In defence of the stuttering Joe Biden: The reverse Warren Harding effect
28 June 2024, 11:54
President Joe Biden suffers from what I’m going to call the ‘Reverse Warren Harding Effect’.
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President Warren Harding is, without doubt, regarded as one of the worst-ever occupants of the Oval Office. The golf-obsessed, scandal-scarred president - sound familiar? - has very little by way of a positive legacy.
Those who slurped the Harding kool-aid were left feeling parched by the time of his death two years later, his administration paralyzed by impropriety.
Perhaps the most puzzling thing about Harding, though, is the enthusiasm with which he was initially embraced by the American people. Harding was elected as the President of the United States in 1920, comprehensively defeating Democrat James Cox with what was, at the time, the biggest share of the popular vote ever, despite possessing a dearth of experience and, bluntly, intellectual capability.
So what explained his success?
Many believe it’s as simple as this: Harding had the ‘look’ of a president. Blessed with striking features and a tapered jawline that even early Hollywood stars would have coveted, he aligned perfectly with the public’s imagination of what a president should look like.
His good looks and commanding aura belied his basic lack of competence. It was pure style over substance; it was the Warren Harding Effect.
A century later, we’re now witnessing the reverse of the Harding Effect - and it risks cannibalising the body of work President Biden has put together over the last four years.
Last night, on the stage in Atlanta, President Biden did not look or sound like an American President.
Too often, he seemed to lose his train of thought, a weakness that was pounced upon time and again by the pugnacious former President Trump who, by comparison, appeared alert, landing cutting remarks following Biden’s gaffes on immigration and Medicare.
Even the brittle quality of President Biden’s cold-blighted voice proved a problem, amplifying concerns about his physical frailty.
But as the Harding Effect proves, looks can be deceiving.
President Biden’s achievements over the last four years have been substantial. The passing of the Inflation Reduction Act, for example, a two trillion dollar package of investment is by far one of the most consequential pieces of domestic legislation passed since the Second World War, propelling the United States’ economy and serving its climate objectives.
The act is as clear an indicator as any of the value of his five decades’ experience at the top of US politics.
Domestically, he’s also introduced the Office for Gun Violence Prevention, a first-of-its-kind federal office dedicated to tackling the issues of gun crime and circumventing the roadblocks that have repeatedly dogged gun reform in Congress.
Obviously, his record on foreign policy will always be tainted by the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago. But he has risen to the occasion elsewhere, ensuring the United States’ support for Ukraine has remained steadfast, despite agitation in Congress, and has pulled together the most serious set of proposals for a lasting ceasefire in the Middle East - a plan endorsed by the UN Security Council.
Government is ultimately about delivering for the electorate. In key areas, President Biden has clearly succeeded. Whatever his obvious presentational flaws - accentuated by the lapses in memory, stuttering and, at times, infirm appearance - he therefore does not deserve the flak he’s receiving.
It’s time to rise above the Harding Effect and recognise President Biden for what he is - an effective political operator.
