The Biden Presidency 2021

Quote: OnceDear

I don't get to vote in your elections, thankfully, but as an outside observer, I saw a really REALLY bad republican candidate, trump , set against the best that your Democrats could muster. FFS, is your nation really such a one party state that decrepit Biden was the best the Dem's had, and Hillary ( Let's wave to an imaginary person in the crowd) the time before? Before him the Dems put up Bill Clinton, who at least had age on his side, but typical human weaknesses.

Yes, our nation is such a (technically) two-party state that is the best that it could come up with.

I will defend Biden. Trump was an extremely well-loved or well-hated President, depending on who you asked. A simple majority of people either hated or disliked him as, on Election Day, his average approval rating was in the neighborhood of 44-45%.

So, you get Joe Grandpa to run. Personally, I'm pretty sure I even posted on here that I thought he would be the best choice, even though I didn't think he would win the nomination. You're talking about a well-liked Veep to the first black President, who also happened to have a decent approval rating. I believe they call that, "Street Cred," in the parlance of our youth, or at least, people younger than I.

He's also a safe choice. You don't want anyone too far to the left, or at least nobody perceived as too far left or maybe you're going to alienate moderate Democrats, Independents or fence-sitters. Sanders and Warren, both too Liberal, also old...though I think Warren would have been a fine POTUS other than the fact that I disagree with almost every single one of her economic positions.

Anyway, you don't need a good Presidential candidate. You just need a candidate who is going to be fairly low variance when it comes to beating Trump, which Joe did pretty handily. Biden isn't going to alienate the Far Left, for the most part, given that they would vote for a toilet seat rather than Trump.

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I sort of respected Obama, for having some intelligence and experience, but even when the Dem's put him forward, he was always going to be stymied. That's not me being racist. Just me accepting that there would be enough racists in your nation to undermine him. Hell, it's not unthinkable that he was disadvantaged by race, and your nation's attitude to race, and that Hillary was similarly stymied by gender and some of your nation's attitude to gender. Thus trump found his moment.

Obama benefitted, the first time around, from running against the aging McCain and probably one of the worst Veep picks (Palin) in this country's history. Democrats get stymied by Republicans and vice-versa, that's what happens, I'm not convinced that Obama being black really changed anything relative to the time that he had actually won and forward from there. It might have been a disadvantage in the actual election, but then, it's kind of an advantage because now you're going to perform extremely well in the black vote.

As of 2016, when you look at favorable/unfavorable polls, Trump was the most net unfavorable Presidential candidate in history. Do you know who was second? Hillary Clinton. She pandered, almost exclusively, to women---alienated men---and stood at the podium and shrilly screamed at everyone. If that perception makes me a chauvinist, so be it, but I just said that Warren would have made a fine President even though I don't like her policies.

From my perspective, Hillary was just not likable, and that's really what you need to win the big one.

I also don't know where H. Clinton was getting her advice on how to give speeches. I've seen sit-down interviews with her and she comes off as intelligent, articulate and much more pleasant; charming, even.

I'm sure that her gender perhaps changed a few votes, but not very many. People simply don't like her.

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You guys, left or right, just seem to go for the establishment white male, regardless of merit, age or suitability. Maybe the one with the best speil And then both sides seem to pick the least actually suitable. I recall watching Obama's hair go white as the toll of the job aged him. Was it not obvious that Biden was going to deteriorate from a bad starting point. ( A bit like Reagan did).It says a lot that (starting to show) demented Biden was preferred over corrupt ( and also demented) trumpy

Our Libertarian candidate was the most fantastic Jo Jorgensen, so I have nothing to say about this. She's a terrific and very intelligent woman, so I consider us absolved. If she'd have been put on the debate stage, she'd have mopped the floor with Grandpa and Agent Orange.

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And Trump was the best the repubs could come up with and Biden was the best the dems had, trailed by a few 80 something crusties like Bernie?

FFS Your nation is SO screwed. Do you have ANY senior politicians with integrity and statesmanship, from either side? I cannot see many.

We're screwed? I think we're doing pretty okay overall. I can't imagine that you guys over there would ever want another rematch against us.

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A decent President from the 'other' party has to be better than a 5h1t (corrupt) president from the 'preferred one'

Where is your 50-60 something eloquent white (generally) male ( generally) statesman. He doesn't have to be an angel, and left or right is not the biggy. Just someone like, say Trudeau. Whatever happened to Paul Ryan? I remember him bowing out in despair after trump won.

Actually... https://marketrealist.com/p/what-is-paul-ryan-doing-now/

I'd have voted Clinton or Biden, vs trump, but I despised Clinton for her corrupt Computer 'Cleaning' and I despair of Biden's dementia, though they at least had statesman status and were not overtly totally criminally corrupt.

And yes. The UK and Europe has some Doozies. Clowns and drunks, fascists, fools and crooks.

Really guys, The US aspires to lead the world. Get your act together. Please.

Paul Ryan might be young, by politician standards, but his social positions are straight out of the 1940's. Not a great example.

Quote: Mission146

From my perspective, Hillary was just not likable, and that's really what you need to win the big one.

I also don't know where H. Clinton was getting her advice on how to give speeches. I've seen sit-down interviews with her and she comes off as intelligent, articulate and much more pleasant; charming, even.

I agree. Her 'pretend to make eye contact with, and wave to someone' trick made me cringe every time. She was steered by PR firms with zero values. When she was caught with her email server and joked about 'wiping it with a cloth, as a techy I cringed and detested her stupidity and her reaction. I didn't like her, but she had some sort of establishment creds.

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Our Libertarian candidate was the most fantastic Jo Jorgensen, so I have nothing to say about this. She's a terrific and very intelligent woman, so I consider us absolved. If she'd have been put on the debate stage, she'd have mopped the floor with Grandpa and Agent Orange.

But your system buried her chances so deep that we Europeans never really heard of her. Two party state again.

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We're screwed? I think we're doing pretty okay overall. I can't imagine that you guys over there would ever want another rematch against us.

Militarily and economically powerful. I have no squabble with that, except maybe that your national values , and ours too, are not good for the planet.

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Paul Ryan might be young, by politician standards, but his social positions are straight out of the 1940's. Not a great example.

I'll take your word for that. I was quoting his age profile and apparent integrity when he just shook his head in despair when trump got the candidacy.
I reckon integrity is the prime requirement and an ability and interest in assembling a strong team.... Not of toadies though. I see SOME integrity in Biden, but plenty of weaknesses.

Quote: OnceDear

Exactly my point. It's as though the Dems only had a few months to rustle up a candidate and it was Biden or Bernie. Surely to zod, there's a decent 50 something, eloquent, statesman in one or the other party that was better qualified? No? You have all those State Governors and senators and confgressmen and even a raft of business golliaths. How did Biden get to be the safest choice. I acknowlege that he was and thank zod he won. But you do realise, your nation won't tolerate a President Harris for very long: Female, and non-white. However good she may be, the Reps can put up any white guy and beat her to hell in the face of a slightly sexist/racist electorate.
I'm dreading 2022 and 2024. 2016-2020 was a dress rehearsal by comparison.

It’s easy to think, I’ll give you that. But we don’t get many like that to the presidency.

If Harris gets the job because Biden dies, she’s likely going to get a hailstorm of criticism in the job no matter what. She’s going to have to prove to people she can handle that just to get to doing the rest of the job.

Quote: OnceDear

I agree. Her 'pretend to make eye contact with, and wave to someone' trick made me cringe every time. She was steered by PR firms with zero values. When she was caught with her email server and joked about 'wiping it with a cloth, as a techy I cringed and detested her stupidity and her reaction. I didn't like her, but she had some sort of establishment creds.

She had, "Wife of Bill Clinton," creds. He was considered a pretty good President aside from the infidelity stuff. B. Clinton was going around stumping for Obama in his reelection campaign, though I'm not sure if that was the case in 2008. I only remember B. Clinton running around the map in 2012 because I went to see him in a nearby city.

Hillary Clinton had absolutely nothing that came off as authentic. On the other hand, Trump was more than zero authentic. Being a blithering idiot might not be a desirable trait, but it is an authentic one. Also, religious conservatives can certainly empathize with being blithering idiots.

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But your system buried her chances so deep that we Europeans never really heard of her. Two party state again.

In the beginning, the Framers created the Electoral College...ergo, two-party system.

The system almost requires consolidation of power as a necessity for winning. If no Electoral College majority, then Congress essentially decides amongst the three highest Electoral Vote earners. If you skip that process and just make it one on one, then the probability of someone winning outright becomes much higher, consequently, you end up with two major parties who have different factions and lots of infighting.

I'd just as soon have national popular vote run-offs or ranked choice.

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Militarily and economically powerful. I have no squabble with that, except maybe that your national values , and ours too, are not good for the planet.

Like, Environmentally speaking? The nice thing about the planet being non-sentient is that it doesn't matter what our values are. It's our planet and we will do as we like with it.

Some fanciful notion of the Ozone layer lasting a few extra thousand years after we are long dead, or whatever. The sun death is inevitable. Extinction is inevitable. The only question is, "When?" Why delay?

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I'll take your word for that. I was quoting his age profile and apparent integrity when he just shook his head in despair when trump got the candidacy.
I reckon integrity is the prime requirement and an ability and interest in assembling a strong team.... Not of toadies though. I see SOME integrity in Biden, but plenty of weaknesses.

He probably does have a non-zero amount of integrity. Whether or not he is a person of integrity is immaterial to his social positions. I should think that many people on the right have more personal integrity than many on the left---but most are a bunch of hypocrites no matter what side you're on.

La Republica esta muerto. La economía esta muerto.

You have no one left to fight for. Fill your pockets before the Fed pulls the plug.

Biden and the CDC letting the rent moratorium to expire
kudos
I actually think it went on too long
Anyway
Not a peep from the right regarding this because they cant bring themselves to agree and support a Biden decision
Cmon Tanko
This is something you can give Biden credit for

I just saw a news item on Disney's Biden animatronic addition to the Hall of Presidents exhibition.

I can already hear the jokes that they perfectly replicated old man Joe's stiff movements.

Quote: rxwine

I just saw a news item on Disney's Biden animatronic addition to the Hall of Presidents exhibition.

I can already hear the jokes that they perfectly replicated old man Joe's stiff movements.

I'm fine with it
Most recent Biden criticism is simply that he is not a perfect human being
Who is
Rightys go nuts when Biden makes human mistakes
Pretty weird. I don't expect perfection. I expect good policy decisions.
No real substance to a lot of rightwing criticism
All they have is Biden being human making human mistakes of no consequence and its so weak

Quote: terapined

I'm fine with it
Most recent Biden criticism is simply that he is not a perfect human being
Who is
Rightys go nuts when Biden makes human mistakes
Pretty weird. I don't expect perfection. I expect good policy decisions.
No real substance to a lot of rightwing criticism
All they have is Biden being human making human mistakes of no consequence and its so weak

Over half the population thinks the country is going in the wrong direction and less than 40% think it is going in the right direction. But you probably don't know anybody that thinks that so you can ignore that stat.

Quote: kenarman

Over half the population thinks the country is going in the wrong direction and less than 40% think it is going in the right direction. But you probably don't know anybody that thinks that so you can ignore that stat.

Biden approval ratings higher the Trumps ever were
But
Yea, with Delta virus, definitely going in the wrong direction. It is what it is. Not Bidens fault. Anti vaxers fault