Morris Park Civic Association

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks as he announces members of economics and jobs team at his transition headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., January 8, 2021.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

For students, June is report card month, a time when their accomplishments (or lack thereof) are noted and relayed to parents. The young find out whether they will advance to the next grade, or be subjected to that most dread of all experiences, summer school.

The Biden Administration’s first half year has been, by any objective standard, not a success.

Its border policy has been an unmitigated disaster. The promise of improved race relations has fallen flat. The White House energy policy has driven prices sky high, not just at the pump but in most other items as well. Indeed, inflation, which had been comparatively tamed for decades, is back with a vengeance.

The economy has begun a modest recovery from the excessive COVID lockdown, but has not roared back the way it should due to both inflationary fears brought about by Washington’s excessive spending and its bizarre policy of encouraging government dependency rather than job growth. The White House’s push for tax increases has played a harmful role. It’s been particularly difficult for blue collar, minority workers and job seekers, who made significant gains under Trump.

Fairly soon after information about a virulent new disease emanating from Wuhan emerged, serious questions were raised about its origins. However, criticism of that nation was seen as ratifying then-President Donald Trump’s warnings about Beijing’s growing threat to the world. Shortly after the outbreak became known, Trump closed off travel from China. He was harshly criticized as being “xenophobic” by Biden and others. To emphasize that point, local officials in progressive-run cities such as New York urged their constituents to ignore White House warnings. Now that the campaign season has concluded, Democrats and their media allies are looking at Beijing’s negligence and dishonesty about the origins of the pandemic. The Biden Administration, to its credit, is reopening the investigation begun by its predecessor into how the disease came about, and how it spread throughout the world.

Foreign affairs have suffered. Putin’s aggression against Ukraine during the Obama-Biden Administration was followed by a period of relative quiet during the Trump presidency, but has now flared up again. The new president’s killing of the Keystone XL pipeline and other anti-energy policies has strengthened Moscow’s hand, particularly in its influence with Europe.

China’s imperialist ambitions in the Indo-Pacific were seen most clearly in its assault against the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone during Obama-Biden, a move which that White House wholly ignored. Now that the staunch anti-China Trump Administration is gone, Beijing has resumed its moves on Manila, as well as its numerous other worrisome acts. In that same region, it is worth noting that North Korea has resumed substantive missile testing, which had gone into a quiescent period during the prior administration.

The Middle East had been trending significantly towards peace during the four years of the Trump White House, with the implementation of its Abraham accords, improved relations with Saudi Arabia, its defeat of the ISIS caliphate, tough sanctions against Iran, and steadfast support for Israel. Those accomplishments have been diminished by Biden’s appeasement of the Tehran Mullahs, its tilt towards Islamic extremists, and estrangement of Israel. Much of his administration’s regional policy can be seen as a nod towards the large and growing anti-Israel faction of the Democratic Party.

The assaults by extremist groups such as Antifa have not relented, despite broad media hints that they would diminish under Democrat leadership in Washington.

Biden’s first six months in office have not been encouraging, earning failing grades in just about every area. As a start, it must move away from the extremism of the Progressive wing of the Democratic Party and put the good of the nation above partisan politics.