Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

Biden Means What He Says
Margaret Kimberley, BAR Executive Editor and Senior Columnist
30 Mar 2022
🖨️ Print Article
Biden Means What He Says
President Biden speaking in Warsaw, Poland on Marc 27, 2022

Joe Biden may appear to be a confused old man when he blurts out whatever comes to mind.  But his outbursts shouldn't be ignored. They always reveal his plans.

“I mean what I say when I say it!” Those words were spoken by president elect Joe Biden in December 2020 during a meeting with a group described as “civil rights leaders.” Video of the meeting was leaked and Biden’s insulting and dismissive attitude towards Black people was clear even to those who ignored this tendency he has shown throughout his 50 years of public life.

Biden did us a favor by revealing himself and by telling us to pay attention when he speaks. That advice should be followed no matter how strange his words may seem. Even in his bad tempered confusion, Biden always reveals what he is doing.

He recently made news for all the wrong reasons during his recent trip to Europe where he attended a combination G7 summit and NATO meeting in Brussels followed by a trip to Poland.

At the NATO meeting he rather nonchalantly informed the people of the world that they will all suffer because of the misguided effort to punish Russia with sanctions. “With regard to food shortages, yes we did talk about food shortages and it’s going to be real. The price of these sanctions is not just imposed upon Russia. It's imposed upon an awful lot of countries as well, including European countries and our country as well. And because both Russia and Ukraine have been the bread basket of Europe in terms of wheat for example.” Ukraine won’t have a good harvest in the near future and Russia won’t be able to sell what it grows. That means rising prices for those scarce wheat products that may still be available. Biden’s casual tone is an indication he thinks people and governments all over the world should accept the oncoming disaster he created without complaint.

Not content to disrupt global food supplies he also announced his future plans for Ukraine. He said this to 82nd Airborne troops stationed in Poland. "And you’re going to see when you’re there.  And you — some — some of you have been there.  You’re going to see — you’re going to see women, young people standing — standing the middle of — in front of a damn tank, just saying, 'I’m not leaving.  I’m holding my ground.'  They’re incredible." Why are U.S. troops going to see anything in Ukraine? He tried to clean it up with “you may have already seen it” but he was saying that he intends to have US troops deployed in a country where Russia already has forces. His photo opportunity turned into the announcement of a hot war.

The most remarkable Biden statement that his apologists call a “gaffe” also took place in Poland. He gave what was supposed to be a conventional speech portraying the U.S. as the beacon of freedom and democracy while Russia is really bad. His remarks should have been fairly standard and unexceptional but as always Biden told us what he was up to. In referring to Vladimir Putin he said, "This man cannot remain in power."

The clarifications and backpedaling were immediate, but no one could unhear Biden’s words. Despite all denials to the contrary, Biden is after regime change against the Russian government and his actions prove it. The very idea that Russia’s government will fall because of sanctions pressure is ludicrous. But once again, Biden gave a heads up in July 2021.

“When I was with Mr. Putin, who has a real problem. He's sitting on top of an economy that has nuclear weapons and oil wells and nothing else. Nothing else. Their economy is, what, the eighth smallest in the world now, largest in the world? He knows he's in real trouble, which makes him even more dangerous, in my view."



The trope of Russia being a “gas station masquerading as a country” or some other such insult is untrue and a sign that this country’s foreign policy is run by people who are out of touch with reality. It explains why Biden thought he could instigate a proxy war between Ukraine and the Donbas region which would be used to kill the NordStreamII project and sanction Russia. Biden told us that on January 19, 2022. "And so, I think what you’re going to see is that Russia will be held accountable if it invades.  And it depends on what it does. It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and then we end up having a fight about what to do and not do, etc." Biden and his team of amateurs actually thought they could create a limited crisis in Ukraine that would not result in a serious response from Russia.

Biden does not have the Bill Clinton or Barack Obama gift of gab. They could finesse their way through war crimes in Serbia or Libya with great eloquence. Only those paying close attention could see the havoc and devastation they brought to the world. Biden is often confused but he is focused when he talks about foreign affairs. His delivery may be reminiscent of a crazy old relative that one wants to ignore, but he is deadly serious. From his own words we can see that he believes the U.S. can do whatever it wants and consequences be damned.

The peril of the Biden presidency is unlike any created by an administration in the past few decades. Of course, each administration builds on the work of its predecessor. It would be a mistake to see Biden as being unique. He is unique only in his frankness and shows his hand with every utterance.

He does mean what he says when he says it but what he says must be confronted. If this country were the great democracy that it claims, any president would be afraid to do what Biden has done. Money that covered the uninsured for covid tests is now gone, while Ukraine and the military industrial complex are flush with cash. The saddest thing of all is that the people go along without so much as a peep in protest. Unless that changes Joe Biden’s words will become a terrible reality.

Margaret Kimberley is the author of Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents. Her work can also be found at patreon.com/margaretkimberley and on Twitter @freedomrideblog. Ms. Kimberley can be reached via email at Margaret.Kimberley(at)BlackAgendaReport.com. 

Russia; Ukraine; NATO; regime change

Do you need and appreciate Black Agenda Report articles? Please click on the DONATE icon, and help us out, if you can.


Related Stories

Ukraine 2023: Black Agenda Report Special Issue
The Editors
Ukraine 2023: Black Agenda Report Special Issue
22 February 2023
This issue of Black Agenda Report focuses on the U.S.
U.S. Corporate Media Watch: An Interview with Richard Medhurst
Roberto Sirvent, Richard Medhurst
U.S. Corporate Media Watch: An Interview with Richard Medhurst
04 May 2022
“U.S. Corporate Media Watch: An Interview with Richard Medhurst” Richard Medhurst and Roberto Sirvent
A Statement on Ukraine from the Black Liberation Movement
Black Liberation Movement Organizations
A Statement on Ukraine from the Black Liberation Movement
03 May 2022
Black liberation movement organizations issued a
Blame NATO for the Ukraine War
Eugene Puryear
Blame NATO for the Ukraine War
03 May 2022
Should we really blame NATO for the Ukraine war?
Ukraine: The Afghanistan Model for the Consolidation of the Global White Supremacist Movement
​​​​​​​ Ajamu Baraka, BAR editor and columnist
Ukraine: The Afghanistan Model for the Consolidation of the Global White Supremacist Movement
30 March 2022
The Biden administration is dusting off the same playbook that gave arms and money to jihadists in Afghanistan and Syria.

More Stories


  • Revolutionary Cuba Delivers Marching Orders To The US Left To Defeat Imperialism For All Humanity - Are We Listening?
    Jacqueline Luqman
    Revolutionary Cuba Delivers Marching Orders To The US Left To Defeat Imperialism For All Humanity - Are We Listening?
    24 May 2022
    The author reports on her experiences with the May Day International Brigade in Cuba.
  • US Meddling in Colombia’s Election, Warns Left-wing Vice Presidential Candidate Francia Márquez
    Benjamin Norton
    US Meddling in Colombia’s Election, Warns Left-wing Vice Presidential Candidate Francia Márquez
    24 May 2022
    The top vice presidential candidate for Colombia’s May elections, Francia Márquez, called out the US government for meddling in the electoral process. The left-wing activist criticized the war on…
  • Why Are Colombian Election Candidates Auditioning in Washington?
    Roger D. Harris
    Why Are Colombian Election Candidates Auditioning in Washington?
    24 May 2022
    Colombian vice presidential candidates recently appeared at a Town Hall in Washington. The US is determined to exert control, especially over political parties seeking independence and sovereignty…
  • Summit of the Americas: US Policy of Exclusion Undermines its Own Hegemonic Aspirations
    Frederick Mills and William Camacaro
    Summit of the Americas: US Policy of Exclusion Undermines its Own Hegemonic Aspirations
    24 May 2022
    The U.S. decision to exclude Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela from the upcoming Summit of the Americas confirms that the old Monroe Doctrine is alive and well in Washington. But these efforts inevitably…
  • International Political Actors Condemn Mounting Violence in Colombia's Presidential Election
    Sara Sirota
    International Political Actors Condemn Mounting Violence in Colombia's Presidential Election
    24 May 2022
    Gustavo Petro and Francia Marquez Mina’s left-wing ticket could upend Colombia’s conservative status quo. But both leaders face repeated death threats.
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us