Bill Tress's Reviews > The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future

The words, the last politician, have an ominous sound, they point to our Country’s decline, they point to the fact that we have no statesmen visible on the horizon, no Lincolns, no Churchill’s, or Roosevelts who can lead us away from the abyss. We can only trust in the future, with the knowledge that great men have stepped up in the past during our hour of need, yet we fear that the title may be correct. Do we have the right to expect these miracles to continue?
This story details the inner workings of the first two years of Joe Biden’s Presidency. Foer describes the triumphs and failures incurred in the fight to save our democracy after the disastrous Presidency of Donald Trump. While there is some partisanship in his narrative, he backs up his statements with facts.
Foer’s delightful narrative gives the reader the impression that Foer is in the room when momentous decisions are being debated and implemented. He names the participants, and their secret discussions. Much is done behind the scenes, and I think it is unfortunate. Biden in many ways has saved this Country as well as securing the passage of legislation that has benefitted the middle class in this Country. Unfortunately, he has been attacked by the ult-right and the man he replaced. They interfere with the progress he has made in the areas of covid prevention, climate change and a fair and equitable economy that does benefit only the rich. The opposition party’s constant harping on his age and every mistake valid or perceived, large, or small that his administration has made impacts his ratings. Foer’s book if read by all citizens would change that perception.
The two years he has been in office are made extraordinary by the range of issues this administration faced from medical emergencies like the pandemic caused by the virus Covid to an invasion of Ukraine by Russia. We also see a President who makes every effort to improve the lives of the average American citizen while fighting uncontrollable issues. Foer’s view provides an insider’s view of the workings of the Administration. It struck this reader how difficult it is to get consensus on anything and how hard everyone from the President on down his administration works to make changes that will benefit the middle class. It raises the question, why would anyone want to be President? Is the answer the reason we are seeing the last politician?
There are powerful people in this administration whom the average observer has never heard of; some are staff members and others are outside advisers. The phrase mentioned in the book is Hacks and Wonks. The first thing that strikes the reader is how powerful these people are, they develop the strategy for passing legislation, they write the specific language into the law, and they work with and cajole everyone from a senate staffer to even Heads of State to get the Administrations proposed laws implemented. These anonymous people fly around the world to consult with and confront other governments on behalf of our Country and the President. Foer makes clear that Joe Biden not only has the final say, but he provides the vision and direction while employing his ministers to sell his ideas our Country and the world.
The term last politician refers to Joe Biden, a man with decades of experience in the highest levels of government. He has worked for and advised many Presidents during crisis; he is battle tested. Biden is on a first name basis with most of the current world leaders and does not hesitate to pick up the phone to engage in friendly banter and to discuss the latest crisis. This makes Biden unique because there are no other politicians in either party who has the decades long experience to have made these important contacts. This personal trust built over the years helps to build coalitions and solve worldwide problems. Foer points out that Joe has an intuition and instincts developed from his years of experience and he does not hesitate to govern his administration, based on instinct while sometimes ignoring conventual wisdom. His successes were varied like the harnessing the Defense Production Act to speed free vaccinations and the production of protective equipment was instrumental in the fight to contain covid, the legislation like the American Rescue Plan to deal with climate change that will have a lasting effect on the American people. Biden’s contribution to the well being of the citizens of this Country goes unrecognized and unappreciated by the public because among his idiosyncrasies is a propensity to make a gaffe in a speech or trip while deplaning, these things make him appear old so despite his achievement his ratings are poor.
The book covers the entire two years, yet it is most compelling in the discussions regarding his decision to end the US involvement in Afghanistan and the US support for the Ukraine after they are attacked by Russia. Biden’s decision to leave Afghanistan can be considered the right thing to do, yet the failure of the military and his administration to effectively extract itself was a colossal disaster and a humiliating mistake that received worldwide negative attention. His support for Ukraine was also the right thing to do and he has worked hard on Ukraine’s behalf to repel the Russian invasion.
The book leaves the reader with questions like why anyone would want to be President of the United States? Maybe from Biden’s perspective it is to save democracy and improve the lives of its citizens. Foer looks at the first two years of Joe’s fight to preserve our democracy and to improve the lives of the American people and it is most compelling. This reader wishes that the administration and the media did a better job of acknowledging Joe Biden’s successes despite the constant belligerence of his advisories. I agree with Foer’s point that Joe Biden maybe the last Politician/Statesman that this Country ever produces. God help this Country if this is true!