The New York Times touted a new survey of historians that ranked Joe Biden #14 on a "presidential greatness" list, while Ronald Reagan fell five slots to #16. Barack Obama is #7, and Donald Trump was dead last. Biden's greatest achievement? Beating Trump.
Peter Baker projected a disappointment over Biden’s achievements.
Although he has claims to a historical legacy by managing the end of the Covid pandemic; rebuilding the nation’s roads, bridges and other infrastructure; and leading an international coalition against Russian aggression, Mr. Biden’s signature accomplishment, according to the historians, was evicting Mr. Trump from the Oval Office.
“Biden’s most important achievements may be that he rescued the presidency from Trump, resumed a more traditional style of presidential leadership and is gearing up to keep the office out of his predecessor’s hands this fall,” wrote Justin Vaughn and Brandon Rottinghaus, the college professors who conducted the survey and announced the results in the Los Angeles Times.
In a podcast called This Moment In Democracy out of Rutgers, the professors explained that recent Democrat presidents have received a Trump bump among the experts. Their rankings are rising thanks to the comparison with The Donald. Listen to how you can tell the vast majority of these professors are Democrats, which is surprising to no one.
Also in today's potpourri:
The TV networks are still promoting Trump’s enormous civil-suit fine of $355 million. The Wall Street Journal editorial page suggested Trump exaggerated with bankers, like he does in life, but “this remedy is like using a Hellfire missile to annihilate a shoplifter.”
Biden news is not news. Politico reported on Sunday that when Joe Biden’s brother Jim worked as a consultant to Americore hospitals in 2017, he suggested his brother could help, and spoke of plans to give Joe equity and a board seat. Instead, Americore went bankrupt, wreaking havoc in rural communities.
On the same day in 2018 that Jim Biden received a $200,000 payment from Americore, he made out a check for that amount to his brother Joe, which he claims was a “loan repayment,” but he hasn’t proved the loan. Jim Biden will appear this week before Jim Comer’s House Oversight Committee.
According to The New York Times, a Secret Service agent is now "positioned at the bottom of the stairs" — even the short stairs — whenever Biden boards or disembarks from Air Force One to make sure he doesn't trip.
Media somehow defends Fani Willis: Her case in Georgia is collapsing, but they will pretend it’s not. Just as they pretended Stacey Abrams won the governor’s race. See ther AP story headlined "Fani Willis’ testimony evokes long-standing frustrations for Black women leaders"
In interviews with The Associated Press, many Black women leaders expressed frustration and disappointment that public attention had turned from the merits of the criminal case to the personal conduct of the Black woman overseeing the prosecution. For them, the court challenge to Willis echoes familiar experiences of tests of their authority, competence and character.
Media blames Trump for Navalny death. Sloppy liberals like Jonathan Capehart on the PBS NewsHour suggested that Trump encouraged the death of Navalny when he made a statement about how if NATO members don’t pay for their own defense, he’d encourage Putin to do “whatever the hell he wants.”
Enjoy the podcast below, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
