Isn't this the problem with every Democratic president? Where the policies proposed have upwards of 70% approval, but once it's mentioned that the person has a scary D next to their name, it immediately drops 30%?
Also, 57% have a negative opinion of Biden, and yet only 58% have a negative opinion of Trump? If that polling is accurate, what an absolutely fucked country we are.
I think a lot of it is also “national mood”. The world is a bummer right now and people feel fed up. For a lot of voters, including sadly many on the left, “vibes” are more important than facts.
It's less that things are a bummer now, but that we have no idea what "better" even looks like. Instead of schlepping to the office in a gas car we schlep in an electric car? Instead of going bankrupt buying a fancy chemo treatment we go bankrupt buying a fancy mRNA treatment? Instead of conflict in the middle east we'll have conflict in the middle east? Is this what I have to look forward to for the rest of my entire life?
One thing conservatives have an advantage on is vision. Everybody remembers the past. A lot of people remember it fondly. It's easy to sell something like that. It's why they use it to sell everything.
That's why we call them out for the fiction they call the past. It never existed the way they paint it.
Of course it didn't exist. It's a cultural hallucination created by the Hayes Code. But that doesn't stop it from being incredibly effective marketing.
many people have plenty ideas of what " better" looks like throughout the left side of the spectrum. anarchists socialists and communists would like a word.
centrists are the one stuck with a failed system they refuse to try and change meaningfully other than voting and toothless forms of protest.
This. Just like every time there is a Democrat in office, we get economic dooming before the election regardless of what the actual numbers say.
Nah.
This is also actual progressives who didn't believe his platform last time, and have even less trust in him this time.
Like, I have a negative opinion of Biden. I think he's lied a lot to get elected, he went from saying only he could get Republican Senate votes for the Democratic platform, to acting like people were crazy for thinking he could talk Democratic senators into voting for the Dem platform.
I see absolutely no reason we're running him again. We're risking trump again by running an elderly unpopular candidate like we did in 2016.
But he's a hell of a lot better than trump, so I'm pretty much forced to vote for him.
When the only reason people have to vote for someone is so the other guy doesn't win, voter turnout will be down.
Positive reinforcement is always better than potential negative reinforcement.
When the only reason people have to vote for someone is so the other guy doesn't win, voter turnout will be down.
Turnout in 2020 was the highest in years, decades even, so this isn't true at all. People showed up mainly to vote against Trump. I was one of them.
Probably because of the pandemic, so they had nothing else to do.
You don't see why the Democrats are running him again? Really?
No democrat can beat him in a primary and the closest person capable is basically a pinko who is treated with more respect by trump voters than typical Democrats.
basically a pinko who is treated with more respect by trump voters than typical Democrats.
Weird way to say progressive politicians are popular with more than moderates...
I mean, isn't the whole "moderate" thing supposed to be to appeal to republicans?
But it's a bad thing if a progressive can get republicans to vote D?
But it's a bad thing if a progressive can get republicans to vote D?
Not a bad thing, just nearly impossible. Republican voters have had the last 20-years of Faux "News" equating Democrats to traitors and baby killers. They've tarnished the idea that compromise is required to have a functioning democracy, and their side is always right. Republicans will primary another candidate before they accept or work with Democrats.
Not a bad thing, just nearly impossible
So the moderates immediately giving up what voters want and claiming it's because they can compromise...
That's bullshit?
There's no reason for the democratic party to not be as progressive as voters want them to be?
Do you think moderate politicians are too stupid to know that? Or do you think they're lying to voters to get elected?
I think our two party system is two sides of the same coin. One is just better at doing the bare minimum to appease the masses. They're both right of center in terms of politics.
I feel like you may have taken my comment the wrong way. I was agreeing with you and adding personal observations of friends and family and their polarization based on the rhetoric spewed by Fox News. There's a reason Democrats don't get primaried by their own party for collaborating with Republicans. The opposite is not the same.
It's really hard to get through to these people after years of hearing, "liberals want to eat your babies," and some such shit. I've tried. The idea that progressives want what they want, but actually govern toward those goals when elected, is what is hard to convey when one side sticks their fingers in their ears and yells, "LA LA LA LA LA, SOCIALIST."
I'm definitely not saying to give up, but moderates are just closeted Republicans that want an "out" whenever the Republican caucus starts shouting fascistic rhetoric. Getting these people out of their echo chambers will take generations if we still have a society by then.
I think he’s lied a lot to get elected, he went from saying only he could get Republican Senate votes for the Democratic platform, to acting like people were crazy for thinking he could talk Democratic senators into voting for the Dem platform.
I don't recall him saying either of these things. Do you mind pointing me to some speeches or states that support this claim?
Positive reinforcement is always better than potential negative reinforcement.
Not if you've experienced the potential negative. And I think there's actually a psychological basis to this. The best example of this is food that's a little past the expiry date. The only reason to not eat it is because I could get sick. If I've been fine so far, I'll just eat it without a worry. But if I end up with painful stomach cramps and nausea and I'm running to the bathroom constantly, the next time I'm faced with the dilemma, I'm just throwing the food in the trash.
Psychologically I think our lizard brain creates a negative association. If we eat something that makes us sick, we aren't going to be eager to eat it again in the future because of our negative experience. That's why I'll still occasionally gag if I have a drink with whiskey.
Not if you’ve experienced the potential negative
Nope, still is.
It's basically psychology. Might not be taught in highschool, but it's incredibly basic.
Not just humans either, it's how all mammals are, that's how basic it is.
Hmmm, I might be confusing two different things then. It's been a hot minute since I took a psych intro in college
Yeah, theres some good studies on it you can look up if you want. But I was dumb enough to major in psych in college and they can still be a bit wordy for me.
Think about a slot machine. People will dump thousands of dollars into one a night for the brief dopamine of a single $200 win.
Meanwhile everyone going 10 mph over the speed limit keep doing it despite knowing at any minute they may get a speeding ticket.
Even if the negative is consistent after a certain threshold, all that does is get the bare minimum to avoid it.
What is surprising is a random positive reward is better at motivating than a consistent one. To take it back to slot machines, if everytime you put in a dollar you got a dime, no one would ever play. Even if the result is the same at the end of the day, the randomness makes our brain want to keep trying.
Agreed. Our brain keeps thinking "the next one could be it".
I think I see what you're saying about speeding. Negative reinforcement can influence behavior, but it'll go as far as to avoid the negative, no further. You won't get a compulsion like you do with random rewards. I see your point.
It would help Dems tremendously if there was any follow through on campaign promises. Immediately giving voters the cold shoulder in order to further the corporate agenda after getting into office leaves a bad taste in voters’ mouths.
The mainstream media has really been harping on Biden's age lately. But they often forget to mention that the reason age is important is that it's an indicator of health and mental acuity. Trump is almost as old, but if you ignore age and directly compare Biden and Trump on the actual important factors, health and mental acuity, Biden comes out far ahead.
If the choice actually comes down to Biden or Trump, and if you were only basing your vote on their health today, you'd be an idiot to vote for Trump. That would be on top of all of the other, much more important reasons to prefer Biden to Trump. Like they say in the article, Biden's agenda is popular. And on the other hand, Trump is a fascist fraudster sexually abusive criminal who already came within inches of overthrowing our government.
The question is. People want neither, as they’re both, very, very, very old
The problem is that the real choice in 2024 will be to vote for whoever the Democratic candidate is, whether it's Biden or not, or you can vote for whoever the Republican candidate will be.
But among the Republican candidates, only Chris Christie is willing to tell the truth about January 6. Politically, I don't agree with Christie, but he's literally the only Republican candidate who is not actively trying to destroy our country. But if you think age is an important factor, and the GOP comes to its senses and doesn't nominate Trump, in all likelihood, you'll end up with somebody who is actively trying to destroy our country.
It's a fucking disaster. On top of that, look at Ronald Reagan. He started having memory problems during his second term, and publicly he did fine, because he surrounded himself with people who would cover for him. If Biden starts having problems, we can decide what to do at that point.
Do I think age should be an important factor in elections? Yes. But it can't be a factor in 2024 because it will throw us all over a cliff.
I’m definitely more of a progressive than a democrat and I may not like Biden much, but I’ll sure as shit vote for him to prevent another Trump term. I feel like the media is trying to create a crisis here.
Not just the media but also... Am I the only one frustrated by the amount of "voting for Biden is dumb" posts on Lemmy? Yeah, he sucks, I don't like him. He's basically a 1950s Republican from back when they at least pretended to have some standards and acted like the government could occasionally do things. That's not inspiring.
But what's the play here? Don't vote at all? Vote for Trump but ironically? I don't get it. Voting is NOT the only thing you can do, and it's not the only thing you SHOULD be doing, but it's still a thing you absolutely should do.
I may not like Biden much, but I’ll sure as shit vote for him to prevent another Trump term.
That may work for us, but we absolutely need to get some people excited and motivated, or they'll just stay home, handing the election to Trump...
The problem here is you are voting because you are afraid of a Trump second term rather than voting for a candidate that is qualified for the position.
If you are more of an independent and look at a crazy person on one side and a senile sun downing person on the other the choice is more of a 50 50.
The Democrats are playing with fire and doing undemocratic plays to keep viable candidates out of the race and hide a compromised Biden instead of having an open primary and that might cost all of regardless of who actually wins.
Okay but the other side is a senile sundowning crazy person. We act like Biden is so much older than Trump but it's only three years.
Anyone ever see the orange Mussolini on a bicycle?
Oh for sure. Trump is high as balls on uppers and a cocktail of meds to have him bounce off the wall at rallys, I just wish Trump would let Biden take a hit off of whatever he's using.
I think it's about optics and looking at Biden on stage wandering around and falling down stairs/over his own words vs Trump who's shitting on all of his opponents and captivating his base it's resonating with a base that's fed up.
I think Biden policy wise is a lot better than any president we have had in recent memory (chips act, leaving Afghanistan, covid relief, cares act, TRYING to get student debt relief) but the general population in today's age needs to have a politician message to them what their party is actually doing for them and Biden and his admin of fail on that level so often.
Thanks for pointing out Biden's record. He has been able to get a lot accomplished and I hate always seeing the fascist's messaging has permeated so deeply that everyone calls Biden senile...
He is senile. That doesn't mean I don't like his administrations policies and that doesn't take away that he has done more for a progressive agenda than what was expected.
He's on the same path as Regan was with his age, the difference is social media wasn't a thing so they could hide Regan easier.
The problem as stated are the same sorts of sentiments that lost Hillary, and won Trump, the 2016 election.
Also, as an independent myself, I take issue at the implication that "insurectionist" vs "old man screaming at clouds" is at all a 50/50 choice
I think it's already a disservice that we're allowing this to be the narrative. Biden is certainly no spring chicken, but he's nowhere close to "sun-downing" or "old man screaming at clouds" and this narrative only works because republicans are better at messaging by a mile, and Biden has and has had a stutter his entire life.
And though he's no where near progressive enough for my tastes, he's probably got the most progressive record of just about any modern president.
Tbh if we want to get somewhere, we'd stop letting Republican talking points turn into the framing for everyone else. The topic of Biden's age now dominates any discussion about him on either side, as if Trump isn't basically the same age, and actually frequently showing more and more real signs of senility, never mind the whole "criminal, rapist, insurrectionist, traitor using state secrets to curry favor."
Hiliary's loss can be chalked up to similar reasons, of course tossing in a hefty, heft dose of misogyny. We let RBF and "but her emails" turn into this mess.
Like, why are we doing far right republican's messaging for them?
Well I’m not an independent and I completely disagree that the choice is 50/50. I have seen what Trump did to this country and I believe it is vital that we do not allow him to have a second term. There are plenty of issues with Biden but they pale in comparison to what Trump will do if re-elected. You are damn right I’m afraid of a second term with him. He almost destroyed our democracy during his first term. Just look at the shit he is outright saying he will do if re-elected.
It’s really not that close though, when the crazy person has such a history of fraud and corruption, is such a danger to our country, our society, has been so dividing, whose policies are responsible for so many pandemic deaths, so beholden to corporate interests and foreign dictators, etc. His approach to governing is a three year old throwing a tantrum and smashing Lego sets
I dont know why Biden gets so much hate. He has been a fantastic president so far. Could he have done more? Sure, but I dont understand why the hate. They say "hold my nose" to vote for him... like wtf why?
Yeah I'm right there with you. Biden has accomplished a lot. I don't agree with everything he's said or done but as a whole he's done a fantastic job turning America around. If he can beat Trump once he can beat him again and that is paramount. Plus it gives dems another 4 years to start pushing younger more progressive candidates into the spotlight.
Don't forget Trump is dragging the Republican party down, big time. - he will destroy the country. He has allowed those who are enemies of the constitution to come out of the closet and attack democracy.
Biden on the other hand, has surprised us by being more progressive than we thought he would be. He may not be physically agile but he knows good policy, like forgiving student loans for example, and he knows how to get legislation passed.
What if the GOP replaces Trump? There are a lot of ways he could become unelectable in the next year. So how would Biden do against a fresh Republican candidate? (My guess is Biden could lose if he doesn't have the "anyone but Trump" vote, so I hope the Dems have a fresh candidate of their own ready to take up the torch soon.)
GOP is locked in. Their base won't accept anyone else.
I think the GOP has rolled out it's freshest candidates and they are running now.
They won't bring in a new candidate, if Trump can't run he will cut a deal with Desantis and back him under an arrangement that Desantis pardons Trumps charges. Desantis is not a platform that will help the American people.
A lot of people don't understand how hard it is to fix things with a hostile Supreme Court and an obstructive congress. To the people saying "both sides are the same because Biden has only managed to clean up a few of Trump's messes", how would you do it instead? Biden has decades of experience, and he's trying. Do you honestly believe someone else could do better?
Because he's not charismatic.
People like to point to his earlier career not aging well to current social / political norms, completely ignoring that adapting one's values as society evolves is a desirable trait.
But really, it comes down to charisma. He's awkward and not particularly likeable, and people will bend over backwards to justify their dislike of him despite his accomplishments.
Then there are the hardline progressives, who literally no one electable will ever please. I'm sure even Bernie would have had to make too many compromises ,or fail to deliver enough, to alienate these folks if he had taken the presidency.
If Bernie got elected hard-line progressives would be throwing themselves off their roofs onto the grass outside their mothers houses for how little he's done and how all politicians are the same lol.
Axelrod and a bunch of the 'conservative' left really, really dislike Kamala and fear her as a president.
Because he's just there to maintain the status quo in a system that's been pushed to the brink and is no longer providing for the people participating in said system.
Also he's so, so fucking old.
We someone to bring about a ton of meaningful change, and fast. Biden isn't the one to do it.
We someone to bring about a ton of meaningful change, and fast. Biden isn’t the one to do it.
Our system is not designed to do this. So really no one is, unless we are going to throw the whole system out.
I'd really like for the Democrats to stop trying to make Biden appear young. Yeah, I would like a younger president, yeah I like that Biden can ride a bike or go for a walk, but these don't make him look younger to me and I didn't vote for him because I thought he was younger and super fit.
I wish the Biden team would lean into the memes, I feel like that's when he's been most popular. Appropriating the Let's go Brandon memes, appropriating the "I did that stickers/meme," leaning into the Dark/Dank Brandon memes, and back when he was VP leaning into the Uncle Joe vibe.
Fucking embrace that the dude is old and make him America's great grandpa. Have him walk out onto a Mr. Rogers lookalike set in a red cardigan to talk about policy. Have him do a fireside address with a blanket and a coffee. Have him throw on the sunglasses and crack the goofy smile before going to get ice cream with a podcaster.
Hell, get the people who made this video to help on Biden's public image.
You're right. He's not young. But he's still a better President than I expected and he's far, far better than any alternative that Republicans will nominate. So can we let go of the age thing for now until we have an opportunity to pick better candidates? I sincerely doubt this election cycle will be it.
Oh I totally agree. I guess the rest of my comment was about how they're trying to make it an age thing and it's the worst marketing for him.
Exactly. When the other side is literal fascists I will, begrudgingly, vote for whoever the non-fascist is.
"shut up or my guy might lose"
No. It's a valid criticism. I don't think I should have to set my concerns aside so the chosen moderate can stall progress for the next 4 years.
So you'd rather watch the world burn than accept progress that's slower than you demand. How noble.
No, it's not slower, it's actively progressing the wrong direction. And having a president that's happy to stall progress is tantamount to giving the GOP what they want next cycle.
I'm tired of 'Democrats' pussyfutting around for 4-8 years only to watch what little they accomplished undone immediately, and the GOP making massive gains towards a fascist agenda no one wants.
Give me a candidate with teeth or yes, watch it all burn down. Get the horror show over with. Anything less than relentless progress is a win for the party that's willing to fight dirty for their bullshit agenda.
Really. This is the wrong direction?
What color is the sky on your world? It's usually blue on mine.
How much of that is executive order that can be undone day one for the next president?
How much of that is wrapped up in a single spending bill?
How much of that is limited in scope when we need large scale change? Protecting a forest with an EO is peanuts on the scale of action we actually need
Fine. You show us how it's done. Tell us how we pass good legislation in light of a hostile House of Representatives.
Go on. We'll wait.
How did Johnson do it?
If they wanted things to change, things would change. Nothing is moving because frankly they don't want it to. They're comfortable with the status quo and won't finance candidates with actual liberal agendas. And they actively finance fucking psychopaths to make their own candidates look better
The house is one of their own making.
Bullshit. This House is the one Republicans built, when they threw aside all norms and decided to be open about their power grabs. They telegraphed it in the late 2000s, and now it's become their new normal. Johnson was able to compromise with Republicans because back then Republicans were largely irrelevant and still followed the rules instead of making up bullshit precedents. They were still interested in governing.
So go on, tell me how you deal with modern politics when the other side isn't willing to negotiate in good faith. Be honest about the world we live in.
I'm pretty sure he selected Kamala specifically for the "well what if he dies" crowd.
The Biden HQ x formerly known as twitter account does lean into the memes pretty good. Even made an account on truth social.
Oh yeah? Well I love Joe Biden, and I'm not ashamed to say it. Let's talk about the last two administrations:
Joe Biden tried to forgive my debt. Donald Trump tried to take away my health insurance.
Joe Biden thinks we need more trains. Donald Trump thinks we need more walls.
Joe Biden lowered my student loan bills. Donald Trump raised my taxes.
Joe Biden released people who were convicted on marijuana charges. Donald Trump locked up children for coming to the US.
Joe Biden wants to be president. Donald Trump wants to be Vladimir Putin.
Joe Biden told me to join a union. Donald Trump told me to drink bleach.
Is the Biden administration perfect? Of course not, but the man has actually tried (and occasionally succeeded) to do things that would actually benefit me personally. https://www.whitehouse.gov/therecord/
The reality is that for most people on most days, what's happening in DC has only a very small impact on our lives. Our state and local governments are vastly more consequential. But this administration, despite being faced with an opposition party composed of literal fascists, is fighting tooth and nail to make life better for real people without losing the Republic in the process. Given the current state of SCOTUS and Congress, it's nothing short of a miracle Joe Biden has accomplished anything at all. He's not as far left as me, but he's as far left as we've got right now, and never mind the fact that the other guy wants to destroy our country so he can stay out of prison.
Joe Biden has conviction, he has compassion, and he has ability. I like the agenda, and I like the man.
Joe Biden is defending democracy.
Donald Trump wants a theocratic autocracy.
It really is that simple.
Everyone please vote in 2024 to prevent project 2025.
Joe Biden doesn’t have the Progressive agenda I prefer, but he’s been the Moderate we need.
Even when I disagree with his approach, I usually have the impression that he acknowledges reality and at least considers knowledgeable advice
Republicans' dilemma: We will vote for Biden over literally any Republican so it doesn't matter.
Most Americans will vote Biden over Trump, but those same people would vote for any moderate Republican over Biden.
Republicans are attached at the hip to Trump and thus is actually best for the Democrats if Trump stays out of prison for the next year and keeps running for office.
It's just fine if he runs from prison as well.
I never thought I’d be one of those people who votes party lines, but at least at the national level, there just doesn’t seem to be a Republican that’s not just despicable
Biden is fine as president but I find it hard that a octogenarian can possibly understand the realities of my life and that's the problem, the largest voting block isn't old people anymore and democrats need to pivot for that. I'll still vote for the old bastard.
I mean, even if he was 40 he wouldn't understand your life. He belongs to a more rarified political class than we plebs.
It's closer then Trumps life, things need to change and politicians are not gonna change it because it means radical financial changes in politics which they all love so I don't really know. I would love to run for the house in my state but the minimum is 100000 just to get on the ballot. The lowest class will never be able to compete
Imma vote for that Brandon guy.
Do you think they will add "Dark Brandon" write-ins to Biden's tally?
I'm not a huge fan of Biden for multiple reasons, and I'd often show up in the "disapproval" stats for him as a person. I'd prefer to vote for Newsom or Fetterman. But I'll vote for Biden any day of the week over any Republican if he's the eventual Democratic nominee.
hold your nose and vote for the lesser evil of two ancient, conservative candidates.
yay america... just ooozing with democracy
Vote for fascist; no more democracy until civil war or total collapse.
Vote for not-fascist; no democracy/choice until the fascist party change their platform.
It’s reductive but it’s also why a two party system is anti-democratic. You can’t vote properly if you dont have a choice.
I mean, the agenda is mostly common sense and not making things worse so... Just get someone else and keep trucking?
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Biden's legislative victories include items popular with a large swath of American voters, such as allowing the federal government to negotiate Medicare drug prices, capping insulin costs, boosting infrastructure investment and tackling climate change.
Biden has sought to weave those items into a broad economic message - dubbed Bidenomics - of reinvesting in working-class America and lowering the costs of essentials like energy and healthcare.
Biden and top administration officials spent chunks of the summer crisscrossing the country on an "Investing In America" tour to highlight and explain those policies and seek to boost support for his presidency.
A campaign memo last week showed that Biden plans to ask voters to let him "finish the job" and focus on proven winning issues such as abortion rights, while also presenting Trump as out of touch with Americans.
"Our early research shows the president’s message of building on our progress to finish the job remains a winning one for mobilizing our base and persuading undecided voters,” campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said.
She said pundits and media often talk about bad polls but then rattled off a list of accomplishments - from capping insulin and prescription drug charges for seniors to investing in green energy jobs - that are widely popular.
The original article contains 951 words, the summary contains 209 words. Saved 78%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
I would support Biden more if he enacted policies outside of when "Democrats at risk of losing next election" is the dominant headline. He was a wet noodle until the midterms, then he was a wet noodle again until Trump started actively talking about the election. He's doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.
News brought to you by billionaire-owned and millionaire-operated media megacorp
This article is so misleading.
Reuters considers the "Biden agenda" to be things like fighting climate change, infrastructure spending, and healthcare reform.
If Biden actually fought for the "Biden agenda" then he would be much more popular.
Already forgotten about the infrastructure bill? That also includes a lot of climate action.
I agree the infrastructure bill is a step in the right direction, but its mostly just clearing the maintenance backlog. Our infrastructure will be upgraded from "crumbling" to "poor". Its easy to forget it, most Americans already have.
Now instead of being 20 years behind China, our infrastructure will only be 15 years behind. As the richest country in the history of earth, we can do so much better than this.
And as for climate, tinkering around the edges isn't meaningful. We are still going full speed ahead towards climate ccatastrophe. We need radical change to save our civilization, and this bill ain't it, jack.
As the richest country in the history of earth, we can do so much better than this.
This always pisses me off. Look how far we've gotten with such piss poor leadership for so long. Imagine what the nation could look like if we had even just mostly competent leadership for the last 50 years.
I dont agree that it's a competency issue.
Our leaders are hyper-competent when fighting for the interests of wall street, the military industrial complex, the oil and gas industry, the insurance industry, etc.
Powerful moneyed interests are their real constituents. They only pretend to care about the needs of real working Americans when they need votes.
And Trump is going to do better on any of that? No way in hell.
Might as well complain that Biden didn't cure cancer and buy everyone a puppy.
Asking for a democratically elected leader to respond to the needs of the people isn't "curing cancer and buying puppies"
And yes Biden is better than Trump, but is that really how low you want to set the bar?
Have some standards, mate.
I think the bar is already set that low because you wouldn't need to choose between two geriatrics if the bar was higher. America could do better, but America won't do better
Expecting a president to make massive social changes when the House is led by a dysfunctional opposition party is asking for a cure to cancer and buying puppies. It's just not going to happen.
The candidates are Trump and Biden. That's who we've got to pick from. Anyone else who thinks they have a chance is delusional. That's the system. We can wish all we want it wasn't so, but it is.
The only way things begin to change is if the GOP loses control of the House, we get rid of the electoral college, and we get ranked choice voting. The only way that happens is through Democrats.
I dont expect Biden to get anything through the Republican house. I dont expect miracles. It's too late now.
I expected him to do something when Democrats had control of Congress. Instead he choose to follow Obama's failures and do practically nothing when the people gave Democrats control of the House, Senate, and White House.
And if you think Democrats will actually give up their role as Lesser Evil and pass ranked choice voting, then I think you are delusional.
I expected him to do something when Democrats had control of Congress.
You mean, when they had slim majorities and two quislings among the Democrats in the Senate who refused to vote for filibuster reform? That control?
Please join us in reality. We'd love to have your help.
Maybe if the Democrats gave even a tiny amount of pushback against those "quislings" then they would deserve some credit.
After all the damage Manchin has done, they still let him chair the energy committee and sit on appropriations. I'm here in reality wondering why they continue to give quislings so much power. Its almost as if the "rotating villain" is a feature, not a bug.
"We tried nothing and we're all out of ideas" isn't good enough for me, and it's sad that so many people just accept it.
Have some standards, mate.
Maybe if the Democrats gave even a tiny amount of pushback against those “quislings” then they would deserve some credit.
The problem was that both Manchin and Sinema understood that they had leverage to decide what policies lived or died. And as often as not, they torpedoed progressive legislation because they both consider themselves "moderate." They didn't stand in the way only when it didn't interfere with their personal enrichment. And since Senate Democrats have no control over the elections that put them in that position, it's extremely dishonest to blame Democrats for it.
Now that Manchin is retiring, Democrats are shitting their pants over their chances to hold the Senate in 2024. They know they won't be able to get a progressive to replace Manchin.
No, a few words to the media is not meaningful pushback.
Why do you avoid my main argument? Manchin is head of the energy committee. Why do Democrats keep giving so much power to a quisling, even after they were betrayed by him?
How do you punish him when he can simply start caucusing with Republicans and end the Democrats' slim majority? In order to pressure him you have to have leverage, and for the past few years he's had more of it than Senate Democrats.
Maybe Biden should push more for "Biden's agenda". It feels like Biden is pushing harder for COPPA (require people to be 18 and have a license to go on the internet, allow state attorney general to censor LGTBQ stuff online) then popular stuff like marajana legalization or Roe codification.
Where on Earth are you getting that from? I read and watch the news extensively every day, to a fault, and that is not what he's been pushing.
Comments sections, mostly. I'm guessing.
Marijuana legalization or Roe codification are not going to happen with a Republican led house. It's an impossibility. That's not Biden's fault.
I'm not surprised Biden isn't pushing marijuana reform. He's one of the biggest proponents of the horribly racist, classist, and murderous drug war. He's from a generation that thinks reefer madness is an accurate representation of pot, and his personal prejudice towards recreational drugs is widely known.
He's always been the wrong candidate, but the Democrats can't seem to find anyone better. All we can hope is that Republicans stay home and he gains votes that way
Biden stated during the 2020 election debates and town halls that he regretted supporting the drug war and some of the racist policies. I'm not clear on why people keep claiming he supports it, it's all on tape to see and has been for years that he said he was mistaken.
Big lot of good his regret does all the people who suffered. Especially when he's not fixing the mess he helped create
Biden stated during the 2020 election debates and town halls that he regretted supporting the drug war and some of the racist policies.
So what has he done to undo the damage the policies he supported caused?
He issued a general pardon in October for all federal possession crimes.
Thank you for actually answering the question instead of getting mad and making accusations.
I'd also add that he's directed the department of Health and Human Services to begin the process of potentially removing marijuana from Schedule 1. That's a bureaucratic nightmare that will take entirely too much time, but Biden has been taking real steps, even if it's not as fast as it should be.
That’s a bureaucratic nightmare that will take entirely too much time, but Biden has been taking real steps, even if it’s not as fast as it should be.
I'll admit to being a layman on this, but why is it such a huge hairy problem to deschedule it?
Since you've done no legwork on your own, I would say broadly that he's worked for and voted for major equality and financial reform over the past twenty years of his career. Its not hard to find. Your just being lazy and regurgitating something you heard online.
If you can't answer the question, vague bullshit and insults will do.
So you won't look or even try to educate yourself, just deflect. Expected.
I asked a simple question. What has Biden done to undo the damage he did by supporting the racist war on drugs? Specifically, please.
He regrets thst it hurts his polling, maybe.
Its not that Democrats can't find anyone better. It's that they won't allow anyone better to advance through the ranks.
Its that Biden is exactly who the DNC wants in office.
Once upon a time, there was an argument that at least some Democrats tried to represent their constituents.
Those days are long gone. Citizens United stands. Corporations are "the people" the federal government represents. Money is speech. If you don't have the money, they don't have ears for you. Both parties represent the corporations, not the people, and Biden has a wonderful history of supporting all of those corrupt things that make the corporate overlords happy.
There are a lot of great Democrats out there, but there are plenty of bad ones too. I don't think we'll see real change until most of the boomers are dead and gone.
There's also the issue that with Republicans losing their damn minds, big money and corporations have been shifting their support to Dems.
Because The Party is The Party.
But I agree that Boomers are the worst offenders of voting R or D regardless of whose name the letter is next to because they fancy their letter the lesser evil.
Gen X really amped up the problem on the D side though.
Please stop with the "both sides are the same" bullshit. We don't need repetitions of Republican talking points.
Please stop with the "my color good, your color bad" bullshit.
I have never heard a republican say they are the same as a Democrat.
But just like a republican, if it doesn't pledge fealty to your color, it's the other color and its bad.
Stop treating America like a Grease high school rivalry.
Stop supporting corrupt politicians.
We've seen how the government works when Democrats have control. No one will call it perfect, but it works and they generally try to help people.
We also see repeatedly how government works with Republicans in power. They don't do shit to help anyone but themselves and their donor class.
Until we fix the first past the post electoral system, these are our choices. Whining about it won't fix it. We first have to eliminate the fascist threat posed by Republicans, then we can talk about reform.
Just because you've never heard a Republican declare they're the same as a Democrat doesn't mean you aren't repeating Republican propaganda. They don't care what you think of them. If you have no faith in government, they win. If you think Democrats are just as bad, they win. Shrinking government until it can be drowned in the tub is the point. Then they can break up its functions and sell them off to private interests. If you want to see a return to feudalism, keep repeating this bullshit. Just don't think you're going to be welcomed into the new nobility.
Bullshit.
Democrats had the oval office and a congressional supermajority.
The Patriot Act still exists in full form. Citizens United still exists in full form. Gitmo is still operational. Roe v Wade has not been codified.
In those years where we could have gotten universal Healthcare, they delivered everyone must pay for health insurance, employed or not.
In those years, the Iraq War not only continued, but the US added arial drone warfare to the military industrial complex.
When Obama spoke, he inspired, he lead, he made you feel something positive. He didn't follow through on ANYTHING though.
Biden got us out of Iraq. I think he botched the exit, but at least we got out of Iraq under his presidency. Then he decided to triple down on funding a genocide.
I can name 3 democrats (and politicians in general for that fact) I still trust. Bernie Sanders, AOC (though the longer she is hanging out with the dogs, the more I fear she is hosting some fleas) and Katie Porter.
The rest of em are Hilary progressives that are only concerned with cozying up with wall street insiders and lobbyist funders.
Well, I see the Russian disinformation crew had joined us. Congratulations to lemmy for growing enough to become a target!
Can't refute? Just make wild accusations!
There's no point in refuting Republican talking points that were discredited thirteen years ago. The Democrats had their supermajority for a total of two weeks at the end of 2009. Not nearly enough time to pass anything and everything they wanted. That talking point is dead and buried and is more than enough evidence that I'm not dealing with someone arguing in good faith.
Is that your intent as well? Sealion me so I waste my time rehashing old, dead arguments?
There’s no point in refuting Republican talking points
What talking points? I asked what Biden has done to fix the damage caused by the policies he says he no longer holds. That's a reasonable question until you try to answer it.
The Democrats had their supermajority for a total of two weeks at the end of 2009.
They could have done away with the filibuster forever with a simple majority but they didn't want to. Might have passed the public option, after all. And just think of all the stuff the party would have to find new excuses for not passing.
In any event, Biden has been president since the start of 2021. During that time, he has been the head of the executive branch, which includes the DEA. We have entrusted him with that agency. What has he done to walk back the war on drugs? This should be a layup if he's actually done anything. If he hasn't, it draws his statements on the subject into question.
Is that your intent as well? Sealion me so I waste my time rehashing old, dead arguments?
More wild accusations. It was one question. You tried to bullshit your way through it, and when I didn't accept it, out came the "well you must be a Republican Russian like everyone to my left who doesn't instantly accept bullshit at face value! SEALION!"
EDIT: My apologies. It was silverbax who tried to bullshit an answer. You immediately jumped to the wild accusations because I dared to expect Biden to behave consistently with his stated position.
Biden's support of the war on drugs caused real damage to the communities that the war on drugs was designed to disrupt. If he says he's changed and is now against it, asking what he's done about it or even what he intends to do about it is not unreasonable. If you make a mess, you do what you can to clean it up.
If you just want me to shut up and be happy, you can just say that.
If you want to defend a Russian troll, that's your lookout. That you took my comments personally is your problem, not mine. I'm not interested in rehashing ancient history.
Is he? He's said publicly that he supports it and his admin just pushed to reschedule it from schedule I to schedule iii. Which isn't perfect but would be a HUGE step forward.
I suspect Biden is focusing on things he knows he can get done, rather than wasting time on things he knows will never get done. He's a very smart politician.
Codifying Roe is super important, but it will never happen under the current House & Senate. Focusing on that might excite lot of people, but it won't do any good right now. When election time rolls around, then you start pointing out what could happen if enough people vote for Democratic candidates.
Isn't this the problem with every Democratic president? Where the policies proposed have upwards of 70% approval, but once it's mentioned that the person has a scary D next to their name, it immediately drops 30%?
Also, 57% have a negative opinion of Biden, and yet only 58% have a negative opinion of Trump? If that polling is accurate, what an absolutely fucked country we are.
I think a lot of it is also “national mood”. The world is a bummer right now and people feel fed up. For a lot of voters, including sadly many on the left, “vibes” are more important than facts.
It's less that things are a bummer now, but that we have no idea what "better" even looks like. Instead of schlepping to the office in a gas car we schlep in an electric car? Instead of going bankrupt buying a fancy chemo treatment we go bankrupt buying a fancy mRNA treatment? Instead of conflict in the middle east we'll have conflict in the middle east? Is this what I have to look forward to for the rest of my entire life?
One thing conservatives have an advantage on is vision. Everybody remembers the past. A lot of people remember it fondly. It's easy to sell something like that. It's why they use it to sell everything.
That's why we call them out for the fiction they call the past. It never existed the way they paint it.
Of course it didn't exist. It's a cultural hallucination created by the Hayes Code. But that doesn't stop it from being incredibly effective marketing.
many people have plenty ideas of what " better" looks like throughout the left side of the spectrum. anarchists socialists and communists would like a word.
centrists are the one stuck with a failed system they refuse to try and change meaningfully other than voting and toothless forms of protest.
This. Just like every time there is a Democrat in office, we get economic dooming before the election regardless of what the actual numbers say.
Nah.
This is also actual progressives who didn't believe his platform last time, and have even less trust in him this time.
Like, I have a negative opinion of Biden. I think he's lied a lot to get elected, he went from saying only he could get Republican Senate votes for the Democratic platform, to acting like people were crazy for thinking he could talk Democratic senators into voting for the Dem platform.
I see absolutely no reason we're running him again. We're risking trump again by running an elderly unpopular candidate like we did in 2016.
But he's a hell of a lot better than trump, so I'm pretty much forced to vote for him.
When the only reason people have to vote for someone is so the other guy doesn't win, voter turnout will be down.
Positive reinforcement is always better than potential negative reinforcement.
Turnout in 2020 was the highest in years, decades even, so this isn't true at all. People showed up mainly to vote against Trump. I was one of them.
Probably because of the pandemic, so they had nothing else to do.
You don't see why the Democrats are running him again? Really?
No democrat can beat him in a primary and the closest person capable is basically a pinko who is treated with more respect by trump voters than typical Democrats.
Weird way to say progressive politicians are popular with more than moderates...
I mean, isn't the whole "moderate" thing supposed to be to appeal to republicans?
But it's a bad thing if a progressive can get republicans to vote D?
Not a bad thing, just nearly impossible. Republican voters have had the last 20-years of Faux "News" equating Democrats to traitors and baby killers. They've tarnished the idea that compromise is required to have a functioning democracy, and their side is always right. Republicans will primary another candidate before they accept or work with Democrats.
So the moderates immediately giving up what voters want and claiming it's because they can compromise...
That's bullshit?
There's no reason for the democratic party to not be as progressive as voters want them to be?
Do you think moderate politicians are too stupid to know that? Or do you think they're lying to voters to get elected?
I think our two party system is two sides of the same coin. One is just better at doing the bare minimum to appease the masses. They're both right of center in terms of politics.
I feel like you may have taken my comment the wrong way. I was agreeing with you and adding personal observations of friends and family and their polarization based on the rhetoric spewed by Fox News. There's a reason Democrats don't get primaried by their own party for collaborating with Republicans. The opposite is not the same.
It's really hard to get through to these people after years of hearing, "liberals want to eat your babies," and some such shit. I've tried. The idea that progressives want what they want, but actually govern toward those goals when elected, is what is hard to convey when one side sticks their fingers in their ears and yells, "LA LA LA LA LA, SOCIALIST."
I'm definitely not saying to give up, but moderates are just closeted Republicans that want an "out" whenever the Republican caucus starts shouting fascistic rhetoric. Getting these people out of their echo chambers will take generations if we still have a society by then.
I don't recall him saying either of these things. Do you mind pointing me to some speeches or states that support this claim?
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/dec/18/joe-biden/joe-biden-says-he-got-republicans-vote-obamacare-a/
https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/02/politics/joe-biden-kyrsten-sinema-joe-manchin/index.html**___**
Not if you've experienced the potential negative. And I think there's actually a psychological basis to this. The best example of this is food that's a little past the expiry date. The only reason to not eat it is because I could get sick. If I've been fine so far, I'll just eat it without a worry. But if I end up with painful stomach cramps and nausea and I'm running to the bathroom constantly, the next time I'm faced with the dilemma, I'm just throwing the food in the trash.
Psychologically I think our lizard brain creates a negative association. If we eat something that makes us sick, we aren't going to be eager to eat it again in the future because of our negative experience. That's why I'll still occasionally gag if I have a drink with whiskey.
Nope, still is.
It's basically psychology. Might not be taught in highschool, but it's incredibly basic.
Not just humans either, it's how all mammals are, that's how basic it is.
Hmmm, I might be confusing two different things then. It's been a hot minute since I took a psych intro in college
Yeah, theres some good studies on it you can look up if you want. But I was dumb enough to major in psych in college and they can still be a bit wordy for me.
Think about a slot machine. People will dump thousands of dollars into one a night for the brief dopamine of a single $200 win.
Meanwhile everyone going 10 mph over the speed limit keep doing it despite knowing at any minute they may get a speeding ticket.
Even if the negative is consistent after a certain threshold, all that does is get the bare minimum to avoid it.
What is surprising is a random positive reward is better at motivating than a consistent one. To take it back to slot machines, if everytime you put in a dollar you got a dime, no one would ever play. Even if the result is the same at the end of the day, the randomness makes our brain want to keep trying.
Agreed. Our brain keeps thinking "the next one could be it".
I think I see what you're saying about speeding. Negative reinforcement can influence behavior, but it'll go as far as to avoid the negative, no further. You won't get a compulsion like you do with random rewards. I see your point.
It would help Dems tremendously if there was any follow through on campaign promises. Immediately giving voters the cold shoulder in order to further the corporate agenda after getting into office leaves a bad taste in voters’ mouths.
The mainstream media has really been harping on Biden's age lately. But they often forget to mention that the reason age is important is that it's an indicator of health and mental acuity. Trump is almost as old, but if you ignore age and directly compare Biden and Trump on the actual important factors, health and mental acuity, Biden comes out far ahead.
If the choice actually comes down to Biden or Trump, and if you were only basing your vote on their health today, you'd be an idiot to vote for Trump. That would be on top of all of the other, much more important reasons to prefer Biden to Trump. Like they say in the article, Biden's agenda is popular. And on the other hand, Trump is a fascist fraudster sexually abusive criminal who already came within inches of overthrowing our government.
The question is. People want neither, as they’re both, very, very, very old
The problem is that the real choice in 2024 will be to vote for whoever the Democratic candidate is, whether it's Biden or not, or you can vote for whoever the Republican candidate will be.
But among the Republican candidates, only Chris Christie is willing to tell the truth about January 6. Politically, I don't agree with Christie, but he's literally the only Republican candidate who is not actively trying to destroy our country. But if you think age is an important factor, and the GOP comes to its senses and doesn't nominate Trump, in all likelihood, you'll end up with somebody who is actively trying to destroy our country.
It's a fucking disaster. On top of that, look at Ronald Reagan. He started having memory problems during his second term, and publicly he did fine, because he surrounded himself with people who would cover for him. If Biden starts having problems, we can decide what to do at that point.
Do I think age should be an important factor in elections? Yes. But it can't be a factor in 2024 because it will throw us all over a cliff.
I’m definitely more of a progressive than a democrat and I may not like Biden much, but I’ll sure as shit vote for him to prevent another Trump term. I feel like the media is trying to create a crisis here.
Not just the media but also... Am I the only one frustrated by the amount of "voting for Biden is dumb" posts on Lemmy? Yeah, he sucks, I don't like him. He's basically a 1950s Republican from back when they at least pretended to have some standards and acted like the government could occasionally do things. That's not inspiring.
But what's the play here? Don't vote at all? Vote for Trump but ironically? I don't get it. Voting is NOT the only thing you can do, and it's not the only thing you SHOULD be doing, but it's still a thing you absolutely should do.
That may work for us, but we absolutely need to get some people excited and motivated, or they'll just stay home, handing the election to Trump...
Oh no, there is a crisis.
It's an incredibly idiotic one. But it exists.
The problem here is you are voting because you are afraid of a Trump second term rather than voting for a candidate that is qualified for the position.
If you are more of an independent and look at a crazy person on one side and a senile sun downing person on the other the choice is more of a 50 50.
The Democrats are playing with fire and doing undemocratic plays to keep viable candidates out of the race and hide a compromised Biden instead of having an open primary and that might cost all of regardless of who actually wins.
Okay but the other side is a senile sundowning crazy person. We act like Biden is so much older than Trump but it's only three years.
Anyone ever see the orange Mussolini on a bicycle?
Oh for sure. Trump is high as balls on uppers and a cocktail of meds to have him bounce off the wall at rallys, I just wish Trump would let Biden take a hit off of whatever he's using.
I think it's about optics and looking at Biden on stage wandering around and falling down stairs/over his own words vs Trump who's shitting on all of his opponents and captivating his base it's resonating with a base that's fed up.
I think Biden policy wise is a lot better than any president we have had in recent memory (chips act, leaving Afghanistan, covid relief, cares act, TRYING to get student debt relief) but the general population in today's age needs to have a politician message to them what their party is actually doing for them and Biden and his admin of fail on that level so often.
Thanks for pointing out Biden's record. He has been able to get a lot accomplished and I hate always seeing the fascist's messaging has permeated so deeply that everyone calls Biden senile...
He is senile. That doesn't mean I don't like his administrations policies and that doesn't take away that he has done more for a progressive agenda than what was expected.
He's on the same path as Regan was with his age, the difference is social media wasn't a thing so they could hide Regan easier.
The problem as stated are the same sorts of sentiments that lost Hillary, and won Trump, the 2016 election.
Also, as an independent myself, I take issue at the implication that "insurectionist" vs "old man screaming at clouds" is at all a 50/50 choice
I think it's already a disservice that we're allowing this to be the narrative. Biden is certainly no spring chicken, but he's nowhere close to "sun-downing" or "old man screaming at clouds" and this narrative only works because republicans are better at messaging by a mile, and Biden has and has had a stutter his entire life.
And though he's no where near progressive enough for my tastes, he's probably got the most progressive record of just about any modern president.
Tbh if we want to get somewhere, we'd stop letting Republican talking points turn into the framing for everyone else. The topic of Biden's age now dominates any discussion about him on either side, as if Trump isn't basically the same age, and actually frequently showing more and more real signs of senility, never mind the whole "criminal, rapist, insurrectionist, traitor using state secrets to curry favor."
Hiliary's loss can be chalked up to similar reasons, of course tossing in a hefty, heft dose of misogyny. We let RBF and "but her emails" turn into this mess.
Like, why are we doing far right republican's messaging for them?
Well I’m not an independent and I completely disagree that the choice is 50/50. I have seen what Trump did to this country and I believe it is vital that we do not allow him to have a second term. There are plenty of issues with Biden but they pale in comparison to what Trump will do if re-elected. You are damn right I’m afraid of a second term with him. He almost destroyed our democracy during his first term. Just look at the shit he is outright saying he will do if re-elected.
Sorry I prefer a senile person to a political strongman
I hope others feel the same as you but I've lost faith in the electorial college and the two parties a long time ago.
It’s really not that close though, when the crazy person has such a history of fraud and corruption, is such a danger to our country, our society, has been so dividing, whose policies are responsible for so many pandemic deaths, so beholden to corporate interests and foreign dictators, etc. His approach to governing is a three year old throwing a tantrum and smashing Lego sets
I dont know why Biden gets so much hate. He has been a fantastic president so far. Could he have done more? Sure, but I dont understand why the hate. They say "hold my nose" to vote for him... like wtf why?
Yeah I'm right there with you. Biden has accomplished a lot. I don't agree with everything he's said or done but as a whole he's done a fantastic job turning America around. If he can beat Trump once he can beat him again and that is paramount. Plus it gives dems another 4 years to start pushing younger more progressive candidates into the spotlight.
Don't forget Trump is dragging the Republican party down, big time. - he will destroy the country. He has allowed those who are enemies of the constitution to come out of the closet and attack democracy.
Biden on the other hand, has surprised us by being more progressive than we thought he would be. He may not be physically agile but he knows good policy, like forgiving student loans for example, and he knows how to get legislation passed.
What if the GOP replaces Trump? There are a lot of ways he could become unelectable in the next year. So how would Biden do against a fresh Republican candidate? (My guess is Biden could lose if he doesn't have the "anyone but Trump" vote, so I hope the Dems have a fresh candidate of their own ready to take up the torch soon.)
GOP is locked in. Their base won't accept anyone else.
I think the GOP has rolled out it's freshest candidates and they are running now.
They won't bring in a new candidate, if Trump can't run he will cut a deal with Desantis and back him under an arrangement that Desantis pardons Trumps charges. Desantis is not a platform that will help the American people.
A lot of people don't understand how hard it is to fix things with a hostile Supreme Court and an obstructive congress. To the people saying "both sides are the same because Biden has only managed to clean up a few of Trump's messes", how would you do it instead? Biden has decades of experience, and he's trying. Do you honestly believe someone else could do better?
Because he's not charismatic.
People like to point to his earlier career not aging well to current social / political norms, completely ignoring that adapting one's values as society evolves is a desirable trait.
But really, it comes down to charisma. He's awkward and not particularly likeable, and people will bend over backwards to justify their dislike of him despite his accomplishments.
Then there are the hardline progressives, who literally no one electable will ever please. I'm sure even Bernie would have had to make too many compromises ,or fail to deliver enough, to alienate these folks if he had taken the presidency.
If Bernie got elected hard-line progressives would be throwing themselves off their roofs onto the grass outside their mothers houses for how little he's done and how all politicians are the same lol.
Axelrod and a bunch of the 'conservative' left really, really dislike Kamala and fear her as a president.
Because he's just there to maintain the status quo in a system that's been pushed to the brink and is no longer providing for the people participating in said system.
Also he's so, so fucking old.
We someone to bring about a ton of meaningful change, and fast. Biden isn't the one to do it.
Our system is not designed to do this. So really no one is, unless we are going to throw the whole system out.
He's not been perfect, of course, but he's been pretty good. And more importantly because he has a ton of experience and connections, he's been pretty effective. Again, all within the system we have.
So unless we are going to throw the whole system out, it's hard to say you are going to get a more effective candidate than Biden.
I'd really like for the Democrats to stop trying to make Biden appear young. Yeah, I would like a younger president, yeah I like that Biden can ride a bike or go for a walk, but these don't make him look younger to me and I didn't vote for him because I thought he was younger and super fit.
I wish the Biden team would lean into the memes, I feel like that's when he's been most popular. Appropriating the Let's go Brandon memes, appropriating the "I did that stickers/meme," leaning into the Dark/Dank Brandon memes, and back when he was VP leaning into the Uncle Joe vibe.
Fucking embrace that the dude is old and make him America's great grandpa. Have him walk out onto a Mr. Rogers lookalike set in a red cardigan to talk about policy. Have him do a fireside address with a blanket and a coffee. Have him throw on the sunglasses and crack the goofy smile before going to get ice cream with a podcaster.
Hell, get the people who made this video to help on Biden's public image.
https://youtu.be/OIDEGN4Js40?si=mHhctXdgoCi1RMgR
You're right. He's not young. But he's still a better President than I expected and he's far, far better than any alternative that Republicans will nominate. So can we let go of the age thing for now until we have an opportunity to pick better candidates? I sincerely doubt this election cycle will be it.
Oh I totally agree. I guess the rest of my comment was about how they're trying to make it an age thing and it's the worst marketing for him.
Exactly. When the other side is literal fascists I will, begrudgingly, vote for whoever the non-fascist is.
"shut up or my guy might lose"
No. It's a valid criticism. I don't think I should have to set my concerns aside so the chosen moderate can stall progress for the next 4 years.
So you'd rather watch the world burn than accept progress that's slower than you demand. How noble.
No, it's not slower, it's actively progressing the wrong direction. And having a president that's happy to stall progress is tantamount to giving the GOP what they want next cycle.
I'm tired of 'Democrats' pussyfutting around for 4-8 years only to watch what little they accomplished undone immediately, and the GOP making massive gains towards a fascist agenda no one wants.
Give me a candidate with teeth or yes, watch it all burn down. Get the horror show over with. Anything less than relentless progress is a win for the party that's willing to fight dirty for their bullshit agenda.
Really. This is the wrong direction?
What color is the sky on your world? It's usually blue on mine.
How much of that is executive order that can be undone day one for the next president?
How much of that is wrapped up in a single spending bill?
How much of that is limited in scope when we need large scale change? Protecting a forest with an EO is peanuts on the scale of action we actually need
Fine. You show us how it's done. Tell us how we pass good legislation in light of a hostile House of Representatives.
Go on. We'll wait.
How did Johnson do it?
If they wanted things to change, things would change. Nothing is moving because frankly they don't want it to. They're comfortable with the status quo and won't finance candidates with actual liberal agendas. And they actively finance fucking psychopaths to make their own candidates look better
The house is one of their own making.
Bullshit. This House is the one Republicans built, when they threw aside all norms and decided to be open about their power grabs. They telegraphed it in the late 2000s, and now it's become their new normal. Johnson was able to compromise with Republicans because back then Republicans were largely irrelevant and still followed the rules instead of making up bullshit precedents. They were still interested in governing.
So go on, tell me how you deal with modern politics when the other side isn't willing to negotiate in good faith. Be honest about the world we live in.
I'm pretty sure he selected Kamala specifically for the "well what if he dies" crowd.
The Biden HQ x formerly known as twitter account does lean into the memes pretty good. Even made an account on truth social.
Oh yeah? Well I love Joe Biden, and I'm not ashamed to say it. Let's talk about the last two administrations:
Joe Biden tried to forgive my debt. Donald Trump tried to take away my health insurance. Joe Biden thinks we need more trains. Donald Trump thinks we need more walls. Joe Biden lowered my student loan bills. Donald Trump raised my taxes. Joe Biden released people who were convicted on marijuana charges. Donald Trump locked up children for coming to the US. Joe Biden wants to be president. Donald Trump wants to be Vladimir Putin. Joe Biden told me to join a union. Donald Trump told me to drink bleach.
Is the Biden administration perfect? Of course not, but the man has actually tried (and occasionally succeeded) to do things that would actually benefit me personally. https://www.whitehouse.gov/therecord/
The reality is that for most people on most days, what's happening in DC has only a very small impact on our lives. Our state and local governments are vastly more consequential. But this administration, despite being faced with an opposition party composed of literal fascists, is fighting tooth and nail to make life better for real people without losing the Republic in the process. Given the current state of SCOTUS and Congress, it's nothing short of a miracle Joe Biden has accomplished anything at all. He's not as far left as me, but he's as far left as we've got right now, and never mind the fact that the other guy wants to destroy our country so he can stay out of prison.
Joe Biden has conviction, he has compassion, and he has ability. I like the agenda, and I like the man.
Joe Biden is defending democracy.
Donald Trump wants a theocratic autocracy.
It really is that simple.
Everyone please vote in 2024 to prevent project 2025.
Joe Biden doesn’t have the Progressive agenda I prefer, but he’s been the Moderate we need.
Even when I disagree with his approach, I usually have the impression that he acknowledges reality and at least considers knowledgeable advice
Republicans' dilemma: We will vote for Biden over literally any Republican so it doesn't matter.
Most Americans will vote Biden over Trump, but those same people would vote for any moderate Republican over Biden.
Republicans are attached at the hip to Trump and thus is actually best for the Democrats if Trump stays out of prison for the next year and keeps running for office.
It's just fine if he runs from prison as well.
I never thought I’d be one of those people who votes party lines, but at least at the national level, there just doesn’t seem to be a Republican that’s not just despicable
Biden is fine as president but I find it hard that a octogenarian can possibly understand the realities of my life and that's the problem, the largest voting block isn't old people anymore and democrats need to pivot for that. I'll still vote for the old bastard.
I mean, even if he was 40 he wouldn't understand your life. He belongs to a more rarified political class than we plebs.
It's closer then Trumps life, things need to change and politicians are not gonna change it because it means radical financial changes in politics which they all love so I don't really know. I would love to run for the house in my state but the minimum is 100000 just to get on the ballot. The lowest class will never be able to compete
Imma vote for that Brandon guy.
Do you think they will add "Dark Brandon" write-ins to Biden's tally?
@rbhfd @eran_morad they better or im gonna be peeved lol
I'm not a huge fan of Biden for multiple reasons, and I'd often show up in the "disapproval" stats for him as a person. I'd prefer to vote for Newsom or Fetterman. But I'll vote for Biden any day of the week over any Republican if he's the eventual Democratic nominee.
hold your nose and vote for the lesser evil of two ancient, conservative candidates.
yay america... just ooozing with democracy
Vote for fascist; no more democracy until civil war or total collapse.
Vote for not-fascist; no democracy/choice until the fascist party change their platform.
It’s reductive but it’s also why a two party system is anti-democratic. You can’t vote properly if you dont have a choice.
I mean, the agenda is mostly common sense and not making things worse so... Just get someone else and keep trucking?
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Biden's legislative victories include items popular with a large swath of American voters, such as allowing the federal government to negotiate Medicare drug prices, capping insulin costs, boosting infrastructure investment and tackling climate change.
Biden has sought to weave those items into a broad economic message - dubbed Bidenomics - of reinvesting in working-class America and lowering the costs of essentials like energy and healthcare.
Biden and top administration officials spent chunks of the summer crisscrossing the country on an "Investing In America" tour to highlight and explain those policies and seek to boost support for his presidency.
A campaign memo last week showed that Biden plans to ask voters to let him "finish the job" and focus on proven winning issues such as abortion rights, while also presenting Trump as out of touch with Americans.
"Our early research shows the president’s message of building on our progress to finish the job remains a winning one for mobilizing our base and persuading undecided voters,” campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said.
She said pundits and media often talk about bad polls but then rattled off a list of accomplishments - from capping insulin and prescription drug charges for seniors to investing in green energy jobs - that are widely popular.
The original article contains 951 words, the summary contains 209 words. Saved 78%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!
I would support Biden more if he enacted policies outside of when "Democrats at risk of losing next election" is the dominant headline. He was a wet noodle until the midterms, then he was a wet noodle again until Trump started actively talking about the election. He's doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.
News brought to you by billionaire-owned and millionaire-operated media megacorp
This article is so misleading.
Reuters considers the "Biden agenda" to be things like fighting climate change, infrastructure spending, and healthcare reform.
If Biden actually fought for the "Biden agenda" then he would be much more popular.
Already forgotten about the infrastructure bill? That also includes a lot of climate action.
I agree the infrastructure bill is a step in the right direction, but its mostly just clearing the maintenance backlog. Our infrastructure will be upgraded from "crumbling" to "poor". Its easy to forget it, most Americans already have.
Now instead of being 20 years behind China, our infrastructure will only be 15 years behind. As the richest country in the history of earth, we can do so much better than this.
And as for climate, tinkering around the edges isn't meaningful. We are still going full speed ahead towards climate ccatastrophe. We need radical change to save our civilization, and this bill ain't it, jack.
This always pisses me off. Look how far we've gotten with such piss poor leadership for so long. Imagine what the nation could look like if we had even just mostly competent leadership for the last 50 years.
I dont agree that it's a competency issue.
Our leaders are hyper-competent when fighting for the interests of wall street, the military industrial complex, the oil and gas industry, the insurance industry, etc.
Powerful moneyed interests are their real constituents. They only pretend to care about the needs of real working Americans when they need votes.
And Trump is going to do better on any of that? No way in hell.
Might as well complain that Biden didn't cure cancer and buy everyone a puppy.
Asking for a democratically elected leader to respond to the needs of the people isn't "curing cancer and buying puppies"
And yes Biden is better than Trump, but is that really how low you want to set the bar?
Have some standards, mate.
I think the bar is already set that low because you wouldn't need to choose between two geriatrics if the bar was higher. America could do better, but America won't do better
Expecting a president to make massive social changes when the House is led by a dysfunctional opposition party is asking for a cure to cancer and buying puppies. It's just not going to happen.
The candidates are Trump and Biden. That's who we've got to pick from. Anyone else who thinks they have a chance is delusional. That's the system. We can wish all we want it wasn't so, but it is.
The only way things begin to change is if the GOP loses control of the House, we get rid of the electoral college, and we get ranked choice voting. The only way that happens is through Democrats.
I dont expect Biden to get anything through the Republican house. I dont expect miracles. It's too late now.
I expected him to do something when Democrats had control of Congress. Instead he choose to follow Obama's failures and do practically nothing when the people gave Democrats control of the House, Senate, and White House.
And if you think Democrats will actually give up their role as Lesser Evil and pass ranked choice voting, then I think you are delusional.
You mean, when they had slim majorities and two quislings among the Democrats in the Senate who refused to vote for filibuster reform? That control?
Please join us in reality. We'd love to have your help.
Maybe if the Democrats gave even a tiny amount of pushback against those "quislings" then they would deserve some credit.
After all the damage Manchin has done, they still let him chair the energy committee and sit on appropriations. I'm here in reality wondering why they continue to give quislings so much power. Its almost as if the "rotating villain" is a feature, not a bug.
"We tried nothing and we're all out of ideas" isn't good enough for me, and it's sad that so many people just accept it.
Have some standards, mate.
Like this?
The problem was that both Manchin and Sinema understood that they had leverage to decide what policies lived or died. And as often as not, they torpedoed progressive legislation because they both consider themselves "moderate." They didn't stand in the way only when it didn't interfere with their personal enrichment. And since Senate Democrats have no control over the elections that put them in that position, it's extremely dishonest to blame Democrats for it.
Now that Manchin is retiring, Democrats are shitting their pants over their chances to hold the Senate in 2024. They know they won't be able to get a progressive to replace Manchin.
No, a few words to the media is not meaningful pushback.
Why do you avoid my main argument? Manchin is head of the energy committee. Why do Democrats keep giving so much power to a quisling, even after they were betrayed by him?
How do you punish him when he can simply start caucusing with Republicans and end the Democrats' slim majority? In order to pressure him you have to have leverage, and for the past few years he's had more of it than Senate Democrats.
Maybe Biden should push more for "Biden's agenda". It feels like Biden is pushing harder for COPPA (require people to be 18 and have a license to go on the internet, allow state attorney general to censor LGTBQ stuff online) then popular stuff like marajana legalization or Roe codification.
Where on Earth are you getting that from? I read and watch the news extensively every day, to a fault, and that is not what he's been pushing.
Comments sections, mostly. I'm guessing.
Marijuana legalization or Roe codification are not going to happen with a Republican led house. It's an impossibility. That's not Biden's fault.
I'm not surprised Biden isn't pushing marijuana reform. He's one of the biggest proponents of the horribly racist, classist, and murderous drug war. He's from a generation that thinks reefer madness is an accurate representation of pot, and his personal prejudice towards recreational drugs is widely known.
He's always been the wrong candidate, but the Democrats can't seem to find anyone better. All we can hope is that Republicans stay home and he gains votes that way
Biden stated during the 2020 election debates and town halls that he regretted supporting the drug war and some of the racist policies. I'm not clear on why people keep claiming he supports it, it's all on tape to see and has been for years that he said he was mistaken.
Big lot of good his regret does all the people who suffered. Especially when he's not fixing the mess he helped create
So what has he done to undo the damage the policies he supported caused?
He issued a general pardon in October for all federal possession crimes.
https://www.justice.gov/pardon/presidential-proclamation-marijuana-possession
You can even apply for a pardon online.
Thank you for actually answering the question instead of getting mad and making accusations.
I'd also add that he's directed the department of Health and Human Services to begin the process of potentially removing marijuana from Schedule 1. That's a bureaucratic nightmare that will take entirely too much time, but Biden has been taking real steps, even if it's not as fast as it should be.
I'll admit to being a layman on this, but why is it such a huge hairy problem to deschedule it?
Since you've done no legwork on your own, I would say broadly that he's worked for and voted for major equality and financial reform over the past twenty years of his career. Its not hard to find. Your just being lazy and regurgitating something you heard online.
If you can't answer the question, vague bullshit and insults will do.
So you won't look or even try to educate yourself, just deflect. Expected.
I asked a simple question. What has Biden done to undo the damage he did by supporting the racist war on drugs? Specifically, please.
He regrets thst it hurts his polling, maybe.
Its not that Democrats can't find anyone better. It's that they won't allow anyone better to advance through the ranks.
Its that Biden is exactly who the DNC wants in office.
Once upon a time, there was an argument that at least some Democrats tried to represent their constituents.
Those days are long gone. Citizens United stands. Corporations are "the people" the federal government represents. Money is speech. If you don't have the money, they don't have ears for you. Both parties represent the corporations, not the people, and Biden has a wonderful history of supporting all of those corrupt things that make the corporate overlords happy.
There are a lot of great Democrats out there, but there are plenty of bad ones too. I don't think we'll see real change until most of the boomers are dead and gone.
There's also the issue that with Republicans losing their damn minds, big money and corporations have been shifting their support to Dems.
Because The Party is The Party.
But I agree that Boomers are the worst offenders of voting R or D regardless of whose name the letter is next to because they fancy their letter the lesser evil.
Gen X really amped up the problem on the D side though.
Please stop with the "both sides are the same" bullshit. We don't need repetitions of Republican talking points.
Please stop with the "my color good, your color bad" bullshit.
I have never heard a republican say they are the same as a Democrat.
But just like a republican, if it doesn't pledge fealty to your color, it's the other color and its bad.
Stop treating America like a Grease high school rivalry.
Stop supporting corrupt politicians.
We've seen how the government works when Democrats have control. No one will call it perfect, but it works and they generally try to help people.
We also see repeatedly how government works with Republicans in power. They don't do shit to help anyone but themselves and their donor class.
Until we fix the first past the post electoral system, these are our choices. Whining about it won't fix it. We first have to eliminate the fascist threat posed by Republicans, then we can talk about reform.
Just because you've never heard a Republican declare they're the same as a Democrat doesn't mean you aren't repeating Republican propaganda. They don't care what you think of them. If you have no faith in government, they win. If you think Democrats are just as bad, they win. Shrinking government until it can be drowned in the tub is the point. Then they can break up its functions and sell them off to private interests. If you want to see a return to feudalism, keep repeating this bullshit. Just don't think you're going to be welcomed into the new nobility.
Bullshit.
Democrats had the oval office and a congressional supermajority.
The Patriot Act still exists in full form. Citizens United still exists in full form. Gitmo is still operational. Roe v Wade has not been codified.
In those years where we could have gotten universal Healthcare, they delivered everyone must pay for health insurance, employed or not.
In those years, the Iraq War not only continued, but the US added arial drone warfare to the military industrial complex.
When Obama spoke, he inspired, he lead, he made you feel something positive. He didn't follow through on ANYTHING though.
Biden got us out of Iraq. I think he botched the exit, but at least we got out of Iraq under his presidency. Then he decided to triple down on funding a genocide.
I can name 3 democrats (and politicians in general for that fact) I still trust. Bernie Sanders, AOC (though the longer she is hanging out with the dogs, the more I fear she is hosting some fleas) and Katie Porter.
The rest of em are Hilary progressives that are only concerned with cozying up with wall street insiders and lobbyist funders.
Well, I see the Russian disinformation crew had joined us. Congratulations to lemmy for growing enough to become a target!
Can't refute? Just make wild accusations!
There's no point in refuting Republican talking points that were discredited thirteen years ago. The Democrats had their supermajority for a total of two weeks at the end of 2009. Not nearly enough time to pass anything and everything they wanted. That talking point is dead and buried and is more than enough evidence that I'm not dealing with someone arguing in good faith.
Is that your intent as well? Sealion me so I waste my time rehashing old, dead arguments?
What talking points? I asked what Biden has done to fix the damage caused by the policies he says he no longer holds. That's a reasonable question until you try to answer it.
They could have done away with the filibuster forever with a simple majority but they didn't want to. Might have passed the public option, after all. And just think of all the stuff the party would have to find new excuses for not passing.
In any event, Biden has been president since the start of 2021. During that time, he has been the head of the executive branch, which includes the DEA. We have entrusted him with that agency. What has he done to walk back the war on drugs? This should be a layup if he's actually done anything. If he hasn't, it draws his statements on the subject into question.
More wild accusations. It was one question. You tried to bullshit your way through it, and when I didn't accept it, out came the "well you must be a Republican Russian like everyone to my left who doesn't instantly accept bullshit at face value! SEALION!"
EDIT: My apologies. It was silverbax who tried to bullshit an answer. You immediately jumped to the wild accusations because I dared to expect Biden to behave consistently with his stated position.
Biden's support of the war on drugs caused real damage to the communities that the war on drugs was designed to disrupt. If he says he's changed and is now against it, asking what he's done about it or even what he intends to do about it is not unreasonable. If you make a mess, you do what you can to clean it up.
If you just want me to shut up and be happy, you can just say that.
If you want to defend a Russian troll, that's your lookout. That you took my comments personally is your problem, not mine. I'm not interested in rehashing ancient history.
Biden is funding a genocide. Wants to be given the power to do so closed door.
New argument.
Go. Tell me why this man is worthy of being my leader.
You don't get to reference Trump. Or Republicans in general.
Why should I vote for a man fervently enabling genocide?
Wooooooooow.
Imma hope you were shittin' yer britches during the Obama administration and that's your defense for being that ignorant.
Is he? He's said publicly that he supports it and his admin just pushed to reschedule it from schedule I to schedule iii. Which isn't perfect but would be a HUGE step forward.
I suspect Biden is focusing on things he knows he can get done, rather than wasting time on things he knows will never get done. He's a very smart politician.
Codifying Roe is super important, but it will never happen under the current House & Senate. Focusing on that might excite lot of people, but it won't do any good right now. When election time rolls around, then you start pointing out what could happen if enough people vote for Democratic candidates.