Buyer's Remorse? Biden Supporters Already Expressing Concerns and Disagreements
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Photo by Gage Skidmore
Reality is slowly creeping in for some Biden voters, and we’re only moving into day four of his administration. From lockdowns to destroying tens of thousands of jobs already, voters aren’t getting what they expected, but they are getting what they deserve.
Fracking Ban
On the campaign trail, Biden made a couple of positions clear—like his intention to ban fracking—but “fact-checkers” created confusion when they insisted, he would do no such thing. President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris also had moments when they flat out denied bans. Other times, they would only stop drilling on federal land (which would still qualify as a ban).
The only soundbite that should have mattered, was when Biden said he’d be willing to risk hundreds of thousands of blue-collar jobs for a greener economy, a bold statement made during the Democrat primary debates.
Well, union leaders didn’t do what was best for their members when they endorsed Biden. United Association of Union Plumbers and Pipefitters openly supported Biden back in August of 2020. “This endorsement is about putting UA members to work and fighting for fair wages and good benefits. Under a Biden Administration, that’s exactly what we’ll get.”
Then two days before Biden was inaugurated, they put out another statement regarding the decision to revoke the Keystone XL pipeline. “In revoking this permit, the Biden Administration has chosen to listen to the voices of fringe activists instead of union members and the American consumer on Day 1.” They go on to note the decision will raise energy costs for Americans and put thousands of union workers out of a job. NABTU (North American’s Building Trades Union) also expressed dismay at the decision, citing similar reasons. They endorsed Biden in October and called for Trump to immediately step down on January 6, after the capitol raid.
All these things are true, and Americans were warned. This was not a small campaign gaffe; it was a major promise.
Dark Winter
Author and renowned feminists Naomi Wolf was surprised to find out Biden was open to more lockdowns, after he already won the election. But if she had known, she would have never voted for him. Perhaps Dr. Wolf was too busy to notice, but Biden said repeatedly that he was in favor of locking down the country, enforcing mask mandates, and so on. He presented no new ideas on how to defeat the pandemic; he only repurposed measures the Trump Administration already put in place.
Biden made good on his promise on mask mandates, and signed an executive order stating you must wear a mask on federal land. He and his family did not plan on following that law, as they were busted taking photos without masks during his inauguration. When asked about it, the White House Press Secretary excused it because they were “celebrating” and there were more important issues at hand.
Biden, who once blamed literally every Covid-19 death on President Donald Trump, is now saying there’s nothing we can do to change the trajectory in the next several months.
Black Leaders Are Disappointed
Early in December, black lawmakers and activists expressed concern over the lack of black representation in Biden’s cabinet picks. There were two chosen at the time.
Biden also had a heated exchange with civil rights leaders over various topics like his cabinet picks and police reform. Rev. Al Sharpton and the NAACP’s Sherrilyn Ifill asked Biden to institute sweeping reforms, but Biden pushed back. He claimed he wouldn’t use executive orders for that and urged them to dial back the “defund the police” rhetoric, at least until after the Georgia runoff.
What is affectionally known as “Black Twitter” focused on a different aspect of the call: Biden’s tone. Torraine Walker of Context Media said: “That audiotape sounded like a sharecropper standing on the big house steps with his hat in his hand to beg Boss for some tar and old newspapers to line his shack.” TV Host Roland Martin also said Kalama Harris needed to pull Biden aside about his tone, and noted Biden’s past actions don’t matter. He needs to deliver in the next four years.
Black Lives Matter pointed out that when Biden met with civil rights groups, an invitation was not extended to them. BLM said in an email to supporters: "For the newly elected administration (that ran on promises of racial justice) to ignore our ongoing request to meet with them and refuse us a seat at the table is demeaning to our movement.”
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Biden would have a “tone” issue. He does not have a history to be proud of when it comes to black issues, but he does have a history of lying about it. He made several racist comments on the campaign trail, which painted him in a corner for his VP pick.
If any of these complainers could go back in time, I’m not sure if they would have made different decisions, but the signs were always there. Biden’s decisions so far should not be a shock to anyone.
