Feehery: 10 ways to right Biden’s sinking ship

Joe Biden campaigned, from his basement, as a centrist who could heal the country after four tumultuous years of the Trump presidency. But his presidency has devolved into a massive bait and switch game. On every issue important to the vast center of nation, he has governed from the far left, attempting to please a small sliver of progressive America. From education policy, to the energy crisis, from transgender sports to endorsing mask mandates, from trying to create a Ministry of Truth to encouraging inflation to limit consumption, the Biden administration is running off the rails. We know Joe Biden’s presidency is a disaster. Here are the ten things he can do to save it:

·      Fire Ron Klain: The president’s chief of staff has been described as being more of a prime minister and less of an effective staff leader, mostly because Mr. Biden is not in full command of his faculties. But Klain is incompetent. Biden should recall Rahm Emanuel from Japan and install him as his new chief. 

·      Hire John Kirby as his top spokesman: I am glad that Karine Jean-Pierre got a chance to check off many boxes in her short-tenure as press secretary, but she is a disaster and Biden needs a calm steady presence at the podium.

·      Urge that Twitter allow Donald Trump back on the platform: This will serve as a nice distraction that the media will eat up and undoubtedly the former president will make news that help Biden somehow.

·      Kill Build Back Better: Put reconciliation out of its misery and insist that any bill that he signs must have more than 60 Senate votes. Right now, an anti-China bill is the only significant legislation that has a chance to become law. Biden should focus all of his lobbying efforts on getting that bill past the finish line and then tout it as a huge bipartisan accomplishment.

·      Fire Nancy Pelosi: Of course, Biden is not in charge of deciding who is the House Speaker, but he can make it clear that it is time to get rid of the aging partisan who has done more to cause rancor in the people’s chamber than other leader in congressional history (and that is saying something).

·      Reverse course on oil leases and pipelines: Democrats think it is good policy and good politics to constrict the supply of fossil fuels in this country. They are delusional.

·      Retire Anthony Fauci and fire Rochelle Walensky: These are the most visible faces of our bungled COVID-19 response. And they are two biggest cheerleaders of another lockdown. Nobody wants another lockdown. Nobody.

·      Find a way to end the war in Ukraine: The president keeps escalating things and his administration keeps calling for Vladimir Putin’s ouster. But regime change shouldn’t be the chief goal of the U.S. government. Stopping the conflict should be. If Biden can broker a peace agreement, he will be a hero. 

·      Appoint Michelle Rhee as Education secretary: Rhee did an amazing job when she was in charge of DC public schools. She insisted on teacher quality, promoted charter schools and took on the teacher unions. The Democrats now find themselves in a huge hole when it comes to education as a political issue. Installing somebody like Rhee could help to change that dynamic. 

·      Cut federal spending and cut taxes on business: Inflation is caused when too many dollars are chasing after too few goods and services. The answer is to stop flooding the market with too much unproductive government spending and to allow the private sector to catch up by making it easier for them to produce more products. Giving big welfare checks to those who don’t work keeps too many potential employees sitting on the sidelines. We don’t need to prime the pump anymore. We need turn off the spigots and unleash the private marketplace. 

Feehery is a partner at EFB Advocacy and blogs at www.thefeeherytheory.com. He served as spokesman to former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), as communications director to former House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas), and as a speechwriter to former House Minority Leader Bob Michel (R-Ill.).