Biden's Populist Re-Elect Starts with Junk Fees
Biden's Populist Re-Elect Starts with Junk FeesThe President's focus on a small bore issue is part of larger strategyIn the middle of Joe Biden’s State of the Union address, I received a text from a smart Democrat who wrote, “This speech feels very V-Chip/school uniforms.” Now that reference only makes sense to political nerds of a certain generation. “V-Chip” and “school uniforms” are pejorative shorthand for the poll-tested, small bore centrist policies of President Bill Clinton specifically designed to appeal to everyone and offend no one. For the less old, non-nerds, a “V-Chip” was a piece of technology that was supposed to give parents the power to prevent their children from accessing adult-oriented TV programming. The text was in response to this extended section of the speech:
This passage stood out for several reasons. It’s unusual to hear a President delineate the picayune pet peeves of frequent travels. And this everyday specificity stood in stark contrast to the very big themes in the rest of the speech — economic fairness and the battle against autocracy at home and abroad. For a lot of Democrats “V Chips/school uniforms” is an insult. It represents risk aversion and prioritizing winning elections over helping people. Bill Clinton’s presidency was about a lot more than these sorts of cynical proposals. He did enormous, important things and, in fairness, he was operating in a difficult political environment with a right-of-center electorate. But this narrative stuck and became a lesson in what not to do. In fact, in the retellings of his presidency, V-chip politics were billed as the secret to his success. In some sense, Barack Obama’s entire 2008 campaign for President was in opposition to the politics of school uniforms. Here’s a key section from the speech that fueled Obama’s victory in the Iowa Caucus:
Hillary Clinton, herself, organized her 2016 presidential campaign in opposition to this version of her husband’s tenure. President Biden’s first two years focused on enacting transformational legislation on par with FDR’s New Deal. Is he shifting his position as he undertakes a very tough reelection campaign? Not so fast... Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to The Message Box to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. A subscription gets you:
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