WASHINGTON — After declaring himself a “bridge” to the next generation of Democratic leaders, President Joe Biden took office 15 months ago vowing to focus on getting the pandemic under control, stabilizing the economy and restoring a sense of order and calm following his predecessor’s four frenetic, polarizing years.
But as Biden has discovered, there is no such thing as a caretaker president.
While Biden’s FDR-size ambitions to enlarge the social safety net and enact a sweeping program to combat climate change have stalled, his presidency is being battered by external events: the biggest land war in Europe since World War II and, now, the Supreme Court’s apparent decision to strike down Roe v. Wade, ending nearly 50 years of abortion as a federally protected right.
