From talking with friends, Biden isn't terribly popular with the segment of Democratic voters for which marijuana and student loans are top priority. He managed to make progress on the student loans recently, but efforts on drug reform have stalled.
That's true of pretty much every politician who's been in office for more than, say, fifteen years.
Save a few libertarians here and there.
So excuse me for being a little cynical when one of the guys from the "no we'll just use the state jackboot to solve all the problems" camp is pardoning people.
Is the guy a doddering old fool or a dangerous demagogue? It can’t be both simultaneously
The simple solution to the contradiction you propose is: He is a doddering old fool, who is controlled by dangerous demagogues. (And actually, this might describe his predecessor as well.)
But that doesn't mean we can't appreciate when they occasionally do something good (regardless of their motivations), and this is one of those times.
There’s no drug in the world that makes someone go from doddering to able to give long speeches and stay on point.