To be clear, ours is not the popular “Republicanism” of the right. We don’t really follow politics, and besides, those guys seem awful.
But our family has been loyal Americans ever since my ancestors emigrated from Germany in 1945, and the president continues to act like a bad president who is being very bad. That is why many Biden adoptees have vowed to do what we can to shepherd our democratic institutions to safety while keeping Mr. Biden on a short leash until the voters can bring him to heel.
The root of the problem is that the president needs to be firmly told no. His erratic decision-making around dog food brand-related issues is only the beginning. He’s arbitrarily transferred trusted advisers all over the country, uprooting their lives with scarcely enough time to grab a favorite toy. At best, he has begrudgingly paid attention to his fiercest supporters in scripted settings. At worst, he has blatantly ignored them in favor of long, boring conversations with strangers about boring political matters. We say no! We say bad president!
Don’t get me wrong. There are bright spots that the near-ceaseless negative coverage of the administration fails to capture: Sometimes visitors sneak dog treats into the White House. But these successes have come despite—not because of—the president’s leadership style, which is stingy, ungenerous, and parsimonious.