By Isa Riano, Contributing Writer
President Joe Biden took office a year ago facing a pandemic, a strained economy, and a country in need of foreign policy reform. Here are some of the views of Saint Leo University political science professors, Frank Orlando and Dr. Marco Rimanelli.
Question #1: What is your opinion on Biden’s approach to foreign policy issues?
Orlando said, “It would be interesting to see how he responds to the situation with Ukraine and Russia. We are putting troops near Ukraine, and we will see how far he will go. His response is going to be a great answer to this question.”
Rimanelli expressed his concerns about Biden’s lack of experience handling foreign policy issues.
“Biden has had little interaction with foreign policy, which has been an issue in his presidency,” said Rimanelli. “Some of our rival nations, including Russia and China, see Biden as ‘weak’ as he thinks he has to ‘speak softly’ for diplomatic purposes. This is a problem because presidents must react to prevent foreign policy issues from engulfing our country.”
Question #2: How well do you think Biden has handled COVID-19 cases and regulations?
Orlando said, “We would have to go based on the expectations he said he was going to meet in his campaign. He proposed to snuff out the virus so that people’s lives could go back to normal.”
Despite the vaccine’s availability and freeness, Orlando said that this was not enough to get on the path Biden promised during his presidential campaign.
“Earlier in his presidency, the vaccine was helping us get through that path. But later on, his policies were not very effective as not everyone wanted to get vaccinated. That leads to the resurgence of a wave. With that situation, we have not been able to move past the virus the way he wanted us to,” said Orlando.
Rimanelli believes that people’s faith and trust in Biden’s government played a role in vaccination rates.
“While Biden has accomplished a significant achievement by getting 70 percent of the American population vaccinated, he fails to recognize that there are still people who do not trust the government enough to be immunized,” said Rimanelli. “Some people were concerned regarding posts circulating about the COVID-19 vaccine containing a tracking microchip. In contrast, others believed there was insufficient research to implement a vaccination method in such a short period.”
Question #3: What is your opinion on Biden’s disagreements with some governors, including Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor?
Orlando said, “Unfortunately, most of this is done as a political strategy to gain recognition, rather than as a responsible act of civism. Ron DeSantis has an incentive to argue with Biden because it raises his profile.”
Orlando continued, “It makes him look like a leader for confronting the president. On the other hand, this gives Biden have an opportunity to gain popularity by contrasting himself with an unpopular governor among the Democrats.”
The majority of the banter between Biden and DeSantis relates to opposing views about COVID-19 regulations and Rimanelli believes that this has caused tension.
“DeSantis proposed to open schools and universities in August 2020. Biden stated this would perpetuate the spread of the virus, which has caused tension between them,” said Rimanelli.
Question #4: Do you think Biden communicates effectively in public and professional settings?
Orlando said, “Biden has been known for being an empathetic person who can connect with people easily; however, he is not very clear with his public speeches because of his age. He is a better communicator in informal settings where he can connect with people.”
Rimanelli said, “Biden’s biological age has nothing to do with his genetic age. Both Trump and Biden are in their 70s, and Trump is twice as energetic as Biden. Biden lacks the energy and clarity he needs for his public speeches to be eloquent.”
Question #5: What impact do you think Biden has had in the country overall?
Orlando said, “People might answer this question differently depending on their political views. Most Republicans dislike his policies. Many Democrats like what he is doing, but some might think he has not done enough.”
Rimanelli agrees with Orlando that it is a subjective question. “Although the response to this question may vary, the numbers suggest Biden has had trouble meeting his expectations,” said Rimanelli. “When he was elected, 65 percent of people liked his proposals. That number has dropped to 35 percent, if not lower.”
The Biden presidency debate is complex, and there is still much more to learn about his effectiveness in office.
