Biden has been faulted for speeches that do not seem to meet the moment or lack the urgency to compel others to follow. His soothing approach to issues that prompt anger has often failed to soothe.
Then-Sen. Joe Biden is seen with former President Jimmy Carter watching the proceedings at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in 2008 where Biden would be the party's vice presidential nominee.
To be fair, Carter's ill-fated presidency occurred during extraordinarily difficult times, beset by numerous global crises and dogged by economic conditions he largely inherited from his predecessor. Biden's defenders might say the same. Carter also left a legacy of frustration and fecklessness that has been difficult for Democrats to shake. He is remembered for the Iran hostage crisis that consumed the last year of his presidency. He is remembered for his hapless struggles against inflation, high gas prices and the threat of oncoming recession — not to mention an aggressive Russian war machine invading a neighboring country in defiance of the world community.
And the similarities in circumstances carry over to comparisons of leadership. Carter was remembered for his"malaise" speech, which did not contain the word"malaise" and which was widely misinterpreted as blaming American citizens for the ills that had caused, or been caused by, their own sour mood.Biden has been faulted for speeches that do not seem to meet the moment and lack the urgency that might compel others to follow.
Carter's electoral superpower was that as a Georgia peanut farmer and a Baptist Sunday School teacher he was able to carry the South. But that magic did not help him in office. Historian Douglas Brinkley has observed that"the soft-drawling, broad-grinning Carter took pride in his ignorance of Washington's ways."
Growth, confidence and job creation declined. Carter responded with a public works bill that seemed popular, but then OPEC decided to double the price of its crude oil exports again, driving inflation well into double-digits for the next several years — and quite possibly dooming his reelection. Barack Obama looked dead in the water after his party lost 62 seats in the House in 2010. Bill Clinton was also a wounded incumbent, losing his Democratic majorities in both chambers of Congress in his first midterm in 1994.
The atmosphere over the Biden presidency remains cloudy. But parts of the economic picture are brighter than they have been in several years, notably job growth and historically low unemployment. The Fed has a chance to dampen inflation without a full-scale recession. Gas prices could moderate somewhat.
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