Biden's multipolar presidency is a major problem

By Tom Basile

There are some in Washington who believe that the end of 2020 and the departure of Donald Trump signals a return to some form of political normalcy. Pundits, politicos and policymakers beware. America is yet again in uncharted territory. We have entered the era of the multipolar presidency.

Questions are swirling about which Joe Biden the nation elected: the driven yet amiable moderate of decades past, or an automaton beholden to his party’s ascendent left wing. The factions currently competing for his attention and the public’s will ultimately decide this administration’s course and destiny.

Notable among our ex-presidents, Nixon focused on rehabilitating his image and contributing substantively to the American foreign policy discussion. Gerald Ford played golf. Bill Clinton made money. Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush all largely stayed out of politics, dedicating their time outside of the office to philanthropy. Times have changed.

The argument that the Biden administration is President Barack Obama’s third term is not simply a Republican talking point. Barack Obama is our first truly activist former president in more than a century.

His strength and influence within the Democratic Party remain profound. In 2020, the former president and his old attorney general, Eric Holder, spearheaded an effort to win statehouses for the Democrats in order to wrest control of decennial redistricting out of Republican hands. Off the campaign trail, Mr. Obama’s acolytes are just as loyal. Many are now ensconced in the West Wing — and remain close to a former commander in chief more than willing to speak his mind. 
The argument that the Biden administration is President Barack Obama’s third term is not simply a Republican talking point. Barack Obama is our first truly activist former president in more than a century. 

His strength and influence within the Democratic Party remain profound. In 2020, the former president and his old attorney general, Eric Holder, spearheaded an effort to win statehouses for the Democrats in order to wrest control of decennial redistricting out of Republican hands. Off the campaign trail, Mr. Obama’s acolytes are just as loyal. Many are now ensconced in the West Wing — and remain close to a former commander in chief more than willing to speak his mind.