Blog

Joe Biden’s Three Biggest Failures

Posted on by Colin McMahon
Joe Biden

So, like at least 74 million of my fellow Americans out there, I wasn’t thrilled with how this past election turned out. That actually may be the most understated sentence I’ve written on this blog. My actual thoughts drift closer to “Holy hell, how did we end up here again?”

I’m not the only person thinking that. There is no shortage of pundits out there who, despite how wrong they may have been about how the election was going to go, now confidently turn back and say “It was clear because of [insert reason here] that Kamala Harris was going to lose.” In my opinion, the best immediate reaction was Jon Stewart’s:

So I’m not here to claim to be the smartest person in the room. Heck, right now the only one sharing the room with me is a cat – and he definitely seems more on top of his life than I do at this moment. That said, I do pay a lot of attention to what goes on in the world – and I watched Joe Biden’s performance with great interest.

For the record, I think Joe Biden did a f*ck ton of good things he currently does not get enough credit for, including but not limited to:

All that’s pretty good, right? Not to say there weren’t dark spots – I mean, that’s the point of this article. For the record, I’m going to focus more on flaws that were present from day one and not specific policies. That said, I must mention Biden’s disastrous response to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war of aggression in the Middle East, which has led to a horrific humanitarian crisis and shows no signs of slowing down. Holy hell, way to leave innocents to die, Joe.

But this incident happened in the final year and a half of Biden’s presidency and, while definitely helping to aid the return of Donald Trump, is not – in my view – the reason many in America fear for the future. So let’s talk about the three biggest failures of Joe Biden’s presidency, starting at number three and working our way up.

Biden’s Ego

Everyone who runs for President of the United States has an ego. I mean, you’d have to – right? We’re a nation of over 350 million people and if you’re sitting here going “I bet I could make this place better” then you have a healthy opinion of yourself. Nothing wrong with that.

The issue comes when the thinking changes from “I bet I could make this place better” to “Only I can make this place better.” While many focused on Trump’s ego – as he has made this statement or statements like it throughout his political career, he is not unique.

In fact, I would argue things turned significantly worse for America’s future when, in April 2023, Joe Biden announced his re-election bid. AT 80 years old, Joe Biden felt confident he was the best person to be president of the United States for the next six years. More than that, there was a central message emanating from the Biden campaign: Only Joe Biden can beat Trump. This was gospel despite every bit of external data suggesting that the American public wanted someone else. Heck, the Biden-Trump rematch was the most poorly anticipated presidential election in decades, and that is saying something.

When Joe Biden ran in 2020, he told Americans he would be the bridge to a new generation of leadership. He was almost 78 when he said that, so please forgive the most of us who assumed that statement did not imply a two-term bridge.

Ego is one of those aspects of personality that must be kept in balance. Biden was fine when he believed he could beat Trump. The situation soured the minute he believed that, not only was he the only one who could beat Donald Trump, the majority of Americans really wanted him to try again.

Merrick Garland and the Gaslighting of America

A president is judged by their cabinet. The complexities and vastness of America are simply too much for any one person to handle. Given the extraordinary first presidency of Donald Trump, which climaxed in a despicable attempted insurrection on January 6th, a crime that unfolded on national TV, across social media, and in full view of everyone. We all saw it happen, from start to finish.

For this crime to remain an anomaly, swift and decisive justice would be needed on every level. Trump needed to be held accountable for his role – as did every other mastermind not physically arrested in the nation’s capital.

So, Joe Biden nominated Merrick Garland, the once-spurned supreme court nominee, to lead this effort. And what happened? Absolutely nothing for more than a year. Garland resisted and delayed at every turn, not wanting to seem eager or partisan in his approach to Trump’s blatant misdeeds. When finally – FINALLY – pressured by the January 6th committee, Garland finally lurched into action… by nominating someone else to actually… do the action.

Merrick Garland failure
If only Biden had known someone more familiar with prosecuting to serve as AG. Like a former prosecutor turned senator…alas, no such political maverick was found.

Yes, despite happening on January 6th, 2021, the case into Trump’s corruption didn’t fully begin until November 18th, 2022, when Garland appointed government corruption specialist Jack Smith to oversee all Trump’s potential misdeeds in one clump. Because nothing says speed or efficiency like giving multiple cases of work to one person.

So, rather than beginning on day one – the most important prosecution of Biden’s presidency didn’t start in earnest until after the mid-terms. From there on, the inevitable delays pushed the cases into the election cycle, where Garland’s efforts to depoliticize the investigations exploded in his face.

You cannot blame the public for shrugging at January 6th when your own Attorney General had to be peer pressured into doing his job. The failure of Merrick Garland may well reverberate for decades to come. And, when the buck stops at the top, the failure of Merrick Garland is just another way of saying the failure of Joe Biden.

Communication (or the one lesson to learn from Donald Trump)

Sometimes you know there will be problems from day one, and I still remember watching the inauguration of Joe Biden and going “uh oh.” On the surface, nothing bad happened. Biden did as he promised. Right after taking the Oath of Office, he signed a flurry of executive actions – on camera. The move was mundane. He sat down at his desk, took out his pen, and just did it. The tone was clearly “Americans elected me to do a job and I’m here to do it. No fuss.”

Except, that’s not how a politician leads in today’s climate. The 21st century is on beset by information. It flies at us all the time from practically every direction. You can find news on TV, on your computers, on your phones. At a time when everyone was shouting, Biden seemed very content to quietly do his work, without making any signs of showmanship or posturing.

Trump, by contrast, would have grandstanded each of those accomplishments, as well as the many others that came over the four years. This is the one area where Donald Trump should be emulated. The man knows how to show off. He’s not the first politician or president to do it, but Trump excels at communication. Case in point, we’re about to hear that the economy is actually awesome and that everything is going great. That switch will come, day one, in January 2025. Nothing will have actually changed, mind you – but that won’t stop Trump.

Whether due to his age, his stutter, or just his disposition, Biden was unwilling or unable to meet the communication challenge of modern America. His administration seemed opaque and muffled – as if it were trying to hide something. Even before the 2024 election, Biden gave few interviews and made infrequent media appearances. When he did speak, it was through exclusively traditional channels.

And, when it came time to strut his stuff, Biden failed to effectively tell the American public what he’d done – with the exception of a pretty decent State of the Union address. The lack of communication, however, was not the only issue.

Biden appeared as isolated as Trump from the criticisms of his presidency, dismissing much of it as mere partisanship. The inflation crisis that gripped America was never properly addressed. In fact, Biden – at multiple times throughout the last year – championed the economy, talking about how amazing it was. On many levels – he was right. In 2024, America’s economy has been seen as the envy of the world. The stock market is strong, job growth robust. Hurray… right?

By missing (or perhaps refusing to see) how much inflation was hurting people, Biden’s messaging felt off. Unfortunately, this messaging was largely passed on to Kamala Harris’ campaign during its mad 100-day dash to try to salvage victory. Too little was changed, too late. With a more savvy communicator in the White House, who knows what would have been different?

America now faces a very uncertain future. Even many of those who voted for Trump don’t appear to know what exactly they’ve gotten themselves into. Google searches into “what is a tariff” have spiked following the election and many companies are preparing for the worst. As always, pundits and “experts” have a take.

As for me, this is my two cents on Biden. I promise I’ll be writing about plenty of non-political things in the future but well, I have kids and I care. I hope I’m wrong, that’s all I’ll say. Unfortunately – I’ve said it before… and I wasn’t. But for now, the horse was hired back into the hospital.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade…is not Great

Posted on by Colin McMahon

Hey I haven’t posted in a while, so what better way to come back than with a controversial opinion? Some quick background here before I dive in: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was my favorite film in the series when I was little (think 12 or below). While my views have shifted on it, I want to be clear that I’m not saying this film is bad. Having just seen Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, my personal opinion is there are no bad Indiana Jones movies (as of 2023). I know, that opinion may be more controversial than this article’s title.

So why am I taking a shot at one of the most popular Indiana Jones films ever made? Well, it’s not for the sake of being negative. I think there’s enough negativity in online geek culture already. I think, to better appreciate the later Indiana Jones sequels (and newer films in general), it’s important to take off the nostalgia goggles whenever possible and actually ask the serious question: “Were all the movies I loved as a kid actually like, the best movies ever made…or was it just that I was a kid?”

I have seen every Indiana Jones movie within the last two weeks and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade stuck out to me on rewatch, and not always for great reasons. I’ll hopefully be doing a superlative award post on Indiana Jones movies soon, in which Last Crusade will be mentioned favorably several times but, for now, let’s dig in. Why don’t I think Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is all that great?

Elsa and Donovan: Indy’s Weakest Adversaries

Indiana Jones has some great villains and, when they work, they are real strengths to the movie. On paper, Elsa Schneider (played by Alison Doody) should be excellent. She’s a twist on the (at the time) traditional Indiana Jones love interest. He’s met a beautiful woman who shares his love of archeology and we, the audience, are all set for another romantic adventure – just like with Marion or Willie. But then, the rug is pulled out! Elsa is a Nazi and she…wait, why is Elsa a Nazi?

Now ordinarily I don’t want Indiana Jones movies with a researcher’s eye on character motivation – these aren’t that type of movie, but Last Crusade consistently throws Elsa at odds with Nazi values and actions. Despite her initial betrayal, where she gleefully betrays Indiana and his father, Elsa follows this action by showing constant worry and concern for their safety. It’s pretty clear she doesn’t want them to be killed…despite putting them into harm’s way.

Then there’s the book burning scene, where we see a teary-eyed Elsa cringe at the destruction of knowledge and the loss of art and history. She really seems to want no part of it – and yet she’s a special guest to Hitler, implying that not only is she a Nazi, but she’s an important Nazi. So, if she hates the club – why is she part of the club? What exactly did she talk about in her sleep that clued Henry Sr. in on her true identity?

This inconsistency in character really diminishes any pleasure to be found in Elsa’s villainy. She’s not the maniacal cackling villain, nor is she particularly nuanced or developed. Her actions often feel more like plot movements than any real motivation. When she betrays and kills Walter Donovan at the end, it doesn’t feel particularly earned or cathartic, more just “well, it’s time to wrap this up.” Speaking of Walter Donovan…

WHY IS HE A NAZI? This makes even less sense than Elsa, who at least has a German last name. We know precious little about Last Crusade‘s main villain, save two things: He’s rich and, like Jeff Bezos, he wants to live forever. Oh, yeah, and he’s a Nazi…because reasons? In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Belloq’s allegiance with the Nazis makes immediate sense. He is only one man and he needs their resources. Donovan is also just one man but, as we’ve covered, he’s very rich. Seems like he could fully finance an expedition without selling his mansion or experiencing any real inconvenience.

Elsa and Donovan Last Crusade
“Sir, please refresh my memory…why didn’t we just work directly with Indy and his dad?”

Last Crusade takes place in 1938, a year before World War II starts, so the Nazis have yet to invade Africa. They control none of the locations where the film takes place, save Berlin. Donovan and Elsa both readily admit to needing the expertise of Henry Jones Sr. to find the grail. That all makes sense. The real question is: Why do they need the Nazis? Why are they Nazis themselves? Well…let’s look into that.

Why are Nazis in Last Crusade?

Raiders of the Lost Ark was a huge hit. Off a $18 million budget, it made almost $400 million at the box office (in 1981 and in subsequent re-releases). Keep in mind, this was a film with almost no marketing that wasn’t predicted to do anything, and has gone on to be known in history as “the leggiest film ever” for how long it stayed dominant at the box office.

Its success, however, was not just in money. Raiders of the Lost Ark received near universal acclaim (currently 93% on Rotten Tomatoes). It received nine Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. While it didn’t win either of those, it did win in five categories, including Best Film Editing and Best Visual Effects.

With success like that, a sequel is a no-brainer. Yet, instead – we got a prequel. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom takes place one year prior to the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark and goes in different directions. Gone are Marion, the Nazis, and the desert – replaced with exotic animals, gloomy caves, kid sidekicks, and all the adventure of “India.”

The results? Off a budget of $28 million, it made roughly $330 million worldwide. It received two Academy Award nominations, winning one in Best Visual Effects. It currently sits at 77% on Rotten Tomatoes. Not bad, not by any stretch, but a far fall from Raiders of the Lost Ark‘s success.

So, when the time came to create a third one, it seems Steven Spielberg and George Lucas had more on the mind than just creative vision – it was time to hedge their bets.

Indiana Jones and the Cradle of Familiarity

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is the least creative film in the series, and by a lot. It contains almost exact recreations of scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark, notably its shots of Indiana Jones in the classroom with Marcus Brody coming to discuss his latest escapades. The Nazis returned because they were in Raiders of the Lost Ark and most people liked that film more than Temple of Doom. Sallah returned for the same reason (he has precious little to do in Last Crusade). The artifact in question also feels very familiar. Yes, the grail is different from the ark – but both are in Judeo-Christian mythology, rather than an entirely different religion all together.

It is difficult to watch Last Crusade, especially in a series binge, without feeling like you’ve seen this film before. It’s almost sad to think that, after just two movies, creative geniuses like Spielberg and Lucas were like “Well, people only really like this – so let’s just give them something safe.” There were so many directions the series could have gone in, but instead Indiana Jones developed series hallmarks. The Nazis are now the defacto villains, present in three of the five films. Indiana Jones is associated more with deserts than jungles, and Marion and Sallah have become the two most consistent returning characters.

Last Crusade Young Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones and the one morning where he happened to get (in this order): His fear of snakes, his first time with a whip, his scar, and his hat. Eventful day.

When asked in an interview, film director Quentin Tarantino had this to say on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: “I don’t like the Sean Connery one. I don’t like the Sean Connery one at all. … That’s such a boring one. It’s boring. And he’s not an interesting character. The joke is made immediately. It’s like Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.” For those wondering, the film Tarantino references is a buddy cop/odd couple style movie starring Sylvester Stallone and Estelle Getty.

While I don’t fully agree with Tarantino’s opinion, I do think he raises a good point. The inclusion of Sean Connery as Henry Jones Sr. is the biggest separator from Last Crusade and Raiders of the Lost Ark. How you feel about him, his character, and the comedy he and Harrison Ford share onscreen will go a long way to influence your opinion. For myself, I do think the theme of the movie justifies Connery’s inclusion, and I like how they personalized a story about obsession (would have worked more if we understood Elsa to be just as obsessed as the Jones boys before the finale).

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is not a bad film by any stretch. It has good acting, funny moments, and a really well-filmed tank sequence – yet it does feel like the only Indiana Jones sequel directly in the shadow of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and that imitation robs it of any true greatness it might have otherwise received.

An Update on Monsters Among Us

Posted on by Colin McMahon

Okay wow, it has been a bit. Who knew that raising a child could be so time-consuming? I mean, at least there’s not still a pandemic, rising homegrown fascism (fueled by just the most brazen ignorance), a largely ineffective American government, and one of the most useless and wasteful wars in history also going on…

You’d think with all the complications of life, it would be fun to escape into some creative writing. Ordinarily I’d agree with you, but Monsters Among Us, my next novel, has proven to be anything but ordinary. This draft has been sitting, fully written and 95% edited for months. I’m no stranger to writer’s block but this goes beyond anything I’ve ever experienced as a writer. So, what exactly is going on with Monsters Among Us?

Continue reading An Update on Monsters Among Us