plan is critical to said success, as is having a strong team of department leaders who understand the vision of the two leaders.

Instead of hiring people who hate government, like the last administration, Biden/Harris installed a cabinet of professional women and men who prove themselves every day both domestically and abroad.

A President’s first 100 days are a fictional time where he can push through legislation because of the momentum of winning the election. But those days ended when Republicans, led by Mitch McConnell, employed the “Obama defense” in 2008. That was when MCConnell said he would “do everything in his power to make Obama a one-term president.”

Of course President Obama was a two-term president and despite GQP racism and obstructionism, he and his team, including Joe Biden, were able to accomplish significant wins over his eight years.

But the nation was left with “what could have been” with the Obama administration as many lamented that even greater accomplishments would have happened if they didn’t have to contend with elected white supremacists.

What could have been is turning into exactly what we see Biden/Harris actually doing in their first year together. And while it is unfortunate the country had to endure the four year interruption that was the last administration, Biden/Harris hit the ground running and show no signs of slowing down.

The early big win was the $1.9T American Rescue Plan/Covid relief that sent direct payments to Americans, expanded the child tax credit, added $20B to covid vaccinations, $25B for rental and utility assistance, and $350B into state, local, and tribal relief. The bill increased the SNAP maximum by 15% and sent more than $120B to K-12 schools. And, finally, the bill also made healthcare more affordable (Thanks, Obamacare!), and expand tax credits to help businesses keep employees.

Notably, no republican voted for the relief bill but most of them are touting the bill’s benefits back home to their constituents while trying to claim credit. There is no shame with those people.

While the team was getting the Rescue/Covid Relief passed, they were also busy installing the most diverse cabinet in U.S. history, a group of qualified women and men, Native, Black, Asian, White, Latinx, LGBTQI, and American born and immigrants. The faces of the administration broadly reflect America as it is, not as the white supremacists of the last administration and their insurrectionists wish it to be.

Not wanting to rest from the work of building a great administration team, Biden/Harris launched right into Infrastructure with a $2T plan to reshape the economy by fixing 20,000 miles of roads and 10,000 bridges, addressing climate change and racial inequalities, and raising corporate taxes. The plan also heavily invests in clean energy, improves wages, internet services, drinking water, and commute times. There are other components to the plan, and everyone -except republicans and those who want more than $2T to be spent— are in agreement that now is the time for bold infrastructure moves.

Biden/Harris will get the plan through like they did with the Covid Stimulus, and it may be without some of the drama of the earlier bill as this time the Senate Parliamentarian has determined that Democrats can bypass the filibuster at least three more times this year. Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi can soon raise a glass to celebrate more historical consequential legislation than Americans have seen since the landmark Civil Rights legislation 50+ years ago.

In the midst of such groundbreaking accomplishments the mainstream media, beltway press, and White House press corp have been fixated on silly stories that range from the Biden’s family dog pooping, Biden stumbling up the stairs to Airforce One, MVP Harris being front and center with every key decision and cabinet hire, and Dr. Jill Biden’s hosiery. The press corp has also repeatedly asked press secretary Jen Psaki silly-season questions about the President and FLOTUS traveling home to Delaware, what the meaning of infrastructure is, and random questions about the former guy.

President Biden hasn’t golfed since being elected and neither has MVP Harris for that matter. The President has attended church each Sunday, something the other guy never did even as he received praise from evangelicals and a pass from many catholic leaders.

But perhaps most impressive is the work the administration has done to attack the covid-19 pandemic. After inheriting little to no vaccination infrastructure due to the previous administration dismantling the work and organization the Obama administration left behind, President Biden and MVP Harris have exceeded all expectations by increasing the percentage of vaccinated Americans from about 8% to over 60%.

The President was widely ridiculed in the press for saying he would see to it that the country vaccinated 100M before July. Now it looks like there will be over 200m vaccinated by July because the nation is already at 167m vaccinated.

Many states are reopening, some too early no doubt, and most schools will reopen by the end of April. All schools are expected to be open for the Fall semester. The distribution of vaccinations come with good and bad as people who are not vaccinated are feeling emboldened by all the rest of us caring for and looking out for our fellow Americans. But the country reopening isn’t going to be stopped because there’s simply too much momentum at this point so we can only hope that the messages coming from the White House will remain consistent with statements around social distancing, washing hands, no handshakes, and mask wearing.

Spring is here and if the good news that came out of the Biden/Harris administration during a particularly cold winter can continue through the blossoming gorgeousness of spring, the country will celebrate with them even as we all sit back and watch them masterfully tame an unruly government and return it to a functioning government of, by, and for the people.

Americans are renewing themselves with the optimism and hope that was buried over the past four years under lies, cheating, and hatred.

The Biden/Harris administration is forward-looking and so far, we can look ahead with them into Spring where we can expect more positive results and blooming successes from what is shaping up to be the most consequential administration in a very long time.

© 2021 by Myron J. Clifton. All Rights Reserved.

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