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On Tuesday, September 12, beginning at 11:30 a.m, the David Horowitz Freedom Center will be hosting a talk and book signing featuring journalist and author Kimberley Strassel at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. If you plan to be in the Southern California area on that date, don’t miss this special event. Click HERE for more information – and to attend!
Remember those blissful days of yesteryear, when Barack Obama was President and we thought that even though he was worse than the previous Worst U.S. President Ever, Jimmy Carter, we naively assumed no one who came after Obama could possibly be as bad? Good times.
Fast forward to today, and Barack Obama is again President of the United States, albeit jointly with Susan Rice and Valerie Jarrett. That subversive triumvirate is behind the curtain pulling the strings of decrepit puppet Joe Biden, whose wrecking-ball impact on the nation is managing to make Americans nostalgic for Carter.
But in her new book, The Biden Malaise: How America Bounces Back From Joe Biden’s Dismal Repeat of the Jimmy Carter Years, award-winning journalist Kimberley Strassel demonstrates that, although Biden is worse, the parallels between his and Carter’s presidencies are striking – and worth examining closely, because it is precisely by applying the lessons of how Ronald Reagan ended the disastrous Carter era that we can wrench ourselves free from our current morass under Biden.
A member of the Wall Street Journal’s editorial board, with a weekly must-read column called “Potomac Watch,” Ms. Strassel is also the author of the bestsellers Resistance (At All Costs) and The Intimidation Game. She is a razor-sharp observer of the political arena who brings an insightful historical perspective to her commentary. Her new book is a must-read for understanding how and why the two Democrat Presidents have overseen similar domestic and foreign policy debacles, and for understanding what that means for America going forward.
How are Biden and Carter similar as occupiers of the Oval Office? Ms. Strassel counts the ways. “The peanut farmer from Georgia in 1977 took the reins of a nation already beset by the Great Inflation, sky-high crime, and declining U.S. oil production,” she writes, and he made all of it worse. Forty-four years later, the Biden administration is an eerie echo of its ‘70s predecessor, “[f]rom how they came to office, to their hot messes of inflation, energy, and crime, to their foreign policy travails, to their public unpopularity.”
Both men, despite promising healing and moderation before taking office, “governed in a far more liberal fashion than their divided electorates expected – and became lightning rods themselves. They both had the unfortunate knack for creating or exacerbating the types of messes that most infuriate average Americans.”
Moreover, the “Carter and Biden years were similarly shaped by foreign policy fiascoes, the consequence of shared and naive notions of sanctions, multilateralism and appeasement. Both men weakened America on the world stage and invited aggression…” Both Presidents also sabotaged America’s energy security and oversaw “oddly similar social upheaval, with public angst over race conscious governance, gay rights, education, court decisions, and rising crime.”
Generally speaking, both Biden and Carter “reflexively turned to government as the answer to every problem, demagoguing the private sector and larding it down with new regulations that stifled economic growth.”
Strassel elaborates comprehensively on these similarities and more, ultimately concluding that the comparison is “unfair – to Carter,” who at least arguably had the excuse of being too inexperienced for the domestic and foreign crises that engulfed his administration. Biden has no such excuse, and yet has doubled down on Carter’s ineptitude.
But The Biden Malaise isn’t simply an issue-by-issue comparison about the havoc wrought by the two Democrat administrations. In the final chapters of the book – “Morning in America,” “Bouncing Back,” and “It Takes a Reagan” – Ms. Strassel shifts gears to point us toward a renewal of American exceptionalism, including walking conservative voters through a checklist of what they should look for in the candidate who can lift us out of the Biden malaise and make America great again. Rather than give away spoilers, I’ll simply note that she asserts that the question that must guide voters through the turbulent election rapids ahead is, “Does the GOP have a new Reagan?’
For Strassel, the candidate who can save us is not Donald Trump. While acknowledging the ways in which Trump was a bold and effective leader – his refusal to bow to progressive media pressure, for example – Strassel explains that this time around, Americans must jettison the polarizing baggage Trump unavoidably brings. Having met him, she writes, she is confident that “he has an abiding belief in America and in American exceptionalism. The problem is that Trump has an even ‘huger’ and more abiding belief in Trump and in Trump exceptionalism. And that always takes precedence.” Some Republicans no doubt feel they owe a debt to Trump, she concludes. “The question is whether the debt is worth another four years of pandemonium.”
Noting that Ronald Reagan’s formula for obliterating Jimmy Carter in 1980 in one of the biggest landslide victories in the history of presidential elections was simply to run as the anti-Carter, Strassel reminds us that Trump didn’t come up with the MAGA slogan. It was Reagan’s 1980 campaign that coined, “Let’s Make America Great Again.”
The Great Communicator’s “greatest contrast [with Carter] was his tone – his unrelenting optimism in the future of the country. He had over the years ditched the pessimism that haunted conservative intellectual thought, its perpetual, hand-wringing belief that it was already too late.” Reagan’s genius, she adds, was that it is “totally possible to be both tough and principled – yet to also be inviting.”
“Like Carter in 1980, Biden has created the conditions for a lasting shift among the electorate,” she writes. “Democrats are becoming the party of wealthy, coastal elites enamored with European style welfare policies. This is providing Republicans the opportunity to form a broad and wide coalition of multiracial, working-, and middle-class Americans.” But, she warns, the GOP risks throwing it all away:
Too many Republicans are abandoning sound principles, chasing populist sentiment, hoping to buy voters with Democrat-lite promises.
[…]
If Republicans want to take full advantage of today’s economic and political situation – if they want to step toward another Reagan era – they’re going to have to embrace an overhaul. The movement needs to recommit itself to a principled, conservative agenda. It needs to become again the party of ideas, optimism, and outreach.
A relentlessly compelling and convincing read, Kimberley Strassel’s The Biden Malaise is brimming on every page with political wisdom and inspiring optimism – just the book America needs as the 2024 campaign season heats up. “This book is meant to be a guide – to the enormous opportunity that suddenly exists for the party of free markets and free people,” Strassel writes. “America can bounce back from the Biden malaise; it has the desire, the energy, and the formula” in the example of the Reagan Revolution. But as she reminds us, “There was no Reagan Revolution without… Reagan.”
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“I think the day will come when it will be recognized without doubt, not only on one side of the House, but throughout the civilized world, that the strangling of Bolshevism at its birth would have been an untold blessing to the human race.” — Winston Churchill
Could Reagan have done more…?
I’ve met President Trump too and had the opposite impression. For me, he impressed and has also demonstrated incredible selflessness.
Whoever else tried to take the reins will wind up mired in Obama policies because no one else has stood up to the so-called “ deep state.” If there’s another such person, with President Trump’s endurance and honesty, I’ve not seen them yet among any of the other Republican politicians now living. And we need a correction now.. Jettisoning Trump is not ever going to be a ‘morning in America’ as it allows a real triumph of darkness.
End the tyranny: Vote Trump!
Unfortunately, other than Trump, the rest of the also ran poodles are simply not up to the job. The Republican primary seems like a waste of time.
So thanks for nothing Strassel. You aren’t saying anything that a bunch of RINO establishmentarians haven’t already said.
Trump ’24 MAGA
I cannot upvote on this comment site but here’s my upvote to your comment. thanks. & Thanks for the “ poodles” descriptor. It’s perfect.
I am Disappointed in Strassel (WSJ is it? No surprise) Worse, I am starting to be very disappointed in Front-page for featuring too many RINOs.
Many have not jettisoned Trump but have abandoned FOX. Front -page could be next.
At least Peanut Dhimmi Carter owned the chaos and failure he created. His failures on the economic front were caused by his own pettiness and inability to work with others (Democrats controlled both Houses of Congress by a large margin in 1977- Tip O’Neill later cooperated much more easily with Ronald Reagan than with the sanctimonious, holier-than-thou peanut farmer cum nuclear engineer), And Peanut Dhimmi’s failures in foreign policy were a direct result of his obsequiousness toward Islam and his hatred of Jews and Israel. The own “success” he had (the Camp David Accords) was actually a reaction against his colossally incompetent and essentially anti-American (as well as anti Israel) bias. Early in 1977, Peanut Dhimmi hit on a “Final Solution” to the Arab Israel Conflict: convene a Geneva Conference with the participation of the Soviet Union to impose a settlement with “Auschwitz borders” on Israel. Anwar Sadat was no friend of Israel, but after going to the trouble of expelling the Soviets from Egypt and realigning Egypt toward the West, the last thing he wanted was the Soviet re-entering the conflict, with America’s invitation, yet. Hence his historic trip to Jerusalem.
In contrast, Dementia Joe HAS TO be manipulated behind the scenes by the Great Narcissist Barack Hussein Obama, Susan Rice and Valerie Jarrett. Dementia Joe is too addled to say when his Depends need changing.
The comparison between Carter’s and Biden’s malaises is simple. Both are incompetent for sure. But Carter was/is a true believer in socialism and he never thought harming The USA. Biden on the other hand doesn’t believe any of the policies he pursues. For him is only power and self enrichment. Basically he’s a crook.
As for Kimberly, after all she works for The Murdock’s,. She can’t be outright for Trump. Today’s democrats are not the same as 1980’s democrats. Today’s democrats are full communist and hate America. In today’s America Reagan wouldn’t be able to govern as he did. . Today America needs Trump.. The one who’s not afraid to give up his life to save his country. If he returns to power he knows, he must destroy the deep state and democrat party’s bureaucratic army. 2024 will be America’s live or died
I would dearly love to see a Trump win again, if for nothing else than to be able to blow quiet raspberries to my TDS-besotted acquaintances–revenge being a dish best served cold–but let’s not count Vivek out just yet, The man could truly lead a renewal of our former constitutional republic. But if, by some miracle, a strict constructionist Republican should win, and we manage to hold onto even one part of Congress, the left will attempt to burn not just parts, but entire cities to the ground. Hope there are discussions out there about how to deal with that.
I’d been intrigued by Vivek from his early campaigns over woke culture and ESG. But now as a presidential candidate he seems way too facile on foreign affairs, as on Taiwan and Israel. He knows way less than he thinks he knows. And more questions need to be raised about how he made his money and his involvement with a worthless Alzheimer’s drug. He talks a good game about tackling the deep state, but this writer is not convinced he appreciates what’s involved. I’d also be interested in how this political neophyte would staff an administration. Trump had a tough enough challenge on this score.
Noting that Carters polls are above Bidens and so far Biden hasn’t had problems with Rabid Bunnies
Cut it out! Who are you kidding?! There was NO Reagan Revolution there was only a Reagan Return To A More Moderate Welfare State. Reagan nudged the Overton Window a little towards capitalism, that’s all.
The REVOLUTION for freedom and liberty is not the battle between complete socialism and a little bit of socialism (the welfare state) but complete socialism and complete capitalism. Complete slavery or complete freedom.
You conservatives are not even willing get rid of Medicare or Social Security but you think you’re going to win the revolution for capitalism? You’re deceiving yourselves.
Can’t you conservatives understand that once you have accepted the principle that a little bit of socialism is a necessary good that we will not forego. That a few faith based initiatives, a few “compassionate conservatism” welfare programs, a government social safety net, is absolutely a moral duty and necessity, you’ve accepted the principle that complete socialism is even better and more necessary.
The complete socialist will always win over the partial, piecemeal welfare program, social safety net, compassionate conservative.
There can be no compromise on basic principles. There can be no compromise between self-reliance freedom-capitalism and the slavery of altruism-socialism.
There can be no compromise between a property owner and an altruist welfare program; conceding the altruist welfare program a single penny of your EARNED income would not be a compromise, but a total surrender—the recognition of the altruist’s welfare program right to your property.
Your stupidity and ability to flagrantly lie seems to have no limits.
The Reagan revolution only launched a 30- year period of conservatism and growth. But never mind that.
Lets talk about altruism. Because that is what is really important.
So when your real revolution comes, I expect to see you on the front lines all dressed and ready to battle with…………………everyone, while waving around your Ayn Rand book collection.
*I don’t recognize any such absurdity as service to my country. I recognize a moral responsibility to my freedom and liberty and the freedom and liberty of those I love.* — THX 1138
How shall I ‘put’ this? Even before his political beginnings on the national scene in the early 1970s, Joe Biden always was ‘phony baloney’. He lies so easily. Fake, fake, fake. An empty suit if ever there was one. (I tried my best to be nice about this. How my doin’?)