I'm certainly not a huge Biden guy. I think both Obama and Clinton are much smarter and more impressive people (though I would fully agree that Clinton is no better than Trump or JFK or LBJ when it comes to being faithful).
But in terms of what he has done at President, I think it's clear that Biden has gotten it mostly right. The American economy has been by far the strongest in the world (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/03/14/americas-extraordinary-economy-keeps-defying-the-pessimists), his support for Ukraine has been unwavering and vital, he has generally done the right thing on Israel (though he should be pushing back again Netanyahu even more strongly than he has), the withdrawal from Afghanistan was poorly executed but ultimately the the right decision, and he has begun to call for the right steps on the border (only to be stopped by the Republicans trying to keep it as an issue).
Not a perfect record, but certainly a good one. If you feel differently, it would be good to know why.
Meanwhile, that's a response about policy. In terms of comparing Biden and Trump as people, the differences are much more stark. Biden is a career politician (which I'll agree has negatives as well as positives), who has dealt with incredible personal hardship with class and grace and is someone who was historically popular with his colleagues on both side of the aisle.
Trump, on the other hand, has a good sense of humor but otherwise has no redeeming qualities. He's a publicity seeking cheat in all senses of that word. He cheats in golf, cheats on his wives, cheats the people he does business with, and has tried to cheat in elections as well. He has almost no redeeming qualities, and I guarantee that 20 years from now, folks will be embarrassed to tell their grandchilden they voted for him.
I think we have to conclude that marital fidelity as a presidential characteristic is low on the pole. I've never been impressed with Biden, regardless of his political affiliation.
Biden was supposed to be a unifier, but his actions seem to me more as a divider the way he rags on Republicans/Trump supporters.
I believe he appears weak and feeble as a president and that does not engender confidence either here in the States and abroad, which is why we have so many conflicts going on.
The border is a disaster and has been since Biden got into office. Why has it taken 3.5 years to figure out what to do, and it's my understanding simply enforcing the laws and keeping the remain in Mexico ruling would have given time to put something together.
I don't understand the ultimate goal for the Ukraine War, do we just keep giving money indefinitely or do we try to broker some kind of negotiation?
Hamas released a shit storm with that raid, and now the ME is in an uproar. I am confident Hamas knew what it was doing and has no compunction about the dead Palestinians left in its wake. Biden now has to decide how to assist Israel kick Hamas' ass and get the hostages back, or let that conflict drag on with danger of escalation.
I fully agree with the Afhgan pullout, but yes, it was a disaster.
The economy may be doing OK, but most Americans aren't feeling it.
The pandering to the Trans movement, DEI, and all the other attendant "Theories" is unwarranted and over the top.
At this point, I am not voting for a personality, I am voting for who I think will steer us in the right direction.
I might ask since you seem to lean Democrat- what is your opinion of RFK?
Trump was very complicit in the bad Afghanistan withdrawal. By cutting the ostensibly US-supported Afghan government out of the negotiations with the Taliban, he signaled that that government was a sinking ship and the Afghans outside of Kabul saw the writing on the wall and cut their own deals with the Taliban, leading to the much faster than expected collapse when the actual US withdrawal began. Not one of Biden's or US intelligence's finest hours, but he was absolutely set up to fail by his predecessor. To change course he would have had to risk attacks on US forces (something Trump supporters generally oppose in other contexts).
What a pathetic justification of Biden's disastrous handling of Afghanistan, leaving Americans there to die, as well as billions in equipment, now in the hands of terrorists.
PSW: Why do you think Biden is going way too fast into alternatives? I think his energy policy has actually been arguably his strongest area, since he is both investing in alternative energy, while also taking steps to boost domestic oil production to its highest rate ever. I'm a big believer in a policy of energy abudance (https://www.slowboring.com/p/energy-abundance), and my main recommendation for Biden in this area is to become a stronger supporter of nuclear power.
And speaking of nuclear power PSW, to answer the question you asked above, I have no interest at all in RFK Jr. as an alternative to Biden. I think Jr. is wrong on nuclear power, wrong on vaccines, and wrong on Ukraine.
As for Ukraine, PSW, I suspect we may in some agreement there. Certainly, I think it's fair for you to ask the question of what the endgame is? Ultimately, I think a negotiated solution that gives up the Crimea (at least for now) will have to be the answer, but I think it's vital that Ukraine enter those negotiations from a position of relative strength, so that it is clear to everyone (including the Russian people) that launching the war was a huge mistake.
I also think, PSW, that some of your other criticisms are fair as well. I think it's reasonable to criticize for Biden for being late to address the border issues and for pandering too much on some social issues.
But ultimately, even from a strictly policy perspective, these criticisms are outweighed by the fact that Biden is far better on both the economy (https://www.slowboring.com/p/trump-would-make-inflation-worse) and our energy future. Then when you add in the huge weaknesses that Trump brings to the table because of his election denial and his lack of character (discussed in detail on a different thread above), I think the choice to vote for Biden is an easy one.
I'm certainly not a huge Biden guy. I think both Obama and Clinton are much smarter and more impressive people (though I would fully agree that Clinton is no better than Trump or JFK or LBJ when it comes to being faithful).
But in terms of what he has done at President, I think it's clear that Biden has gotten it mostly right. The American economy has been by far the strongest in the world (https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/03/14/americas-extraordinary-economy-keeps-defying-the-pessimists), his support for Ukraine has been unwavering and vital, he has generally done the right thing on Israel (though he should be pushing back again Netanyahu even more strongly than he has), the withdrawal from Afghanistan was poorly executed but ultimately the the right decision, and he has begun to call for the right steps on the border (only to be stopped by the Republicans trying to keep it as an issue).
Not a perfect record, but certainly a good one. If you feel differently, it would be good to know why.
Meanwhile, that's a response about policy. In terms of comparing Biden and Trump as people, the differences are much more stark. Biden is a career politician (which I'll agree has negatives as well as positives), who has dealt with incredible personal hardship with class and grace and is someone who was historically popular with his colleagues on both side of the aisle.
Trump, on the other hand, has a good sense of humor but otherwise has no redeeming qualities. He's a publicity seeking cheat in all senses of that word. He cheats in golf, cheats on his wives, cheats the people he does business with, and has tried to cheat in elections as well. He has almost no redeeming qualities, and I guarantee that 20 years from now, folks will be embarrassed to tell their grandchilden they voted for him.
I think we have to conclude that marital fidelity as a presidential characteristic is low on the pole. I've never been impressed with Biden, regardless of his political affiliation.
Biden was supposed to be a unifier, but his actions seem to me more as a divider the way he rags on Republicans/Trump supporters.
I believe he appears weak and feeble as a president and that does not engender confidence either here in the States and abroad, which is why we have so many conflicts going on.
The border is a disaster and has been since Biden got into office. Why has it taken 3.5 years to figure out what to do, and it's my understanding simply enforcing the laws and keeping the remain in Mexico ruling would have given time to put something together.
I don't understand the ultimate goal for the Ukraine War, do we just keep giving money indefinitely or do we try to broker some kind of negotiation?
Hamas released a shit storm with that raid, and now the ME is in an uproar. I am confident Hamas knew what it was doing and has no compunction about the dead Palestinians left in its wake. Biden now has to decide how to assist Israel kick Hamas' ass and get the hostages back, or let that conflict drag on with danger of escalation.
I fully agree with the Afhgan pullout, but yes, it was a disaster.
The economy may be doing OK, but most Americans aren't feeling it.
The pandering to the Trans movement, DEI, and all the other attendant "Theories" is unwarranted and over the top.
At this point, I am not voting for a personality, I am voting for who I think will steer us in the right direction.
I might ask since you seem to lean Democrat- what is your opinion of RFK?
Trump was very complicit in the bad Afghanistan withdrawal. By cutting the ostensibly US-supported Afghan government out of the negotiations with the Taliban, he signaled that that government was a sinking ship and the Afghans outside of Kabul saw the writing on the wall and cut their own deals with the Taliban, leading to the much faster than expected collapse when the actual US withdrawal began. Not one of Biden's or US intelligence's finest hours, but he was absolutely set up to fail by his predecessor. To change course he would have had to risk attacks on US forces (something Trump supporters generally oppose in other contexts).
What a pathetic justification of Biden's disastrous handling of Afghanistan, leaving Americans there to die, as well as billions in equipment, now in the hands of terrorists.
Energy policy-Going wayyy to fast into alternatives without thinking about the consequences.
PSW: Why do you think Biden is going way too fast into alternatives? I think his energy policy has actually been arguably his strongest area, since he is both investing in alternative energy, while also taking steps to boost domestic oil production to its highest rate ever. I'm a big believer in a policy of energy abudance (https://www.slowboring.com/p/energy-abundance), and my main recommendation for Biden in this area is to become a stronger supporter of nuclear power.
And speaking of nuclear power PSW, to answer the question you asked above, I have no interest at all in RFK Jr. as an alternative to Biden. I think Jr. is wrong on nuclear power, wrong on vaccines, and wrong on Ukraine.
As for Ukraine, PSW, I suspect we may in some agreement there. Certainly, I think it's fair for you to ask the question of what the endgame is? Ultimately, I think a negotiated solution that gives up the Crimea (at least for now) will have to be the answer, but I think it's vital that Ukraine enter those negotiations from a position of relative strength, so that it is clear to everyone (including the Russian people) that launching the war was a huge mistake.
I also think, PSW, that some of your other criticisms are fair as well. I think it's reasonable to criticize for Biden for being late to address the border issues and for pandering too much on some social issues.
But ultimately, even from a strictly policy perspective, these criticisms are outweighed by the fact that Biden is far better on both the economy (https://www.slowboring.com/p/trump-would-make-inflation-worse) and our energy future. Then when you add in the huge weaknesses that Trump brings to the table because of his election denial and his lack of character (discussed in detail on a different thread above), I think the choice to vote for Biden is an easy one.