Joe Biden’s true legacy will uplift generations of Americans
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris listens as President Joe Biden speaks about the administration's efforts to lower costs during an event at Prince George's Community College in Largo, Md., Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
As Democrats gather in Chicago to nominate Kamala Harris and Tim Walz for the presidential ticket, the party will spend its first evening celebrating the 52 years Joe Biden has spent in public life. It promises to be an evening filled with nostalgia.
Much of those proceedings will be spent honoring the accomplishments of the Biden administration. Running for the presidency four years ago, Biden promised voters, “I know how to get things done.”
And what he has done is remarkable. That includes putting vaccine shots into people’s arms to end the COVID-19 pandemic, passing the largest infrastructure program since the 1950s, signing the Chips and Science Act, expanding healthcare and reviving the Cancer Moonshot program.
He also championed the Inflation Reduction Act, which transformed health care coverage for seniors and contained the largest federal investment aimed at mitigating the effects of climate change. He fought for the PACT Act, which provides veterans and their families with health coverage after exposure to toxic chemicals.
Biden enacted the most significant gun control legislation in decades, expanded NATO and rallied the world to stop Vladimir Putin’s aggression in Ukraine.
In 2020, few thought such a record of accomplishment was possible, and some have compared Biden’s achievements to those of Lyndon B. Johnson and even Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In a recent CBS interview, reporter Robert Costa asked Biden how he thinks history will remember him. Biden said he believed historians would record that he proved democracy could work and government could still do big things. But he quickly added that his domestic accomplishments “were going to take a little time to work their way through.”
The concrete evidence of what he has done will become evident over the course of this decade.
Many Americans have little understanding of what Biden has accomplished. During his presidency, those history-making laws have been overshadowed by the courtroom travails and controversies enveloping Donald Trump.
Day after day, the press has covered the real-life court proceedings of America’s first ex-president who now stands as a convicted felon. Most cable news watchers have become educated in the finer points of the law as the Trump saga drones on.
Quite often, the judgments voters render upon presidents as they leave the White House are upended by history. Consider: In 1953, Harry S. Truman was seen as weak and ineffective. Likewise, in 1961, Dwight D. Eisenhower was widely viewed as a “do-nothing” president.
But as the years passed both presidents’ standings rose. Truman’s strong domestic and foreign policy record — including his vital role in the creation of NATO and his integration of the U.S. military — puts him in the company of “near-great” presidents, reaching number six in the top 10 list compiled by presidential historians.
Similarly, Eisenhower’s prudence in committing U.S. troops to overseas conflicts was praised during the Vietnam War years. And domestically, the initial appraisals of his “do nothing” administration have been recast as a “do-everything” presidency, a reevaluation that began with the publication of political scientist Fred Greenstein’s 1982 book, “The Hidden-Hand Presidency.” Today, Eisenhower is ranked eighth.
Nonetheless, there are times when historical evaluations do not have to wait for 20/20 hindsight. Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and Franklin D. Roosevelt were instantly recognized as leaders of profound significance. Today, they occupy the top three rankings of those who have held the nation’s highest office.
Biden may not approach their standing, but his accomplishments — combined with his willingness to put love of country ahead of his political ambition in renouncing a second term — will serve him well as the decades pass.
Already, historians list Biden as number 14, a ranking that is sure to rise. Meanwhile, Trump finds himself stuck at the bottom, where he is likely to remain.
Historian David McCullough once said: “In history, chance plays a part again and again. Character counts over and over. Personality is often the determining factor in why things turn out the way they do.”
Time and chance brought Biden to the Oval Office. When he could have easily foregone a race in 2020, Biden stepped up. When he saw that he was not the best candidate to beat Donald Trump in 2024, Biden handed the baton to Vice President Kamala Harris.
In a speech delivered at Valley Forge at the beginning of this year, Biden said: “Democratic leaders, with a small ‘d,’ don’t hold onto power relentlessly. Our leaders return power to the people. You do your duty. You serve your country.”
Biden has done his duty and nobly served his country. We owe him a debt of gratitude.
John Kenneth White is a professor emeritus at The Catholic University of America. His latest book is titled “Grand Old Unraveling: The Republican Party, Donald Trump, and the Rise of Authoritarianism.”