History will vindicate Joe Biden

I am convinced that several decades from now, President Joe Biden will be considered among the finest presidents in the history of the United States of America.

Sure, there have been flaws in the Biden administration, as with every presidency, but in great measure, President Biden has presided over the country with determination, patriotism, success, and sanity at a time when the nation was most in need of such a leader.

Although Biden is departing office with an approval rating in the red, currently sitting at -19.2% as of January 15, 2025, we know that polls are simply snapshots in time and not indicative of the long-term arc of American political history. Just ask a few other presidents who were disparaged at the time of their departure from the Oval Office.

Several commanders-in-chief have seen a remarkable rehabilitation of the prevailing historical view of their respective presidencies decades after leaving office. For example, in the 2021 CSPAN Presidential Historians Survey, Dwight Eisenhower was rated fifth among all former presidents. Compare that to back in 1962, just a year after leaving office, when Arthur M. Schlesinger’s survey of presidential historians placed Ike as 22. In the same 1962 Schlesinger survey, U.S. Grant ranked 30 of 31, but by 2021 historians moved him up to number 20 of 44. More recently, Ronald Reagan experienced a similar reversal of fortunes, moving up from 25th in Schlesinger’s 1996 rankings to ninth in the 2021 CSPAN survey.

Our view of past presidents is always in flux.

The point is that judging a president’s place in history during or immediately following their presidency is risky business. Historians, political scientists, journalists, and the American public need time to properly evaluate our presidents after departing the White House.

Decades, or even centuries later, their successes and failures are viewed in a different light when removed from their own eras. I would not be surprised if my students 30 years from now will read considerably different reviews of the Biden presidency than they will when he leaves office on Jan. 20.

» READ MORE: Courting voters of color, Biden’s record in office stands against Trump’s history of racism | Editorial

During the final year of his presidency, Biden has become a convenient scapegoat. He is falsely blamed for our present inflation situation, is routinely faulted by some fellow Democrats for their recent electoral ills, and Republicans have been trying to sabotage his presidency before he even took office with unfounded accusations of corruption, incompetence, and malfeasance.

Because he is a lifelong creature of Washington, Biden became an easy target for spinmeisters who were more interested in his “stiff gait” or his footwear than in the actual achievements of his administration and his unwavering optimism.

The passage of time will show the historic economic growth under Biden, booming job creation, his firm and steady hand guiding the free world through a war started by Putin’s Russia, scores of actions taken to protect the environment, saving Americans over $1.5 billion in life-saving prescription drug costs, staunch support for women’s rights, unwavering commitment to working people, and a steadfast defense of democracy at home and abroad.

Perhaps more so than others, the Delaware Valley should be thankful for Biden’s leadership. For 36 years in the U.S. Senate, Biden functioned much like a third senator for Pennsylvania. He always looked out for the interests of the state of his birth, even during his eight years as vice president and four years as president.

» READ MORE: Two years into his presidency, Biden has delivered | Editorial

For example, thanks to Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the city of Philadelphia alone will have received over $531.5 million just for city infrastructure projects presenting tangible progress. Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act aided Bucks County with over $122 million to negate the economic impacts of the COVID pandemic, water and sewer infrastructure, and public health. Throughout the Keystone State, over 800,000 people will save nearly $500 annually due to Biden’s law lowering prescription drug costs that take effect this year.

As Biden himself might say, “not a joke,” especially since it is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what his administration has done to benefit middle- and working-class people in the Philly metro area and nationwide.

One day my children and grandchildren will likely look back on America in the Biden administration as “the good old days” when one of the most capable, ethical, and honorable men to ever lead the country was at the helm.

Our 46th president has proven to be a person who not only talked the talk of middle-class values, but walked the walk of middle-class values for over five decades in public life.

As the old Irish proverb that I’ve heard Biden invoke many times in his career suggests, “May the road rise to meet you,” Joe.

Our nation will eventually recognize the enormity of your service and the magnitude of your accomplishments.

Nathan R. Shrader is a graduate of Temple University and a former resident of East Kensington. He serves as associate professor of politics and codirector of the Center for Civic Engagement at New England College in Henniker, NH.