Biden's surprisingly successful first two weeks...

[babylonsister]

Biden's surprisingly successful first two weeks
David Ignatius

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bidens-surprisingly-successful-first-two-weeks/2021/02/02/e45f0d80-65a4-11eb-8c64-9595888caa15_story.html

snip//


Biden walked into the White House with the gift of low expectations. His supporters were praying that he would be a strong leader, but when pressed for examples to buttress their faith, they often came up short. But it turned out that being a sleeper had its advantages — especially following the chaotic presidency of a narcissistic showman like Trump.

Two weeks into the job, Biden’s performance has surprised Republicans and Democrats alike. His policy moves have been quick and deliberate. His political touch has been light and deft. Every day, the White House rolls out a new policy initiative, presidential appointment or string of executive orders. By doing the ordinary tasks of government competently, Biden manages to seem unusual. It feels like the reinvention of what used to be known as “regular order.”

Biden’s most nimble maneuver has been to ignore Trump and the political mania he brought to every interaction. He doesn’t talk about his predecessor; he won’t take a position on whether Trump should be convicted in the Senate impeachment trial. Rather than being miffed about Trump’s decision to skip the inauguration, he said it was “one of the few things we agree on.”

Biden’s initial two weeks have been one of the best-scripted political rollouts I can remember. Politicians often talk about messaging — contrived events such as Trump’s “infrastructure week” — but Biden’s team actually set a political agenda and hammered it home, day after day. It’s a startlingly simple set of priorities — get the country vaccinated; fix the economy — and though Biden’s deputies talk other policy initiatives, the centerline remains clear.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/bidens-surprisingly-successful-first-two-weeks/2021/02/02/e45f0d80-65a4-11eb-8c64-9595888caa15_story.html

[First Speaker]

1. Maybe there are advantages to being an Old Pro...

[soldierant]

15. Oh, yes. That's just one of the reasons i oppose term limits.

However, I would certainly support something like Article 25 for members of Congress.

But as long as someone is mentally healthy - term limits always work against Democrats in my experience.

[Irish_Dem]

2. It's been a perfect roll out, right down the line.

Experience and character count.

[NoMoreRepugs]

3. ...."The gift of low expectations." What?????

[coeur_de_lion]

4. This headline pissed me off

why is it surprising?

I am pleased but not surprised.

[Thekaspervote]

9. Oh me too!! Shitty

[ananda]

5. Why is this surprising?

To me, he always looked like he knew what he was doing,
and he surrounded himself with such excellent people!

[Hassler]

6. It goes to show you what you can accomplish if you don't spend

The day in executive time, watching Fox and Fools and tweeting.

[ismnotwasm]

7. This whole article has a bitter grapes vibe to it

I’m not surprised

[louis-t]

8. The bitching has already started.

He must be doing something right. Repugs are complaining about everything.

[crickets]

10. Damning with faint praise.

Biden is vastly short of being a perfect president. But two weeks in, the signs are that he’ll do fine. And for now, that’s more than enough.

Two weeks in, and Biden is 'vastly short' -- of anything? Get stuffed, WaPo. After the last four disastrous years we've been through, we are lucky we elected Biden to dig us out of the hole trump landed us in. He's doing an excellent job.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

17. The "scripted political rollout" got me. It's called competent triage.

WaPo seems determined to join NYT at the bottom of the bird cage.

[Gore1FL]

11. I am not a Biden guy, despite voting for him in November.

I have been impressed with his work so far.

[KentuckyWoman]

12. Children reunited with parents is my fav.

favorite. It feels so good to have so many good things to pick from.

[liberalla]

13. I don't think it's surprising!

I expected good performance... but he is performing even better than I expected. I am thrilled with how things have been rolled out. Go Joe!

[AlexSFCA]

14. it's a great strategy - do a lot every day so that gop and media can't figure out what to focus on

and diversify things done in a day, something for everyone.

[betsuni]

16. Only a surprise to those who don't know who Joe Biden is.

According to the American Conservative Union, Biden voted for issues important to conservatives zero times in his last year in the senate, with a lifetime score of 12.67. Don't know why anyone thinks he's not progressive or wouldn't know what the hell he was doing.

[Cicada]

18. More vaccinations and more help for the economy

Every democrat in every appearance should stress those two things, more vaccinations and more help for the economy. Lets stick to that message.