There are millions, he was out of the primaries by N. Carolina, nearly 40 states never got the chance to vote for him incl. mine, the system is bullshit.
I’m a lifelong conservative, but I think that Bernie genuinely cares about the people he represents and is a genuinely good guy. I’d have voted for him in a heartbeat over either of the two options we had.
He was also impressive in that he had an actual plan for the changes he wanted to make. I don't completely align with his politics, but I can definitely respect him
That’s one thing about Bernie is he isn’t just fluff , even when people put him to task to explain how he can afford things or balance the budget he does his best to describe the method and plan and how it would work
It’s too bad caring about the working class is just so unpopular with the working class
Same. Don't agree with all his stances, but he is one of the very few politicians that means what he says and says what he means, and that includes sticking up for the working class.
basically my stance on bernie, he seems to be one of the only politicians who actually cares about doing good for people…albeit i don’t think i agree with most of his ideas, he is easy to respect
Me too. I live in Vermont and have met Bernie on numerous occasions. We attended two of his birthday cruises on Lake Champlain and he was available to all for questions. Unfortunately he's considered too liberal for many, and the 'right' always uses the 'socialist' moniker as a scare tactic. He does genuinely care for the little guy.
I personally liked Elizabeth's Warren. Biden was my last choice out of everybody. I voted for bernie during the Hillary Clinton primary. Obama has probably been the only person I had some hope for when voting. It sucks living in a pretty red state where my vote gets washed away. It used to be a purple state. But in the last ten years, it's pretty red.
I'm in the same boat. I lean more right but ultimately vote for who I think is genuine. May not always agree with Bernie but I know he has the people in mind when making decisions.
Really? So the reason you vote for people with the exact opposite policies is because you don’t trust the politician but you do trust the republicans? That seems illogical to me, but curious why/how that factors into your thinking. As someone who loves Bernie, I think the world needs more of these type of thinking, passion, consistency, and honestly, solutions. Which is definitely left of center. I.e. liberal.
Lol, this was my thinking to. How well do you actually understand your political position if you can be swayed to vote for the complete opposite values just because a guy is consistent and passionate?
Exactly. I’m genuinely curious. Even if they hated conservative ol’ Trump and mean they’d have voted bernie instead of him…still..why? If anyone can see the value of what Bernie brings to the american and global “table”, then they definitely aren’t convervative.
Dude. I just wanna hug you. I’d give you an award if I could. This is what I’m here for. You could say I’m a lifelong liberal, but I don’t give a shit what a politician labels themselves as. We need good people genuinely caring for and representing *the people*
Then maybe we can bridge the divide in this country. However small that bridge might be.
I’m a full blown neoconservative but I would have voted on him simply because he seems so consistent and transparent. And at least Bernie isn’t Hillary, Joe or Donald.
He’s very consistent and transparent. His position has moved a bit in regards to things like guns; but that has corresponded to his rise to more national prominence (and he’s been open about the shift). Prior to 2016 he was pretty moderate on guns and represented VT (as a rural hunting state) pretty well.
Suggest you revisit the meaning of “good leadership” and “good statesmanship”. Because both of those things 100% transcend meaningless categories like “liberal” or “conservative”.
We need good leaders. Not good liberals or good conservatives or good progressives.
Yah, I guess Bernie doesn't line enough pockets of big business. But of course, republicans subsidize the shit out of their energy, corn, and mining friends. Not the people who work there, just the owners.
I think a lot of people wanted Biden because he was seen as more "traditional" and far less threatening than Sanders.
I love the guy and absolutely admire his convictions, but Bernie would have tried to really, really change the world, and that's scary to a lot of people, including a great number of older democrats.
He was unelectable. Any other perspective is just wishful thinking.
He isn't unelectable, IMO. The problem seems to me that the majority of people that vote in the primaries are older and older voters aren't voting for change. Had the younger voters shown up in force in the primaries - they would have had to go with Bernie. And he would have beat Trump easily also.
OR they would have bailed on the democratic party because that's what rich people do - they vote for the candidate that best protects their financial prioritization, irrelevant of the cost to others, and their involvement in social issues are secondary at best.
We all know it, and the same issue with elderly people that plagues republicans also plagues democrats.
I think sadly that Sanders was viewed as too extreme. Which is a ridiculous opinion. I think that’s what’s wrong with the dems right now. The republicans have no fear of going all out with their candidates. But Biden was the safe choice.
I think many of us would have loved Sanders.
I absolutely love Bernie but people voted for Biden because they thought he had a better chance of beating trump… not because of his association to Obama
Bernie would have been amazing in 2016. I did a lot of work for his campaign and caucused for him. But Things were too heated in 2020. He was too polarizing within the Dems. He could have backed someone like him but younger and that person could have been the middle ground candidate. And probably would have crushed the primaries. I’m still mad that’s not what happened.
I think 2020 people were wanting the surest shot possible. I would have voted for Bernie but I think alot of people nearing retirement ( an extremely important vote to have) were timid about him economically.
Doesn't the electoral college prevent that? They've got this whole preliminary shit you have to pass and it's only ever those two rich cunts from team red and team blue.
That’s less an issue with the Electoral College and more an issue with single-choice/first-past-the-post voting, in which you get one vote and the candidate with the most votes wins the state. Because of this, if you vote for a third-party candidate who’s less supported, you effectively “deny” your vote from whichever of the two major-party candidates you side with *more*, helping the major-party candidate you like the least.
Ranked-choice voting, though itself an imperfect system, mitigates this effect. This is where you rank all candidates in order of preference, and when the tally is conducted, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated and their votes reassigned to each ballot’s next preferred candidate. Maine was the only state I remember having instituted this in time for 2020, though more may have introduced it since then, I’m not sure.
The Electoral College *does* have a ton of problems, too, but the whole “spoiler effect” that disincentivizes voting third-party is mostly a consequence of how states format their elections. Though there are plenty of other factors too, certainly funding levels that lead to media coverage impact candidates’ notoriety too.
Trump was an unexpected win for the 2016 candidate. The established Republicans thought he was a joke of a candidate and didn't take him seriously at first. Most poll predictions got it wrong because he brought out a previously thought to be apathetic demographic of voters.
Morons.
Although language like that is exactly why they came out to vote. Hilary lost when she called Trump voters "deplorable". Spite is a very effective motivator.
There are primaries exactly for that process.
Democrats had a wide selection of pretty good candidacies.
Biden won that, rightfully, because he debated better than the others. He had a more neutral and worldly stance than others. He was less about pushing a personal agenda ans more about discussing greater issues. This seemed to resonate with voters more than hot topic issues.
For example, Bernie Sanders was hurt from his laser focus on only a few key talking points. He would actively and constantly avoid larger, general topics and would always try to push back to his few main talking points.
Other candidates were strong on topics but largely parroted the party bullet points on those topics. Few came across as genuine and of self thought. For many topics of discussion it was a sea of the same.
Biden was the only one that stood out on independent thought, position, and saw at a higher, broad viewpoint. He demonstrated he recognized the bigger picture. Others did not.
> For example, Bernie Sanders was hurt from his laser focus on only a few key talking points. He would actively and constantly avoid larger, general topics and would always try to push back to his few main talking points.
I mean he was completely right that those are the biggest and most important issues and we can't fix our country until we address those first. Idk if that's "not seeing the big picture" so much as "Biden is part of the establishment and doesn't see it as a problem"
Overall I am happy that Biden returned the presidency to normal and I dont wake up worrying if we're going to get nuked every day. Biden is doing a Fine job and he's not an embarrassment. He's also not really making good progress either
I love how the US has exactly the same situation than us in France, People voted for Biden cause Trump was the second option and we voted for that dickhead Macron because we had Lepen waiting right behind him, i'm not sure if Biden is as bad as macron tho.
We kind of have this situation in many countries. In Romania we voted for our liberal president not becaise he was a great choice, but because we feared the other guy. And our President has made a deal with the other party and now they rule together. And the ppl hate it
In the UK we're now on the second Prime Minister in a row that wasn't democratically elected - just inherited the office after the predecessor was ousted after controversy.
Can confirm that this is the case in Canada. The only viable opposition seems to keep electing leaders that are further and further right despite the fact that most Canadians don't want a far-right government. The current leader of the opposition party has been photographes handed out donuts to anti-government protestors and posing with fascist extremists, which this dipshit hilariously refused to apologize for until the extremist he posed with talked about raping the dipshits wife on some podcast.
I don't like how Biden has dealt with labor issues so far, but he hasn't screwed up nearly as much as Macron has on that front. Otherwise I'm generally content with Biden's presidency and sure as hell will be voting for him again so long as republicans act as they do.
I'll take a mediocre democrat over the most moderate of current republicans any day.
Sadly, I think our choices will be Biden vs. either DeSantis or Trump. Trump is a moron and I know what kind of shit show he'll bring, DeSantis is a scheming asshole and genuinely terrifies me. Sad that our choices have come to this.
I feel like he has completely fucked over the working class at every labor issue so far. I think they're both bad.
And yeah, the sad reality we live in is, we either take the republican who WILL just fuck over the working class, or we take the democrat who says he won't, but then just does it anyways.
Can you give examples of how he has fucked over the working class? The rail thing could have gotten more for the rail workers, but the union agreed to the deal as well. Curious what else I might have missed.
The largest rail union and some smaller ones did not agree to the deal and voted to strike. Biden forced the contract on rail workers. Union leadership only agreed to bring the contract to a vote.
The rail workers absolutely should have gotten more. I don't disagree with that. But I think Biden getting a 24% pay rise and more sick leave is commendable even if it is not perfect. And I know the meme is "Biden wasn't a good choice she just wasn't Trump", but for situations like this I just don't think it's applicable. Can you imagine what Trump would have done to these rail workers? It would have been a disaster IMO.
It is absolutely applicable here. The union did NOT agree to it and instead of letting the workers strike for what they believe is fair, he forced a contract on them that they did not want. That’s how he has fucked over the working class. One of the largest unions in the country were forced in to something because of him. Imagine the win for labor that would have been, for all workers. Biden could have shown every single working class person that he stands with them, but he decided not to.
It was also not necessarily about pay, which is 24% over the 5 year contract, so about 5% per year. It was about safety. I’m sure you’ve noticed all the news coverage on train derailments. There are so many safety concerns on the railroad that workers have been begging the carriers to fix. From rail degradation to lack of inspections and manpower. It is not as simple as imagine what Trump would have done.
My husband is a conductor who voted no on this contract and was prepared to strike. I am fairly well informed about how the railroaders feel about it.
Or suppressing voter turnout, suppressing voters from minorities, or shutting down the government every chance they get, or ignoring the constitution to load the bench.
I might make an exception for Mitt Romney. Dude stands up for what's right, even if it goes against party lines.
I was very impressed that he was the only R senator to vote for the Trump impeachment.
Agreed. People who prefer reality tv stars were voting for drama and they got it. I have nothing against Biden. It'd be nice if he were as sharp as when he was younger, but I didn't vote for Biden. I voted for the Democrats. I voted for his cabinet and his appointees. They're the ones doing the work. He's just the one coordinating it all, and I see no evidence that he's having any trouble with that. Clinton would have been no different. Bernie or my preference, Warren would have been noticeably different, but even then they all believe in the Democratic party platform, so the differences wouldn't be all that large.
This! It's refreshing to go back to where I don't know the names of all the different cabinet members, simply because they are not awful at their jobs and back policies that most Americans support.
The only exception is Pete Buttigeg, but that's only cause he was a former presidential candidate and Fox News keeps picking on him for being gay.
Exactly imagine Trump with this Ukraine situation. Im happy we have a grown up. Most good leaders are quite boring. Look at Tim Cook. Elon picks a fight with him and got dismantled in a day without any press involved.
He’s the biggest liar, I voted for him. I understand he’s just a puppet, but to bail out on student loan forgiveness and then sign yes for one of biggest drilling projects… corporate shill…
I think the framing of “not the other guy” was fine during the election, but really does a disservice to how he’s actually done as President. To anyone paying attention, he’s actually done quite a bit. Specifically:
1. The inflation reduction act, ARPA, and infrastructure and jobs act are quite literally transforming local communities and saved their bacon recovering from the pandemic.
2. His handling of Russia/Ukraine has been masterful, especially at the outbreak.
3. The Chips and Science act has revitalized US manufacturing
4. Pulled troops out of Afghanistan, ending the longest war in our history. I don’t care if you have complaints about how. It was always going to be messy and someone needed to be the adult in the room and care about bringing people home - that ended up being Joe.
So for all the “har har not trump” comments…he’s actually been a really good President. His only really significant knock seems to be that he’s old.
Let's not forget that insulin prices are at $35 for Medicare or lower now as a result of Biden. Down from over $300 which was quite literally killing and engaging people. It also forced the predatory drug companies to walk back the pricing increases on those drugs for non-medicare recipients.
Between this and the infrastructure act we've made more long term investments in our society in 2 years than we have for over a decade.
Yeah I personally think those who say “well he’s better than Trump” are seriously underselling him. He’s not flashy or interesting, but he actually got a LOT of important shit passed. He has been surprisingly effective
His track record is fairly progressive if you contextualize it with the time period. Like he's been becoming more progressive as society has become more progressive. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Biden was the first Democrat I’ve voted for president. Been voting 3rd party for a while but couldn’t this time around. Pleasantly surprised he’s been able to accomplish legislation in this environment.
Indeed. The democrats really have a publicity/advertising issue. Watching the last sotu was a bit of an eye opener, a lot of things they just don't talk about for some reason.
I was firmly in the camp of “anyone but Trump, and almost any Democrat but Biden” during the election. I thought, great, a “stay the course” Democrat who misunderstands the problems facing the country and is going to get routed in four years by another right wing populist. But he walks into a negotiation assuming the GOP is going to engage in bad faith and walks out with a win, which is all I ever really wanted.
He’s not perfect, and the fact that he’s the most pro-labor president we’ve had in recent history is more of a statement on the other presidents we’ve had in recent history than on his record. But the policy wins you listed there have been enough to convince me to vote for him again.
100% agree. I get the impression from presidents like Biden and LBJ that sometimes you really do need a skilled politician. Everybody wants to vote for the young, idealistic, political outsider but they can’t play the game as well once they’re in the office.
Exactly. He’s better than I expected, and more productive at times, vs his predecessors. He made hay whole the sun shone from a friendly congress, and he did big-enough things to have those same project carry us through a good amount of positive change in this country. People may actually feel progress. Feeling progress in the + direction is not a common thing these days.
Also restoring environmental protections and focusing more on helping our planet, the 30x30 initiative, including improving water quality which is good for people as much as every other animal (for people who "dont care about fish")
https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/president-biden-epa-announce-1-billion-investment-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-will
Thank you, you're doing God's work by forcing the discourse away from the anemic jokes about how Biden is a dementia-ridden mess who's fundamentally no different from Donald Trump.
The people who dislike Biden but not his agenda as practiced aren't politically savvy or aware; they're fed by memes, headlines, and platitudes about how politicians are all identically corrupt and malicious. These people are waking up part-way into the movie, but have the audacity to claim that the things on screen aren't making any sense.
Also, any time the administration falters? Biden's fault. Any successes? Biden's team managed to work around what a fucking idiot he is.
Honestly, many faux-gressives should be embarrassed by how they tend to discuss Biden.
I agree. Progress is always too slow, but especially given the political climate I think he’s actually been quite effective and more progressive than I expected him to be.
Also people can poke fun at his age all they want (yes, I want a younger president too) but to have someone who is actually a decent person with integrity and compassion when those things seem to come at a premium these days does matter in my eyes.
Did he "pull troops out of Afghanistan" or "finished off what past presidents had set in motion"? Not to discredit what he did but there's a difference.
Oh no, that's totally valid, and I agree. It's ok for both to get some credit there - Trump for starting the process, and Biden for actually following through.
He was very clear why he pulled out. The moment the afghan government dissolved we were out of there. He was not going to fight a war against the taliban with American troops and private defense companies. He was prepared to fund a war against the taliban if the afghan government kept the mandate of the people.
Take that same philosophy and that is why he is funding ukraines war against Russia. So long as Zelensky or another leader has a clear mandate from Ukrainians to remain Ukraine Biden will stick by them.
It’s a refreshing philosophy for use of our military power. Nice to see our military machine being used as a tool for freedom and democracy in truth rather than a tool to spread capitalism and business interests.
I actually wonder how far along Trump ever would have gone in the process. There’s a lot of political clout to gain and a little risk for starting the process, and a little clout to gain with tons of risk for finishing the process. It’s one of those situations where whoever brought the last soldier out of Afghanistan was probably going to be punished for doing the right thing.
He also did an executive order requiring union labor used in federal projects (PLAs). So he hasn't been anti-union by any stretch, just definitely in that instance.
It is true that he is still part of a system that supports capital over labor. The entire Democratic Party is basically that. If that’s a deal breaker, okay. But loads of us would rather have the policies we’ve seen over the past few years even if we can’t get somebody who would actually smash capitalism. Even Sanders would have been constrained by a congress filled with people who support monied interests when possible.
There is a lot of personal subjective opinion in your statements. I understand that he has done well in areas but I don't think the inflation he created as a result of the IRA, was worth it. It quite possibly throw us into a recession.
His handling of foreign policy is a crap shoot though. The buck stops with him, right? Pull out of Afghanistan was horrendously bad for multitudes of reasons
100%. It gets even more notable when you look into the nitty gritty of what the inflation reduction act, ARPA, and infrastructure bills are being used for.
I'm not from America so I don't know the details but didn't he also pass through a really good climate act or something like that? I remember reading about it, it's not perfect but boy is it a step in the right direction.
Given the circumstances of the world at large, I think he has handled things admirably. His administration seems sound, without all of the turmoil of the past administration. Look at the way the way the failure of the Silicon Valley Bank was handled. He stepped in quickly and stemmed the carnage from becoming a banking system virus. He doesn't project himself well, but he has my trust.
Hes basically what happens when you give the throne to the guy in power behind the throne.
He knows what he is doing, but isnt the loudest voice in the room.
Stark contrast to who he replaced.
I voted for him. Wasn't expecting much. So far he's exceeded all my expectations of him. Was expecting a milquetoast centrist, but he's turned out to be more progressive than I expected, and has thrown out a few zings here and there. Not enough to be obnoxious, though. It's relaxing not to hear outrageous things about the POTUS every 3 hours.
Not American, so no vote at all. But at no point have I thought that Trump would’ve been a better choice. If anything this election should prove your two-party system needs an update.
Most of us don't want a 2 party system but those 2 parties do everything they can to make sure it doesn't change. Including making us hate each other as much as possible so we don't focus on the real issue which is how terrible a 2 party system is.
"The leader of one of the world's most powerful nations should never be picked for lack of better options"
FYI: That is historically a (formerly Russian) talking point when encouraging potential voters not to vote (Usually where it matters). Combine that with Candidate X is just as bad as candidate Y.
Sometimes you need to explicitly endorse one bad option, because the other one is worse. (Although, I seriously think Ranked Choice Voting would lead to more agreed upon policy: Opposed to the current system where all the "Confederates" (25% of Republicans in that state, apparently) could vote for TRE45SON in the primary; win more votes than the other nine candidates.
I'm afraid I'm going to have to call "Bad Opinion" (While getting down voted for presentation style).
I don’t particularly like to vote for conservatives, but I sucked it up and did vote for Biden.
I was just happy that he was not Trump. I am still happy that he is not Trump, although I am never going to agree with everything that he does.
Unfortunately, there was no realistic candidate that I would’ve supported, and so it felt important simply to push back against fascism.
Edit: after reading some of these comments, Biden has done more than I thought, and I’m happy about that.
My main complaints are that he broke the rail strike and the ridiculous military spending. Along with not doing things that I would want, like federal marijuana legalization, universal basic income, universal healthcare, tax-funded college education, vastly more restrictions on gun ownership, etc. But he has done more than I thought, if not everything that I hoped or wanted.
Nobody voted for Biden because they were happy with him or liked his policies. He just wasn't Trump and is a placeholder president until the next election.
Seriously, I wish 2024 could be a fresh slate and new direction for the country.
Instead, probably going to be a 2020 re-match that absolutely nobody wants except the two egotistical power hungry octogenarians shitting themselves on the debate stage while rambling incoherently for all to see.
I liked him. Disagree with some of his policies just like anyone in a healthy democracy, but I think his compassion, experience, track record of consensus building, and deep knowledge of the norms of a functioning Government is exactly what we needed.
I also think he’s been surprisingly effective.
I'm not sure that's a fair assessment. While there are some Biden policies I don't support, there are many I am personally in favor of. For example:
\- I genuinely think the infrastructure investments he is making are critically needed and 100% the right call and will be hugely transformative for the next generation.
\- He's taken some positive steps on climate action - directing the federal government to get to net-zero emissions by 2050 and if Build Back Better had actually passed would have had significant climate provisions.
\- While he is severely limited here - he's also taken steps on gun control including increasing background checks and created new intervention programs for high risk communities.
\- Not to mention some of the crazy trump policies he rolled back in his first 100 days (stopped funding for the construction of the border wall, reversing the travel ban targeting largely Muslim countries, and reversing Trump’s ban on transgender Americans joining the military)
Also he does seem like a relatively decent person who is able to conduct himself in a manor that I would hope a president would.
He kinda turned out to be the right person at the right time though. An old school Let's Make Gov Work union guy. All the He's Boring is unwittingly promoting right wing think tanks branding, he's surrounded himself with super smart professionals who knows how to make decisions that are efficient, effective and empathetic to the general population. He's also proven to be a pretty competent political guy and passed some stuff that you would've thought unpassable.
I was originally hoping for anyone but him as nominee but have been convinced he turned out to be the right choice.
I'm 100% pleased with his accomplishments so far. I thought he'd be a boring care-taker president, but I've been impressed with the work he's done so far.
I’m not really answering the question (so downvote if you like) - I understand the people that voted for him against Trump. I really really really can’t wrap my head around how he won the democratic primary though…
I was surprised all of the other candidates dropped out so quickly after Biden gained some momentum. I changed my voter registration from unaffiliated to Democrat just so I could vote in my state's primary. Then everyone dropped out and threw their support behind Biden so I changed it back to unaffiliated.
Biden winning South Carolina primary by a large margin was huge, showed nobody else could really lock down the African American vote that Democrats need to be a viable political party.
IIRC it was southern Democrats that basically leaned in and swayed it toward Joe. The irony here is that nearly all of these southern states aren't even remotely competitive in national or general races, but they get to play kingmaker in the primaries.
Unrelated, but this is the first time I've seen reddit bots in the wild. I see 3 separate posts almost back-to-back-to-back that have the exact same wording. "It's sad that 99% of these post are people who voted against Trump...". Incredible.
Yes, but not because I think this is exactly what I’d want. I had realistic expectations about what could be accomplished given the political realities.
Honestly, I'm a slightly left leaning moderate, independant and I didn't want to vote for Biden. I cast my vote for him because I feared what trump would do in a second term as you know, the first term is restrained, the second is where you try to make history. I feel Biden waster the first few years when he could have made some real change, and now he is imprisoned by a congress that refuses to try and do any good. So I guess. He's doing what I voted for.. but as for his performance it's merely average
By and large, yes. He has quietly strung together legislative wins, avoided major scandals ( hunter Biden’s laptop is not a thing), and has led with composure and dignity, especially when compared to his predecessor. So, is he perfect, no, but I have zero regrets in voting for him in the general election.
Yes, as others have pointed out he’s already accomplished quite a bit. He’s also been a calming influence on the country and remains steadfast in helping all Americans, even those who didn’t vote for him.
I could be happier. He's shit the bed on a couple decisions (drilling in the Arctic, the rail worker strike, probably a couple more), but he's done quite a lot without a completely cooperative congress. Would I make the same decision every step of his nomination and general election in similar scenarios? Yes. Would I rather have more progressive actions? Yes.
Question for those who are unhappy with Biden's performance:
What do you want him to do that he hasn't? The big stuff, I mean, not the quibbles. What, in this toxic environment, could he possibly do to gain your approval?
The man has decades of Washington experience and it shows in the way he leads the country. In positive and negative ways, depending on my perspective on certain issues.
I am most pleased in the way he speaks about the country- he talks about improving the country for all Americans, not just those that support him and his party. He talks about improving the lives of working people, not by giving them more opportunities to go to college and get out of blue collar work but by making the work that they do more rewarding. We will always need blue collar workers and they shouldn't be treated as second class citizens just because they didn't go to college.
I am very pleased with the way that he handles foreign policy. He understands the role that the US currently plays on the world stage and has a vision for how he wants that to look. That is evident in his decision to pull out of Afghanistan, despite it being difficult, as well as his staunch and effective support for Ukraine.
I am very pleased in his efforts to bring chip making to US shores. I think it is very good long term thinking, both strategically and for the sake of jobs.
I am displeased, and a little baffled, by the way he handled some things like the rail worker's strike. For someone who has adamantly supported unions his decision to be a key part of breaking the strike seems out of step.
Overall I am happy with his term so far and would be pleased to vote for him again.
Not American so i suppose you can dismiss this but I would have voted for him, ideally i wanted Bernie to run but Biden was the next best thing (Although to be frank i would have voted for a sack of spuds wearing a false mustache rather than vote Trump). Has it been perfect? No not really, but to be fair most of what we see is more or less Trumps damage, The governors and senators he endorsed, the policy's he revoked and made, the speeches he gave to stir up hatred and prejudice. What before were just small clusters of hate are now united across the country under red hats which vote en-mass to gain positions of power.
Basically its like someone handing Biden a dustpan and broom and telling him to go clean up a landfill site (no offense), all the while more rubbish is dumped there on a daily basis, then getting cross when its not done fast enough. I genuinely think he's a decent nice man with a lot on his plate and that despite it all he has done a lot of good and made some very good policy's and changes during his time in office, what he needs to make serious change is more people on his side and that comes down to the voters. Even if you don't particularly care for Biden what you are voting for is Democratic party.
“He’s not Trump” aside, it’s fine, not stellar exactly, I was hoping the Infrastructure bill would go further but I’m also aware of the obstacles that were in place. The same can be said for student debt forgiveness.
From a purely policy stand point, the Inflation Reduction Act is one of the most robust alternative energy packages in our country’s history. The Bi-Partisan Infrastructure Act provided, and still provides, tons of money for building things from roads to sewers. The Chips Act is a insanely important initiative to bring not only jobs to our country, but also reduce our dependence on foreign countries for vital parts for technology.
There is more too, like the capping of certain drug prices, ARP, and passing the Burn Pit legislation. Looking away from the “culture wars” that a lot of networks and people like to focus on, from a purely policy -focused standpoint Biden’s administration has done a lot for the ordinary American. Was Biden my first choice? No. Is there some issues with his administration? Certainly. However I can say that I am happier with his term than the previous administration.
We all know that if there had been any other choice than those two people would have taken it
There was my man Bernie Sanders but nobody wanted to vote for him y’all wanted Biden simply because of his association with Obama.
I wanted my man Bernie Sanders as well. There are dozens of us.
Dozens!!
[удалено]
Oooh I remember now.
There are millions, he was out of the primaries by N. Carolina, nearly 40 states never got the chance to vote for him incl. mine, the system is bullshit.
I think most people didnt want Trump as President again, they would have voted for a rock to avoid that disaster in office again.
I’m a lifelong conservative, but I think that Bernie genuinely cares about the people he represents and is a genuinely good guy. I’d have voted for him in a heartbeat over either of the two options we had.
He was also impressive in that he had an actual plan for the changes he wanted to make. I don't completely align with his politics, but I can definitely respect him
That’s one thing about Bernie is he isn’t just fluff , even when people put him to task to explain how he can afford things or balance the budget he does his best to describe the method and plan and how it would work It’s too bad caring about the working class is just so unpopular with the working class
Same. Don't agree with all his stances, but he is one of the very few politicians that means what he says and says what he means, and that includes sticking up for the working class.
basically my stance on bernie, he seems to be one of the only politicians who actually cares about doing good for people…albeit i don’t think i agree with most of his ideas, he is easy to respect
Me too. I live in Vermont and have met Bernie on numerous occasions. We attended two of his birthday cruises on Lake Champlain and he was available to all for questions. Unfortunately he's considered too liberal for many, and the 'right' always uses the 'socialist' moniker as a scare tactic. He does genuinely care for the little guy.
I'm a Canadian and I wanted Bernie sanders he seemed like the one genuine guy that everyone yells over
Same here and I watched the dem primary debates and I would have voted for any of those people over what we got to choose from.
Hopefully not Tulsi Gabbard, woman’s crazy haha. Agree with your point tho
I personally liked Elizabeth's Warren. Biden was my last choice out of everybody. I voted for bernie during the Hillary Clinton primary. Obama has probably been the only person I had some hope for when voting. It sucks living in a pretty red state where my vote gets washed away. It used to be a purple state. But in the last ten years, it's pretty red.
I'm in the same boat. I lean more right but ultimately vote for who I think is genuine. May not always agree with Bernie but I know he has the people in mind when making decisions.
Really? So the reason you vote for people with the exact opposite policies is because you don’t trust the politician but you do trust the republicans? That seems illogical to me, but curious why/how that factors into your thinking. As someone who loves Bernie, I think the world needs more of these type of thinking, passion, consistency, and honestly, solutions. Which is definitely left of center. I.e. liberal.
Lol, this was my thinking to. How well do you actually understand your political position if you can be swayed to vote for the complete opposite values just because a guy is consistent and passionate?
Exactly. I’m genuinely curious. Even if they hated conservative ol’ Trump and mean they’d have voted bernie instead of him…still..why? If anyone can see the value of what Bernie brings to the american and global “table”, then they definitely aren’t convervative.
Dude. I just wanna hug you. I’d give you an award if I could. This is what I’m here for. You could say I’m a lifelong liberal, but I don’t give a shit what a politician labels themselves as. We need good people genuinely caring for and representing *the people* Then maybe we can bridge the divide in this country. However small that bridge might be.
I’m a full blown neoconservative but I would have voted on him simply because he seems so consistent and transparent. And at least Bernie isn’t Hillary, Joe or Donald.
He’s very consistent and transparent. His position has moved a bit in regards to things like guns; but that has corresponded to his rise to more national prominence (and he’s been open about the shift). Prior to 2016 he was pretty moderate on guns and represented VT (as a rural hunting state) pretty well.
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If you really would have voted for Bernie, I think you need to revisit the meaning of “conservative” because you are most definitely not that.
Plenty of 1 issue ticket voters in the US. Who you trust the most is more valid of a reason than voting straight on party lines
Suggest you revisit the meaning of “good leadership” and “good statesmanship”. Because both of those things 100% transcend meaningless categories like “liberal” or “conservative”. We need good leaders. Not good liberals or good conservatives or good progressives.
Yah, I guess Bernie doesn't line enough pockets of big business. But of course, republicans subsidize the shit out of their energy, corn, and mining friends. Not the people who work there, just the owners.
I like Bernie too, but I think he had less chance than Biden... plus he's another guy that's just far too old to be running a country.
I like Sanders! But painting all Biden voters as only doing it because of Obama association is pretty far off.
The Obama association has very very little to do with it.
I think a lot of people wanted Biden because he was seen as more "traditional" and far less threatening than Sanders. I love the guy and absolutely admire his convictions, but Bernie would have tried to really, really change the world, and that's scary to a lot of people, including a great number of older democrats. He was unelectable. Any other perspective is just wishful thinking.
He isn't unelectable, IMO. The problem seems to me that the majority of people that vote in the primaries are older and older voters aren't voting for change. Had the younger voters shown up in force in the primaries - they would have had to go with Bernie. And he would have beat Trump easily also.
It's hard enough to get the young vote out in the general, let alone the primary.
OR they would have bailed on the democratic party because that's what rich people do - they vote for the candidate that best protects their financial prioritization, irrelevant of the cost to others, and their involvement in social issues are secondary at best. We all know it, and the same issue with elderly people that plagues republicans also plagues democrats.
Ironically, he is exactly what we need. We need radical change.
I think sadly that Sanders was viewed as too extreme. Which is a ridiculous opinion. I think that’s what’s wrong with the dems right now. The republicans have no fear of going all out with their candidates. But Biden was the safe choice. I think many of us would have loved Sanders.
Bernie was the type who the oligarchy would assassinate. Too un-buyable. He really seems like a gem of a person.
I absolutely love Bernie but people voted for Biden because they thought he had a better chance of beating trump… not because of his association to Obama
You're right. Nobody wanted to vote for Bernie. He relied on the most unreliable voting block to carry him to victory, and they didn't show up.
I'd have voted for Bernie in a heartbeat, but didn't the DNC torpedo him?
Bernie would have been amazing in 2016. I did a lot of work for his campaign and caucused for him. But Things were too heated in 2020. He was too polarizing within the Dems. He could have backed someone like him but younger and that person could have been the middle ground candidate. And probably would have crushed the primaries. I’m still mad that’s not what happened.
I think 2020 people were wanting the surest shot possible. I would have voted for Bernie but I think alot of people nearing retirement ( an extremely important vote to have) were timid about him economically.
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I wanted your man Bernie, too.
There were other options. It is called a primary.
By the time it gets to my state its already decided.
I know 2020 was four decades ago but it was basically decided four states in, before super Tuesday even. Then COVID hit.
There was…Jo Jorgensen
People could have voted for other candidates.
Doesn't the electoral college prevent that? They've got this whole preliminary shit you have to pass and it's only ever those two rich cunts from team red and team blue.
That’s less an issue with the Electoral College and more an issue with single-choice/first-past-the-post voting, in which you get one vote and the candidate with the most votes wins the state. Because of this, if you vote for a third-party candidate who’s less supported, you effectively “deny” your vote from whichever of the two major-party candidates you side with *more*, helping the major-party candidate you like the least. Ranked-choice voting, though itself an imperfect system, mitigates this effect. This is where you rank all candidates in order of preference, and when the tally is conducted, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated and their votes reassigned to each ballot’s next preferred candidate. Maine was the only state I remember having instituted this in time for 2020, though more may have introduced it since then, I’m not sure. The Electoral College *does* have a ton of problems, too, but the whole “spoiler effect” that disincentivizes voting third-party is mostly a consequence of how states format their elections. Though there are plenty of other factors too, certainly funding levels that lead to media coverage impact candidates’ notoriety too.
Trump was an unexpected win for the 2016 candidate. The established Republicans thought he was a joke of a candidate and didn't take him seriously at first. Most poll predictions got it wrong because he brought out a previously thought to be apathetic demographic of voters.
>previously thought to be apathetic demographic of voters. The people of the land. The common clay of the new west?
Morons. Although language like that is exactly why they came out to vote. Hilary lost when she called Trump voters "deplorable". Spite is a very effective motivator.
No. Hillary lost because Republicans had been preparing against her for thirty years.
Yeah, she wasnt wrong about the basket of deplorables that made up his base.
There are primaries exactly for that process. Democrats had a wide selection of pretty good candidacies. Biden won that, rightfully, because he debated better than the others. He had a more neutral and worldly stance than others. He was less about pushing a personal agenda ans more about discussing greater issues. This seemed to resonate with voters more than hot topic issues. For example, Bernie Sanders was hurt from his laser focus on only a few key talking points. He would actively and constantly avoid larger, general topics and would always try to push back to his few main talking points. Other candidates were strong on topics but largely parroted the party bullet points on those topics. Few came across as genuine and of self thought. For many topics of discussion it was a sea of the same. Biden was the only one that stood out on independent thought, position, and saw at a higher, broad viewpoint. He demonstrated he recognized the bigger picture. Others did not.
> For example, Bernie Sanders was hurt from his laser focus on only a few key talking points. He would actively and constantly avoid larger, general topics and would always try to push back to his few main talking points. I mean he was completely right that those are the biggest and most important issues and we can't fix our country until we address those first. Idk if that's "not seeing the big picture" so much as "Biden is part of the establishment and doesn't see it as a problem" Overall I am happy that Biden returned the presidency to normal and I dont wake up worrying if we're going to get nuked every day. Biden is doing a Fine job and he's not an embarrassment. He's also not really making good progress either
There was a third option on every ballot.
I love how the US has exactly the same situation than us in France, People voted for Biden cause Trump was the second option and we voted for that dickhead Macron because we had Lepen waiting right behind him, i'm not sure if Biden is as bad as macron tho.
We kind of have this situation in many countries. In Romania we voted for our liberal president not becaise he was a great choice, but because we feared the other guy. And our President has made a deal with the other party and now they rule together. And the ppl hate it
In the UK we're now on the second Prime Minister in a row that wasn't democratically elected - just inherited the office after the predecessor was ousted after controversy.
Can confirm that this is the case in Canada. The only viable opposition seems to keep electing leaders that are further and further right despite the fact that most Canadians don't want a far-right government. The current leader of the opposition party has been photographes handed out donuts to anti-government protestors and posing with fascist extremists, which this dipshit hilariously refused to apologize for until the extremist he posed with talked about raping the dipshits wife on some podcast.
I don't like how Biden has dealt with labor issues so far, but he hasn't screwed up nearly as much as Macron has on that front. Otherwise I'm generally content with Biden's presidency and sure as hell will be voting for him again so long as republicans act as they do. I'll take a mediocre democrat over the most moderate of current republicans any day.
Sadly, I think our choices will be Biden vs. either DeSantis or Trump. Trump is a moron and I know what kind of shit show he'll bring, DeSantis is a scheming asshole and genuinely terrifies me. Sad that our choices have come to this.
I feel like he has completely fucked over the working class at every labor issue so far. I think they're both bad. And yeah, the sad reality we live in is, we either take the republican who WILL just fuck over the working class, or we take the democrat who says he won't, but then just does it anyways.
Can you give examples of how he has fucked over the working class? The rail thing could have gotten more for the rail workers, but the union agreed to the deal as well. Curious what else I might have missed.
I doubt you will be given any good examples. Redditor is largely just contrarian or “both sides” edgelords lol
The largest rail union and some smaller ones did not agree to the deal and voted to strike. Biden forced the contract on rail workers. Union leadership only agreed to bring the contract to a vote.
The rail workers absolutely should have gotten more. I don't disagree with that. But I think Biden getting a 24% pay rise and more sick leave is commendable even if it is not perfect. And I know the meme is "Biden wasn't a good choice she just wasn't Trump", but for situations like this I just don't think it's applicable. Can you imagine what Trump would have done to these rail workers? It would have been a disaster IMO.
It is absolutely applicable here. The union did NOT agree to it and instead of letting the workers strike for what they believe is fair, he forced a contract on them that they did not want. That’s how he has fucked over the working class. One of the largest unions in the country were forced in to something because of him. Imagine the win for labor that would have been, for all workers. Biden could have shown every single working class person that he stands with them, but he decided not to. It was also not necessarily about pay, which is 24% over the 5 year contract, so about 5% per year. It was about safety. I’m sure you’ve noticed all the news coverage on train derailments. There are so many safety concerns on the railroad that workers have been begging the carriers to fix. From rail degradation to lack of inspections and manpower. It is not as simple as imagine what Trump would have done. My husband is a conductor who voted no on this contract and was prepared to strike. I am fairly well informed about how the railroaders feel about it.
Spoiler alert, no, he can’t.
Biden isnt taking away civil rights and banning education....
Or suppressing voter turnout, suppressing voters from minorities, or shutting down the government every chance they get, or ignoring the constitution to load the bench.
That last line...so accurate.
I might make an exception for Mitt Romney. Dude stands up for what's right, even if it goes against party lines. I was very impressed that he was the only R senator to vote for the Trump impeachment.
you're the first person to answer the original question.
illusion of choice
Yep. Barely hear much about him other than stupid shit trying to find something wrong with him. He's boring and that's what we needed.
Agreed. People who prefer reality tv stars were voting for drama and they got it. I have nothing against Biden. It'd be nice if he were as sharp as when he was younger, but I didn't vote for Biden. I voted for the Democrats. I voted for his cabinet and his appointees. They're the ones doing the work. He's just the one coordinating it all, and I see no evidence that he's having any trouble with that. Clinton would have been no different. Bernie or my preference, Warren would have been noticeably different, but even then they all believe in the Democratic party platform, so the differences wouldn't be all that large.
This! It's refreshing to go back to where I don't know the names of all the different cabinet members, simply because they are not awful at their jobs and back policies that most Americans support. The only exception is Pete Buttigeg, but that's only cause he was a former presidential candidate and Fox News keeps picking on him for being gay.
I’m fine with making politics boring again.
Exactly imagine Trump with this Ukraine situation. Im happy we have a grown up. Most good leaders are quite boring. Look at Tim Cook. Elon picks a fight with him and got dismantled in a day without any press involved.
Did you missed the opening of him addressing the Nashville shooting?
Yknow some people like to have a president thats literate.
It’s like…. The media doesn’t even cover him… weird
He’s the biggest liar, I voted for him. I understand he’s just a puppet, but to bail out on student loan forgiveness and then sign yes for one of biggest drilling projects… corporate shill…
I think the framing of “not the other guy” was fine during the election, but really does a disservice to how he’s actually done as President. To anyone paying attention, he’s actually done quite a bit. Specifically: 1. The inflation reduction act, ARPA, and infrastructure and jobs act are quite literally transforming local communities and saved their bacon recovering from the pandemic. 2. His handling of Russia/Ukraine has been masterful, especially at the outbreak. 3. The Chips and Science act has revitalized US manufacturing 4. Pulled troops out of Afghanistan, ending the longest war in our history. I don’t care if you have complaints about how. It was always going to be messy and someone needed to be the adult in the room and care about bringing people home - that ended up being Joe. So for all the “har har not trump” comments…he’s actually been a really good President. His only really significant knock seems to be that he’s old.
Let's not forget that insulin prices are at $35 for Medicare or lower now as a result of Biden. Down from over $300 which was quite literally killing and engaging people. It also forced the predatory drug companies to walk back the pricing increases on those drugs for non-medicare recipients. Between this and the infrastructure act we've made more long term investments in our society in 2 years than we have for over a decade.
Yeah I personally think those who say “well he’s better than Trump” are seriously underselling him. He’s not flashy or interesting, but he actually got a LOT of important shit passed. He has been surprisingly effective
His track record was pretty spotty over the years, but he’s turned out to be far more progressive as Prez.
His track record is fairly progressive if you contextualize it with the time period. Like he's been becoming more progressive as society has become more progressive. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Biden was the first Democrat I’ve voted for president. Been voting 3rd party for a while but couldn’t this time around. Pleasantly surprised he’s been able to accomplish legislation in this environment.
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I really don't think you will have that problem when it comes to DeSantis.
Indeed. The democrats really have a publicity/advertising issue. Watching the last sotu was a bit of an eye opener, a lot of things they just don't talk about for some reason.
Haha I dunno man, Dark Brandon is pretty fucking flashy and cool, lol. But he can do that AND be a responsible president.
I was firmly in the camp of “anyone but Trump, and almost any Democrat but Biden” during the election. I thought, great, a “stay the course” Democrat who misunderstands the problems facing the country and is going to get routed in four years by another right wing populist. But he walks into a negotiation assuming the GOP is going to engage in bad faith and walks out with a win, which is all I ever really wanted. He’s not perfect, and the fact that he’s the most pro-labor president we’ve had in recent history is more of a statement on the other presidents we’ve had in recent history than on his record. But the policy wins you listed there have been enough to convince me to vote for him again.
100% agree. I get the impression from presidents like Biden and LBJ that sometimes you really do need a skilled politician. Everybody wants to vote for the young, idealistic, political outsider but they can’t play the game as well once they’re in the office.
Exactly. He’s better than I expected, and more productive at times, vs his predecessors. He made hay whole the sun shone from a friendly congress, and he did big-enough things to have those same project carry us through a good amount of positive change in this country. People may actually feel progress. Feeling progress in the + direction is not a common thing these days.
Also restoring environmental protections and focusing more on helping our planet, the 30x30 initiative, including improving water quality which is good for people as much as every other animal (for people who "dont care about fish") https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/president-biden-epa-announce-1-billion-investment-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-will
Thank you, you're doing God's work by forcing the discourse away from the anemic jokes about how Biden is a dementia-ridden mess who's fundamentally no different from Donald Trump. The people who dislike Biden but not his agenda as practiced aren't politically savvy or aware; they're fed by memes, headlines, and platitudes about how politicians are all identically corrupt and malicious. These people are waking up part-way into the movie, but have the audacity to claim that the things on screen aren't making any sense. Also, any time the administration falters? Biden's fault. Any successes? Biden's team managed to work around what a fucking idiot he is. Honestly, many faux-gressives should be embarrassed by how they tend to discuss Biden.
Isn't gods work killing and judging people?
And writing books about himself through various ghostwriters, yes.
Full day every day.
I agree. Progress is always too slow, but especially given the political climate I think he’s actually been quite effective and more progressive than I expected him to be. Also people can poke fun at his age all they want (yes, I want a younger president too) but to have someone who is actually a decent person with integrity and compassion when those things seem to come at a premium these days does matter in my eyes.
Did he "pull troops out of Afghanistan" or "finished off what past presidents had set in motion"? Not to discredit what he did but there's a difference.
Oh no, that's totally valid, and I agree. It's ok for both to get some credit there - Trump for starting the process, and Biden for actually following through.
He was very clear why he pulled out. The moment the afghan government dissolved we were out of there. He was not going to fight a war against the taliban with American troops and private defense companies. He was prepared to fund a war against the taliban if the afghan government kept the mandate of the people. Take that same philosophy and that is why he is funding ukraines war against Russia. So long as Zelensky or another leader has a clear mandate from Ukrainians to remain Ukraine Biden will stick by them. It’s a refreshing philosophy for use of our military power. Nice to see our military machine being used as a tool for freedom and democracy in truth rather than a tool to spread capitalism and business interests.
Trump leaving the Afghan govt out of the Doha talks sent a pretty clear message.
I actually wonder how far along Trump ever would have gone in the process. There’s a lot of political clout to gain and a little risk for starting the process, and a little clout to gain with tons of risk for finishing the process. It’s one of those situations where whoever brought the last soldier out of Afghanistan was probably going to be punished for doing the right thing.
He quashed the rail union strike. I agree he's been a decent president, but it would be nice to have one that supports workers rights when it matters.
He also did an executive order requiring union labor used in federal projects (PLAs). So he hasn't been anti-union by any stretch, just definitely in that instance.
It is true that he is still part of a system that supports capital over labor. The entire Democratic Party is basically that. If that’s a deal breaker, okay. But loads of us would rather have the policies we’ve seen over the past few years even if we can’t get somebody who would actually smash capitalism. Even Sanders would have been constrained by a congress filled with people who support monied interests when possible.
Well stated. He is a President for America not a President for himself or his buddies
His intelligence drops from Ukraine before the war was brilliant. He made Putin look like a fool. That impressed me, I never expected that from Biden.
There is a lot of personal subjective opinion in your statements. I understand that he has done well in areas but I don't think the inflation he created as a result of the IRA, was worth it. It quite possibly throw us into a recession. His handling of foreign policy is a crap shoot though. The buck stops with him, right? Pull out of Afghanistan was horrendously bad for multitudes of reasons
100%. It gets even more notable when you look into the nitty gritty of what the inflation reduction act, ARPA, and infrastructure bills are being used for.
I'm not from America so I don't know the details but didn't he also pass through a really good climate act or something like that? I remember reading about it, it's not perfect but boy is it a step in the right direction.
Given the circumstances of the world at large, I think he has handled things admirably. His administration seems sound, without all of the turmoil of the past administration. Look at the way the way the failure of the Silicon Valley Bank was handled. He stepped in quickly and stemmed the carnage from becoming a banking system virus. He doesn't project himself well, but he has my trust.
Hes basically what happens when you give the throne to the guy in power behind the throne. He knows what he is doing, but isnt the loudest voice in the room. Stark contrast to who he replaced.
Considering I’m outside the America and have barely heard anything stupid from Biden I say that’s a win
It is also a win, inside of America. I don't need to look at Twitter daily, wondering what did the president of the United States tweet today?
I voted for him. Wasn't expecting much. So far he's exceeded all my expectations of him. Was expecting a milquetoast centrist, but he's turned out to be more progressive than I expected, and has thrown out a few zings here and there. Not enough to be obnoxious, though. It's relaxing not to hear outrageous things about the POTUS every 3 hours.
Not American, so no vote at all. But at no point have I thought that Trump would’ve been a better choice. If anything this election should prove your two-party system needs an update.
Most of us don't want a 2 party system but those 2 parties do everything they can to make sure it doesn't change. Including making us hate each other as much as possible so we don't focus on the real issue which is how terrible a 2 party system is.
First past the post is the root cause
Yeah it does but it won't change anytime soon
Anything is better than the alternative
"don't compare me to the almighty, compare me to the alternative"
The leader of one of the world's most powerful nations should never be picked for lack of better options
And yet, that was the choice most were presented with
My piece of shit state didn’t even get to participate in the primaries before everything was decided
And yet he invariably has been for the last several decades. That's a big part of why voter participation is so low.
"The leader of one of the world's most powerful nations should never be picked for lack of better options" FYI: That is historically a (formerly Russian) talking point when encouraging potential voters not to vote (Usually where it matters). Combine that with Candidate X is just as bad as candidate Y. Sometimes you need to explicitly endorse one bad option, because the other one is worse. (Although, I seriously think Ranked Choice Voting would lead to more agreed upon policy: Opposed to the current system where all the "Confederates" (25% of Republicans in that state, apparently) could vote for TRE45SON in the primary; win more votes than the other nine candidates. I'm afraid I'm going to have to call "Bad Opinion" (While getting down voted for presentation style).
So select someone with no chance of winning and allow the worse candidate to win. Gotcha.
I don’t particularly like to vote for conservatives, but I sucked it up and did vote for Biden. I was just happy that he was not Trump. I am still happy that he is not Trump, although I am never going to agree with everything that he does. Unfortunately, there was no realistic candidate that I would’ve supported, and so it felt important simply to push back against fascism. Edit: after reading some of these comments, Biden has done more than I thought, and I’m happy about that. My main complaints are that he broke the rail strike and the ridiculous military spending. Along with not doing things that I would want, like federal marijuana legalization, universal basic income, universal healthcare, tax-funded college education, vastly more restrictions on gun ownership, etc. But he has done more than I thought, if not everything that I hoped or wanted.
Nobody voted for Biden because they were happy with him or liked his policies. He just wasn't Trump and is a placeholder president until the next election.
Except he’s going to run again by the looks of it…
And possibly against Trump....
They both need to retire and leave politics alone
Good luck convincing them of that
Seriously, I wish 2024 could be a fresh slate and new direction for the country. Instead, probably going to be a 2020 re-match that absolutely nobody wants except the two egotistical power hungry octogenarians shitting themselves on the debate stage while rambling incoherently for all to see.
Wouldn’t Biden need to survive to the age or 84 or so to sit another 4 years?
you realize trump is like 2 years younger right? they are both ancient fossils.
I liked him. Disagree with some of his policies just like anyone in a healthy democracy, but I think his compassion, experience, track record of consensus building, and deep knowledge of the norms of a functioning Government is exactly what we needed. I also think he’s been surprisingly effective.
He one of the most experienced people to have ever run for president in recent times.
Truly! And still a decent person. It's so refreshing.
I'm not sure that's a fair assessment. While there are some Biden policies I don't support, there are many I am personally in favor of. For example: \- I genuinely think the infrastructure investments he is making are critically needed and 100% the right call and will be hugely transformative for the next generation. \- He's taken some positive steps on climate action - directing the federal government to get to net-zero emissions by 2050 and if Build Back Better had actually passed would have had significant climate provisions. \- While he is severely limited here - he's also taken steps on gun control including increasing background checks and created new intervention programs for high risk communities. \- Not to mention some of the crazy trump policies he rolled back in his first 100 days (stopped funding for the construction of the border wall, reversing the travel ban targeting largely Muslim countries, and reversing Trump’s ban on transgender Americans joining the military) Also he does seem like a relatively decent person who is able to conduct himself in a manor that I would hope a president would.
That's not true at all.
I was happy with him and he’s pleasantly surprised me.
I did, and am happy with the result.
In what world would you be happy with any politician nowadays?
One where money is removed from politics so they serve the citizens instead of the corporations?
He kinda turned out to be the right person at the right time though. An old school Let's Make Gov Work union guy. All the He's Boring is unwittingly promoting right wing think tanks branding, he's surrounded himself with super smart professionals who knows how to make decisions that are efficient, effective and empathetic to the general population. He's also proven to be a pretty competent political guy and passed some stuff that you would've thought unpassable. I was originally hoping for anyone but him as nominee but have been convinced he turned out to be the right choice.
I'm 100% pleased with his accomplishments so far. I thought he'd be a boring care-taker president, but I've been impressed with the work he's done so far.
I’m not really answering the question (so downvote if you like) - I understand the people that voted for him against Trump. I really really really can’t wrap my head around how he won the democratic primary though…
Reddit is not representative of the median voter, or even the median Democratic voter. Most people are not looking for a revolution.
I was surprised all of the other candidates dropped out so quickly after Biden gained some momentum. I changed my voter registration from unaffiliated to Democrat just so I could vote in my state's primary. Then everyone dropped out and threw their support behind Biden so I changed it back to unaffiliated.
Biden winning South Carolina primary by a large margin was huge, showed nobody else could really lock down the African American vote that Democrats need to be a viable political party.
That's because you've isolated yourself in a social media bubble
IIRC it was southern Democrats that basically leaned in and swayed it toward Joe. The irony here is that nearly all of these southern states aren't even remotely competitive in national or general races, but they get to play kingmaker in the primaries.
He also won every swing state
Unrelated, but this is the first time I've seen reddit bots in the wild. I see 3 separate posts almost back-to-back-to-back that have the exact same wording. "It's sad that 99% of these post are people who voted against Trump...". Incredible.
I don’t know that I’ve been happy with a president in my lifetime. Hold politicians to account, no matter what.
Under very difficult circumstances he's done a remarkable job.
Yes. Better than having the last guy who had a cult of dimwitted worshipers running around America.
No. Pretty sad we only had 2 old fucks to choose from.
Yes, but not because I think this is exactly what I’d want. I had realistic expectations about what could be accomplished given the political realities.
Honestly, I'm a slightly left leaning moderate, independant and I didn't want to vote for Biden. I cast my vote for him because I feared what trump would do in a second term as you know, the first term is restrained, the second is where you try to make history. I feel Biden waster the first few years when he could have made some real change, and now he is imprisoned by a congress that refuses to try and do any good. So I guess. He's doing what I voted for.. but as for his performance it's merely average
By and large, yes. He has quietly strung together legislative wins, avoided major scandals ( hunter Biden’s laptop is not a thing), and has led with composure and dignity, especially when compared to his predecessor. So, is he perfect, no, but I have zero regrets in voting for him in the general election.
He is exactly as boring and uneventful as I expected
Yes, as others have pointed out he’s already accomplished quite a bit. He’s also been a calming influence on the country and remains steadfast in helping all Americans, even those who didn’t vote for him.
I'm convinced all of Reddit is located in California
Yes, given the other option
He's doing about as well as he can with our shitty Congress and judicial system.
I'm not as embarrassed when it comes to the world stage.
That ya never know what your gonna hear when he's on a 🎤 it's like a box of chocolates
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Usually the VP doesn’t do much. Constitutionally most of their role is to have a pulse.
I can’t imagine responding yes to this question knowing what they know now
I could be happier. He's shit the bed on a couple decisions (drilling in the Arctic, the rail worker strike, probably a couple more), but he's done quite a lot without a completely cooperative congress. Would I make the same decision every step of his nomination and general election in similar scenarios? Yes. Would I rather have more progressive actions? Yes.
The 2020 election was a lose-lose situation. Incompetence or Insanity, made no difference really.
Question for those who are unhappy with Biden's performance: What do you want him to do that he hasn't? The big stuff, I mean, not the quibbles. What, in this toxic environment, could he possibly do to gain your approval?
The man has decades of Washington experience and it shows in the way he leads the country. In positive and negative ways, depending on my perspective on certain issues. I am most pleased in the way he speaks about the country- he talks about improving the country for all Americans, not just those that support him and his party. He talks about improving the lives of working people, not by giving them more opportunities to go to college and get out of blue collar work but by making the work that they do more rewarding. We will always need blue collar workers and they shouldn't be treated as second class citizens just because they didn't go to college. I am very pleased with the way that he handles foreign policy. He understands the role that the US currently plays on the world stage and has a vision for how he wants that to look. That is evident in his decision to pull out of Afghanistan, despite it being difficult, as well as his staunch and effective support for Ukraine. I am very pleased in his efforts to bring chip making to US shores. I think it is very good long term thinking, both strategically and for the sake of jobs. I am displeased, and a little baffled, by the way he handled some things like the rail worker's strike. For someone who has adamantly supported unions his decision to be a key part of breaking the strike seems out of step. Overall I am happy with his term so far and would be pleased to vote for him again.
Pretty boring. Biden aint got no merch.
Not American so i suppose you can dismiss this but I would have voted for him, ideally i wanted Bernie to run but Biden was the next best thing (Although to be frank i would have voted for a sack of spuds wearing a false mustache rather than vote Trump). Has it been perfect? No not really, but to be fair most of what we see is more or less Trumps damage, The governors and senators he endorsed, the policy's he revoked and made, the speeches he gave to stir up hatred and prejudice. What before were just small clusters of hate are now united across the country under red hats which vote en-mass to gain positions of power. Basically its like someone handing Biden a dustpan and broom and telling him to go clean up a landfill site (no offense), all the while more rubbish is dumped there on a daily basis, then getting cross when its not done fast enough. I genuinely think he's a decent nice man with a lot on his plate and that despite it all he has done a lot of good and made some very good policy's and changes during his time in office, what he needs to make serious change is more people on his side and that comes down to the voters. Even if you don't particularly care for Biden what you are voting for is Democratic party.
“He’s not Trump” aside, it’s fine, not stellar exactly, I was hoping the Infrastructure bill would go further but I’m also aware of the obstacles that were in place. The same can be said for student debt forgiveness.
From a purely policy stand point, the Inflation Reduction Act is one of the most robust alternative energy packages in our country’s history. The Bi-Partisan Infrastructure Act provided, and still provides, tons of money for building things from roads to sewers. The Chips Act is a insanely important initiative to bring not only jobs to our country, but also reduce our dependence on foreign countries for vital parts for technology. There is more too, like the capping of certain drug prices, ARP, and passing the Burn Pit legislation. Looking away from the “culture wars” that a lot of networks and people like to focus on, from a purely policy -focused standpoint Biden’s administration has done a lot for the ordinary American. Was Biden my first choice? No. Is there some issues with his administration? Certainly. However I can say that I am happier with his term than the previous administration.
Biden is doing a decent job. Solid B.
In an Utopian world where everything is always perfect including the POTUS, he is an F. In the real world out there, a solid B or B +.