The beginning of an era... Biden takes office as political tensions flare

“I go from this majestic place with a loyal and joyful heart and optimistic spirit and a supreme confidence that for our country, and for our children, the best is yet to come,” declared former President Donald Trump from the White House in his farewell address on January 19. As the Trump era transitions to Joe Biden’s presidency, some share Trump’s optimism, while others are more skeptical about the four years ahead. Regardless, Biden was sworn in the next day. With Democrats possessing a razor-thin control of Congress for the next two years, Biden could move quickly with his proposed policies, unlike Trump was able to do with Democrats controlling the House of Representatives for the last two years.

“I think Biden will be able to get a lot more done with Congress control,” American Government and Politics teacher Erron Hundt said. “Maybe he won’t get everything done that he wants to, but a lot more than he could have without that majority. I think he will rely a lot on executive orders like Trump did and most presidents have done. For things he wants to get done in the first 100 days, Biden’s going to sign more executive orders rather than trying to go through the Senate and the House.”

This prediction was definitely evident during Biden’s first day in office, as he signed several executive orders, many of which reversed Trump’s policies. Looking at a broader scope of what he might push through Congress, Biden has numerous plans and ideas, most likely starting with COVID.

“It looks like Biden is going to push for a larger coronavirus stimulus. In general, Biden is probably going to have a different coronavirus response than Trump,” social studies teacher Jacob Smasal said. “He’s said in the past that he’s at least considering a lockdown for his first 100 days in office. I think we’re going to see a higher vaccine rollout and hopefully a little more organization with that process. Though, I’m not sure that would have much to do with Biden and more with people figuring things out over the passage of time.”  

Biden’s consideration of lockdowns has many Americans optimistic that COVID numbers could drop, while others are concerned about such actions’ possible side effects.

“I think that one of the biggest policy changes with Biden being President will be COVID and lockdowns. I think that his team will take a more serious approach to COVID, which will result in more lockdowns,” senior Ty Rasumussen said. “I think that will be a positive outcome of a Biden presidency, which will result in the numbers decreasing. However, more lockdowns will definitely impact the economy in a negative way with businesses closing.”

Another policy that Biden could push for is a national mask mandate, but because of the vast reach that policy would have, it may not be exactly realistic to approve such a law.

“Biden signed an executive order to have a mask mandate in federal buildings, but as far as a nationwide mask mandate, I don’t know if he is going to do that,” Hundt said. “Or rather, if he does, it might be sent to the Supreme Court so I don’t know how successful that would be.”

Biden’s possible new COVID policies are part of a long list of liberal points of contention that will likely be pushed for by the new president, ranging from climate issues to minimum wage. 

“Over the next four years, I think we will see a push for more liberal programs like Medicare For All and the Green New Deal,” Smasal said. “It also looks like Biden wants to push the minimum wage to $15 per hour, which might be great for high school students working part-time jobs.”

Anyone following the election drama knows about the huge contrast between Trump’s and Biden’s policies, as is more often than not seen between Republican and Democratic candidates. This gap likely stems from different ideological views of the economy, with Trump pushing for largely pro-business policies throughout his tenure. Pre-COVID, the economy had significant growth, and there was some regrowth before Trump left office.

“I know that during Trump’s administration, part of his appeal was that he was going to help the economy by deregulating some things and helping out businesses,” senior Olivia Stellpflug said. “I know that’s something that will be different with Biden because Biden’s stance is going to be more pro-environment and more pro-working class instead of pro-business.”

However, with the pandemic still looming over the country, many of Biden’s promised economy-related policies may be placed on the backburner, notably the Green New Deal, which has received both generous support and great resistance from politicians over the past several months. 

“I don’t know if the Green New Deal is going to be something major that Biden does in the first year, but I think possibly after the pandemic is kind of under control, that might be something he looks into,” Hundt said. “I do think overall that there’s going to be more done regarding climate during this administration than was done in the past.”

Another area of contention, as with all presidents, is that of foreign policy. 

“I think we’re going to see a shift back to Obama-era foreign policy. I think we’re going to hear about Russia a lot more than we’ve had from the Trump administration over the last few years. I think there’s going to be a lot of rebuilding of the United States’ reputation over the half-decade or so,” Smasal said. “President Trump's foreign policy was very abrasive and ‘in-your-face.’ I would think that Biden would move away from that."

As president, Trump’s foreign policy included a mediated peace deal in the Middle East. As one of his more “abrasive” agendas, he also took a hardline approach against China.

“I think we might see less tariffs in the Biden administration, and I think Biden’s probably gonna be a little more diplomatic than Trump was,” junior Anders Larson said.

During Trump’s last months in office, he and Republican Senators rushed to fill the vacant Supreme Court spot after Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away, and eventually did so with Amy Coney Barrett. While Biden and Democrats cannot reverse this decision, some have suggested that Biden should “pack the court” and support legislation to increase the number of justices in order to soften conservative influence in the Supreme Court.

“What many Democrats want him to do is to increase the total number of Supreme Court justices, so he can appoint additional justices. There are upsides and downsides to that situation,” Smasal said. “The upside, at least for whatever party is in charge, is that you can appoint more justices that follow your viewpoints, but when the other party takes over, there’s nothing to really stop them from continuing to add justices.”

Art by Abe Weston

That could lead to a dangerous precedent.

“Eventually, way down the line in an extreme scenario, we may end up with like 101 Supreme Court justices because people keep adding more,” Smasal said. “But that’s a little bit of a hyperbole. With Biden having the majority in the House and the Senate for at least the next two years, it would be relatively easy to pack the court if he wants to.”

Biden has been somewhat unclear on his position regarding packing the Supreme Court. Regardless, many are convinced that he might try to do so.

“I think Biden will try to pack the court,” Stellpflug said. “I think anybody in his position would do that to try and help their party. It doesn’t matter what party they’re on.”

The confirmation of Amy Coney Barett led Senator Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to become a vocal proponent of packing the court. AOC is seen as a far-left Democrat, and in the past few years leading up to the recent Democratic primaries and the eventual 2020 election, there has been a rise of left-wing Democrats like her. While Biden is generally viewed as a moderate Democrat, with more and more pressure mounting from the far-left, the new President faces a choice of how progressive he will push his policies.

“I think Biden’s going to have to tip-toe that fine line between moderate and progressive. He has been in politics for so long, so he does sort of have friends on both sides,” Hundt said. “So I think, especially after what happened in the last few weeks and since the election, he’s going to have to not go too far left to try to unite people rather than divide. I think up until the election, he might have promoted some left-leaning policies, but right now, he needs to focus and probably will focus on being more moderate.” 

With the divisions inside the Democratic Party growing, there could be significant opposition from far-left Democrats against Biden if he stays moderate. 

“If Biden’s going to get backlash from Democrats, it’s going to be those on the far-left of the spectrum because his policies are too moderate,” Smasal said. “I think the last group that’s going to give backlash against Joe Biden is moderate Democrats.”

Of course, Biden will likely find opposition from the Republican Party, who recently lost their control of the Senate, in a bid to slow down the progress of Democratic policies in Congress. However, as the past several months have shown, with Black Lives Matter protests and riots, and now the recent riot at the Capitol, strong opposition can come from anywhere, from both the left and right sides of the political spectrum. 

“In terms of Republicans, you have them in the Senate and the House who are established political leaders and they will oppose Joe Biden in the ways that Democrats have spent the last couple years opposing President Trump,” Smasal said. “In terms of just people, I have no idea. Really after the events of the last few weeks, anything is on the table. I think that opposition will boil over in unexpected ways as it has for the last couple of years, and I hope that we can weather that storm.”

Today, America is arguably in the midst of one of its most divided times after the Civil War. Regardless of who won the election, it is safe to say that there is a herculean task ahead to try to unify the country despite individuals’ political and personal beliefs about America. Many are optimistic about Biden’s chances of bridging the gap. At the very least, Biden seems to present himself as someone who wants to establish unity as a top priority.

“I think Biden is going to cast himself as a ‘healer.’ He’s going to try to bring both sides back together and try to sort of sew up the wounds and the division,” Smasal said. “I think that’s kind of the role he has already taken, and I think that based on what he said, we can get that impression from him. I don’t think his goal is going to be to deepen that divide, I think it will be the opposite.”

Others are not as optimistic. With matters seemingly growing more and more out of control, some believe that Biden simply cannot lessen the divide in the U.S.

“I would like to think that Biden could bring more unification within the United States,” Rasmussen said. “However, after seeing the attacks at the Capitol building, I believe that citizens will stay divided.”

Now, with the censorship of many right-wing voices on social media and the removal of Parler, a social media site with predominantly conservative members, after the Capitol events, it seems evident to some that the divisions will only keep growing as arguments over the nature of free speech have begun. Hopefully, at the very least, all parties involved can agree to honor free speech responsibly and productively, whether it be in support of or in opposition to Joe Biden. 

“Hopefully, people can come back closer to the middle and support Biden, who is fairly elected after all the states confirmed it. Whether you like him or not, you have to deal with him for a while,” Stellpflug said. “You can still voice your opinion, you can still influence politics the best you can, but let’s not let it get out of hand.”

By Akashraj Karthikeyan

Oshkosh West Index Volume 117 Issue IV

February 1st, 2021