It was January 1973 in Washington, in what would be a momentous month.

On January 20th, Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew were sworn in for their second term.

Two days later, the Supreme Court decided Roe vs Wade, establishing the right to an abortion.

By the end of the month, America had signed the Paris Peace Accords, marking the end of

the war in Vietnam and abolishing the military draft.

But January 1973 also saw an event that was less momentous, but important nonetheless.

A young father became a senator, just weeks after his wife and daughter had been killed in

a car accident.

Joe Biden took his oath of office in the hospital where his son Bo was still being treated.

He was 30 years old, the sixth youngest senator in American history.

Joe began his political career.

Now, 50 years later, Joe Biden is president and facing a referendum on his record and

his party.

With 11 days to go until the midterm elections, I'm Charlotte Howard, and this is checks

and balance from the economist.

Each week, we take one big theme, shaping American politics and explore it in depth.

Today, what have Democrats achieved in power?

For two years, Democrats have held a political, holy grail, control of the presidency, and

both chambers of Congress.

The midterms will, most likely, put an end to that.

Divided government is going to make Joe Biden's agenda much harder to pass.

What will the legacy of the Biden years be?

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