When Joe Biden became president, he promised to reconcile an America divided in every way. A year after his inauguration, the country takes stock of its successes and failures.
‘Great hopeful moment’
“I think when Biden came into office it was a great moment of hope,” said Raphy Jacobson, an 18-year-old New Yorker who has campaigned for candidates on the left several times.
Elected in a country hit by the covid-19 pandemic, and shaken by a historic protest movement against racism, Biden pledged on January 20, 2021 to put “all” his “soul” into the reunification of the United States.
But with the giant stalled welfare and climate package aimed at bringing America back, and the failed push to change election law, “the Democrats haven’t really signed off on anything they said,” Jacobson laments.
bitter taste
Months after his inauguration, Biden visited Tulsa, Oklahoma. Eager to heal the fissures that splintered a nervous society, he became the first president to commemorate the city’s 1921 race massacre.
“At the time, a lot of us were excited for him to come,” says Kode Ransom, a 33-year-old African-American. But the visit left a bitter taste.
It was “a political move,” says the tour guide, who laments Biden’s lack of concrete action.
Broken immigration promises
“We expected much more,” says Adriana Jasso, an activist with a religious organization that helps immigrants in San Diego, California.
The 47-year-old is disappointed by broken promises, such as lifting Donald Trump’s restrictions.
‘Demolishing the economy’
“Instead of fixing, it has been destroying and demolishing the nation’s economy,” complains Miami physician Ubaldo Miranda, 57.
The Republican party accuses Biden of having fueled unprecedented inflation, an issue that touches the hearts of American households.
Under Biden, Miranda says, the United States is “more divided than ever.”
not your president
According to opinion polls, more than half of conservative voters still do not consider Biden, 79, as their president, wrongly convinced that the 2020 election was tainted by significant fraud.
“I think they stole the election,” says Jenn Goode, a Boston woman, without providing evidence to support her claim.
Local friction
“I think it would have been worse if Trump had been re-elected,” says Melarie Wheat, a 37-year-old member of the Mormon Church. “So I don’t think Joe Biden has necessarily brought us closer together, but he has prevented it from being worse.”
For this Utah mom, though, divisions at the national level have begun to creep “into communities.”
‘Counterattack’
A year after Biden’s inauguration, some believe that “the time for reconciliation is over.”
Jamie Manson, president of Catholics for Choice, which advocates for “the majority of Catholics who believe in reproductive freedom,” notes that since taking office, Republican states have increased restrictive abortion laws.
“Right now, there’s a general frustration with Biden among people on the left,” he says, “because he keeps using the rhetoric that democracy is in danger … and I think we’re waiting for that bold action, and we haven’t yet.” We have seen it.”
For this 44-year-old activist, “Democrats are sometimes too delicate, they don’t want to offend anyone and they tread carefully. But being moderate and lukewarm will not give them the boost they need from the bases. I think it’s time to take some risks.
