Washington Post opinion section publishes series of pieces defending, lowering expectations for Biden

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Media top headlines October 20

In media news today, Jen Psaki gets slammed for offering no explanation for why Build Back Better will cost nothing, Katie Couric says she should have included Ruth Bader Ginsburg's full quote, and The Washington Post gets crushed for a piece calling on American consumers to lower expectations

The Washington Post opinion section went into apparent overtime this week to lower expectations for President Joe Biden over issues plaguing his administration and driving down his popularity. 

Columns published Monday and Tuesday, including one from the Post's editorial board, sought to downplay the supply chain issues causing problems for American consumers, pushed back on progressive Democrats pressuring the Biden administration to enact polarizing left-wing policies and declared the state of the coronavirus pandemic was actually Republicans' fault. 

President Joe Biden gives a thumbs up as he walks with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, Oct. 1, 2021, after attending a meeting with the House Democratic caucus to try to resolve an impasse around the bipartisan infrastructure bill. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Columnist Micheline Maynard made a call on Monday for "spoiled" Americans to lower their expectations as consumers and accept shortages in goods across the country stemming from supply chain disruptions.

"Time for some new, more realistic expectations," Maynard wrote after describing how Americans were used to fast service and easy access to consumer products until the coronavirus pandemic set off a ripple effect. "American consumers, their expectations pampered and catered to for decades, are not accustomed to inconvenience."

"American consumers might have been spoiled, but generations of them have also dealt with shortages of some kind … Now it’s our turn to make adjustments," she later added.

WASHINGTON POST CRUSHED FOR PIECE CALLING ON AMERICAN CONSUMERS TO LOWER EXPECTATIONS: ‘JOE BIDEN’S AMERICA'

The Post's editorial board followed Tuesday with the condemnation of progressive Democrats, claiming they should stop demanding a "revolution" because Biden didn't run for president to set the stage for one. 

The board described how the Democratic party seemed unified after the passage of the final coronavirus relief bill in March on a party-line vote, but that things changed as it came time to address multi-trillion dollar infrastructure and spending bills.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., speaks with reporters after a meeting of the progressive House Democrats on Capitol Hill, Friday, Oct. 1, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

"These dreams were never realistic, and they are now evaporating. But many progressives are having trouble accepting this, looking for gimmicky ways to enact broad structural change despite centrists’ objections," it wrote.

The board refuted a letter sent from progressive Democrats to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., describing their desire "to fundamentally transform the relationship between the American people and their government."

"That is not what President Biden promised when he ran for president … He spoke about returning normalcy and competence to Washington, not renegotiating the social contract," it wrote.

SEN. JOSH HAWLEY: AMERICA UNDER JOE BIDEN IS A LAND OF SCARCITY AND WANT

A piece by liberal columnist Max Boot rounded out the Biden defense, arguing it wasn't Biden's fault that the coronavirus pandemic was still an issue for the U.S.

"It is deeply unfair to blame the president for the recent [C]ovid surge (now waning). He has done an excellent job of dealing with the pandemic despite incessant criticism and outrageous obstructionism from the right," Boot wrote. 

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 14: U.S. President Joe Biden departs after speaking in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus October 14, 2021 in Washington, DC. Biden spoke about the coronavirus pandemic and encouraged states and businesses to support vaccine mandates to avoid a surge in cases of Covid-19. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images) (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

He praised Biden's efforts to get Americans vaccinated and described his vaccine mandates as "a bold and gutsy move" and a "gamble" that was now paying off. 

He, however, blamed Republicans in large part for the spread of vaccine hesitancy and condemned their attempts in some states to block any mandates. 

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"There’s not much Biden can do about masochistic right-wingers … But the president is doing almost everything within his power to combat the pandemic — and his efforts are paying off," Boot wrote. "There are legitimate reasons to criticize Biden. His handling of [C]ovid isn’t one of them."