One has to wonder if, as he looks ahead to the coming winter, President Biden is beginning to regret playing the savior card. Before he became president, Biden said that he would “take on the threat of COVID-19,” “create millions of good-paying jobs,” “mobilize the talent, grit, and innovation of the American people,” “rebuild the middle class,” “revitalize communities,” and guarantee that “every American enjoys a fair return for their work and an equal chance to get ahead.” Naturally, none of these things were remotely within Biden’s grasp. Having suggested that they were, however, he took open ownership of them — and that, I’m afraid, works both ways. If this is the “Biden economy,” then that applies to the chaff as well as the wheat. If it is the president’s job to make sure the middle class is having a nice time, then it’s presumably his fault when gas is too expensive, when inflation is looming large, and when there’s a real risk that, come December, little Timmy’s parents will have their Christmas shopping trip spoiled by the sight of empty shelves. As with Trump, and many before him, it would have helped President Biden in the long run if he had said, “Look, I’m just one guy, here to do a narrow job, and there’s really not much I can do for you, all told.” He didn’t, though. And now he’s paying the price.

In the coming years, conservatives ought to do their level best to find and promote that rarest of birds: the politician who knows his place. Self-abnegation is rare in general, and it is almost extinct among our leadership class, but the monkeys-and-typewriters rule suggests that there must exist somewhere a figure who understands the limited role that the president is supposed to play, and who hopes to limit himself to doing it. It would be quite the tonic to hear such a person explain to the public that, as a general matter, the occupant of the White House does not control the economy or the culture or the fate of infectious disease, and that he should not try to, either. Until then, though, we’ll keep assuring ourselves that “the presence of a king engenders love amongst his subjects and his loyal friends,” and then wondering why, for some reason, it never quite seems to work out.