Double it
President Biden promised to complete 100 million vaccinations in his first 100 days. Seemingly an unattainable task, President Biden shows that, once again, he is a man of his word. He reached the milestone in just 58 days. According to Politico, President Biden has now set his sights on a new goal. On his way to Atlanta, President Biden was stopped briefly by reporters who asked about his next goal, to which he replied, “We hope to double it.” Biden believes we can be optimistic about the progress, but he said, “it’s not time for relaxation,” intimating that he intends to keep working just as hard. So far, President Biden has been incredibly effective, including passage of his American Rescue Plan. Many tout this plan as a boon to the economy, and Republicans made a huge mistake refusing to get on board.
CNN Business reported that Goldman Sachs predicts President Biden’s stimulus to keep the economy “humming for years.” The company forecasts the economy to surge to a 7% GPD in 2021, the fastest pace since 1984 under Reagan. Further, Goldman Sachs predicts growth of 5.1% in 2022, which is well above its previous prediction of 4.5%. These numbers also mean stronger job growth, and as a result, Goldman Sachs forecasts a decrease in unemployment from 6.5% to 4%. That is by the end of this year, decreasing further in 2022 to 3.5%. The money being pumped into opening schools will mean the return of teachers and other school workers who were sidelined by COVID. If Goldman Sachs is correct, we may well be in a strong position to continue our growth, as they predict, well into the future. Raymond James compares potential impact of the stimulus to President Reagan’s “Morning in America” by calling it “Springtime in America” and believes that we are “on the cusp leaving behind a long dark winter of COVID.”
How President Biden is accomplishing so much is a mystery. He is like a caped superhero, rushing to save the day. Amid his COVID work, he and Vice President Kamala Harris headed out to tour areas to continue discussing the benefits of the Rescue Plan, landing in Georgia Friday. That visit was marred by the senseless murders of eight people just a few days ago, and the President and Vice President altered their plans to meet with Asian community leaders. When they stopped by the CDC, President Biden was almost giddy, visiting with CDC employees, including new director Rochelle Walensky.
Following his activities, President Biden stopped to speak to the nation, and seeing him do so was pure joy. After four years of turmoil, witnessing the leader of our country express genuine, unabashed empathy is so refreshing, and it is no act. When he spoke to the families of murder victims, it was as if he was speaking directly to them. Joe Biden continues to show that he is the president we need at this turbulent time. He will be successful if he continues along the path he has begun.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years