Patterico's Pontifications

1/19/2022

President Biden’s Job Approval Rating Lowest to Date

Filed under: General — Dana @ 7:53 am



[guest post by Dana]

The president’s polling data from Gallup:

During his first year in office, an average of 48.9% of Americans approved of the job President Joe Biden was doing. Biden’s job approval ratings started relatively strong at 57%, but by September had plunged to 43%. A new Gallup poll finds 40% of U.S. adults approving of the job he is doing, his lowest to date.

Among post-World War II presidents elected to their first term, only Donald Trump had a lower first-year average rating, at 38.4%. Bill Clinton’s first-year average was similar to Biden’s, but all other first-year presidents averaged 57% or better.

Biden’s first year in office has come to an end as the anniversary of his inauguration approaches, and he begins his second year on January 20 in a much weaker political position than he began. Unlike Trump, Biden enjoyed an extended honeymoon as president largely because independents evaluated his early performance positively. Once the COVID-19 situation began to take a turn for the worse, independents began to lose faith in Biden, and the Afghanistan situation further eroded their support for him.

However, the last two Gallup polls show the president’s support among his fellow Democrats is also slipping, to around 80% from 90% or higher prior to December.

Now, it appears some Democrats have also turned on Biden, although he maintains solid support among his own party. Those Democrats who no longer approve of Biden may be frustrated by the lack of progress on Biden’s climate change and social spending plan and on voting rights legislation, if not also the state of the nation marked by rising inflation and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Given Biden’s chaotic response to the pandemic and subsequent toll on his job approval rating, the White House is ramping up in the fight against Covid-19 by providing Americans with free testing kits and N95 masks – one year into his presidency. The website to order government-provided at-home Covid-19 testing kits went live yesterday. You can order your free test kits here. I put in an order, and the process couldn’t have been any easier.

Also, Biden will be making 400 million N95 masks available to Americans beginning next week:

President Joe Biden will make 400 million highly protective N95 masks available to Americans for free at pharmacies and community health centers around the U.S., a White House official said.

The masks will start to become available late next week, and the program will be fully up and running by early February, according to the official. The White House said the free masks are the largest deployment of personal protective equipment in U.S. history.

As Omicron continues to spread, Congressional Democrats have been pushing the president to provide Americans with N95 masks:

Democrats in Congress have pushed the Biden administration to provide N95 masks to Americans for free as the highly contagious Covid omicron variant has swept the country, causing unprecedented levels of infection. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., reintroduced legislation last week to deliver three N95 masks to every person in the U.S. The legislation has 50 co-sponsors in the House and Senate.

“Congress must demand the mass production and distribution of N95 masks, one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of the Covid virus,” Sanders said in a statement.

So, how does Biden rescue his slipping presidency at the one-year point? Here are a few suggestions:

The president needs to focus on American needs, not liberal wishes.

No, the two are not synonymous. Universal pre-K might be popular. But Americans have spent the past two years suffering from the government’s inability to meet basic needs. Public health. Price stability. Safe streets. Secure borders. Functioning supply chains. Public schools that open their doors to children.

Not all of this is the responsibility of the executive branch. But why has Biden outsourced the border issue to his overmatched vice president? Why is he nominating a progressive ideologue to the Fed at a time of spiraling inflation? How is it that he could unveil a package of crime-fighting measures last June and then basically drop the subject?

The president needs to communicate that he’s a step ahead of these problems. So far he’s been a perpetual step behind.

The president should remember that he won as a moderate and a unifier.

Biden’s performance thus far is sometimes compared with Jimmy Carter’s. Maybe the better source of comparison is Bill Clinton, who ran as a centrist, tilted left in his first year, saw his signature legislation blow up in Congress, suffered military humiliation in Somalia — and then figured out how to recapture the center and save his presidency.

Liberals have urged a floor vote for Build Back Better, as if a political kamikaze mission is going to win them a place in some future progressive pantheon. Biden would do better to move on from defeat and draft legislation with bipartisan appeal. Regulation for Big Tech is one good area. A bill that trades greater border security for citizenship for Dreamers is another. It could also help blunt G.O.P. inroads with Hispanic voters.

And what was the final suggestion to Biden? Announce that he will not run for re-election.

–Dana

114 Responses to “President Biden’s Job Approval Rating Lowest to Date”

  1. Good morning.

    Dana (5395f9)

  2. Amazing how doing a bad job will hurt your approval ratings.

    Time123 (9f42ee)

  3. It’s worth repeating; Biden only made sense when the alternative was worse (Trump). As long as he’s being evaluated for absolute performance he’s going to be unpopular.

    Time123 (9f42ee)

  4. If Biden were a horse in a horserace, he’d be scratched from the board. We have no President. We have an ad hoc Ruling Council, that we call his Administration, where Biden is the figurehead but by no means the Palpatine. More like Jar-Jar.

    nk (1d9030)

  5. Clinton recovered to win a 2nd term because he had charisma and is much better liar.
    I don’t see how Biden recovers. Inflation is not going away soon, and he may be facing a genuine foreign policy crisis if Putin absorbs Ukraine into his fiefdom, and Biden has a long record of sucking at foreign policy.

    Paul Montagu (5de684)

  6. The saner Democrats are demanding that BBB be broken into pieces and the parts that are popular pushed through on a bipartisan basis, rather than trying to mask a socialist agenda with them in the one-fell-swoop bill.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  7. Biden has a long record of sucking at foreign policy.

    And yet, it is seen as his strength.

    (This is ironic snark, not rebuttal)

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  8. The president should remember that he won as a moderate and a unifier.

    he won cuz people fell for this

    JF (e1156d)

  9. Did you know that even the parts of BBB that are supposed to be popular have “progressive” poison pills? For example, the refundable electric car tax credit is so laden with protectionism and union-love that Elon Musk is against it.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  10. he won cuz people fell for this

    They all lie. The point is to hold them to their lie and punish them for lying so poorly. I find it ironic that a Trump supporter would be surprised that politicians lie, or upset that people believe the lies.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  11. I think his strengths in order were / are
    -Not Donald Trump

    ….need some help on strength 2.

    Time123 (9f42ee)

  12. @9Why wouldn’t a Democrat put pro-Union provisions in their proposal? Union support is a part of their platform and they explicitly try to increase union membership.

    Time123 (9f42ee)

  13. OT: Sure to be quoted by antivaxx, Early Omicron Breakthroughs Show MRNA Vaccines’ Weakness

    Of course, it really doesn’t say that, and comes from The Lancet anyway.

    All the cases were mild or moderate, providing support for the extra shots’ ability to fend off severe disease, death and hospitalizations. Still, the findings demonstrate omicron’s ability to evade immunity generated by even the most powerful Covid-19 vaccine boosters.

    Intentionally missing the point, as usual. Take THAT, strawman!

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  14. @12: Should a service provided by non-union workers in a open-shop state be penalized in tax law?

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  15. ….need some help on strength 2.

    Well, I think #1 was “not as bad as Donald Trump” but you may be right about it just being “not Donald Trump.”

    He is also Not Mao and Not Hitler.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  16. @12: and in any event should the fact be buried in a giant omnibus bill that isn’t seen until after the vote?

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  17. I find it ironic that a Trump supporter would be surprised that politicians lie, or upset that people believe the lies.
    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/19/2022 @ 8:39 am

    your mistaken assumption that i’m surprised and upset is not ironic in the least

    JF (e1156d)

  18. Kevin, I’m not a fan of Unions and I’m not saying this is good policy. I am saying that from the perspective of Biden having the tax code favor union shops to encourage union participation isn’t a position pill it’s a legitimate policy objection. They would say that unions are a necessary counter weight to ensure that some of the profits go to workers and improve worker bargaining position through collective bargaining. This isn’t a universal position on the left but is very much part of Biden’s philosophy

    Time123 (9f42ee)

  19. In addition to reveling in Biden’s awfulness…and strategic dim-wittery….the GOP does need to remember to be for something….and try to solve problems. As socialist-heavy as Biden’s plans are, average Joe will detect that the Dems do care about the cost of child care, maternity leave, college costs, and costs of Covid. Sure, the GOP can be the party of being against inflation (is there a plan to actually relieve supply shortages?), maybe doing the Afghan exit better (once a time machine is invented)….maybe, and being the party of no more masks….and Fauci (just a different flavor of Covid theater). There’s value in pumping the brakes on Voting Reform that has little to do with actual access to voting…but gives the impression that the alternative is Jim Crow. The GOP’s version of voting reform….minus IDs which has always been sensible….isn’t especially inspirational given the lingering “stop the steal” nonsense. Yes, the GOP is looking good for gains….but I’d still like to see an agenda that is more than dancing around and lamenting how bad Biden is…..

    AJ_Liberty (ec7f74)

  20. Cant imagine being an American and voting for comrade biden.
    This country is a schiff hole.
    Stay off my property.
    Guard Dogs on Duty…

    mg (8cbc69)

  21. I’m sensing a lot of buyer’s remorse for Biden these days.

    And, Biden being polled to essential Trumpian level is worst than Trump’s polls…wanna know why?

    Biden has the national media doing their absolute damnedest to prop this administration up. They truly are the democratic party’s communication wing.

    As to the GOP’s plans: I’d be really, REALLY interested for plans to strengthen the supply chain issues. The consistent driver for inflations, imo, is the supply chain disruptions so it needs to be a concerted-broad plan.

    whembly (7baeb9)

  22. No appendix is better than peritonitis. Biden may be a zero but Trump was a minus 10. I’d still vote for Biden over Trump today.

    nk (1d9030)

  23. And if you want one reason, and one reason only, why voting for Biden over Trump was, and still is, the right thing to do, Biden would not have gone around whining that the election was stolen from him and he would not have incited his Oklahomans to storm the Capitol on 1/6, if he had lost. No way! Not ever! Guaranteed!

    nk (1d9030)

  24. He is also Not Mao and Not Hitler.

    No kidding: they were competent.

    Biden’s just a bum. And anybody who took the time to ferret through his history from the 70s on could have told you that.

    There’s a monument to Joe Biden in every home in America: flushed daily w/pride.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  25. the GOP does need to remember to be for something….and try to solve problems.

    They’re remembered for the ideological turncoats who abandoned their party’s nom- actively campaigned/backed/voted for a Swamp Creature with dreams of a return to the very ‘normalcy’- the majority of their own party rejected.

    Start rootin’ for Putin: he’s competent.

    When he rolls the tanks, warch ol’Joe’s ground him for a month and cut off his allowance!

    … and Vladimir smiled.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  26. Neither Biden or Harris is known for their listening skills, but even if they were good listeners, they’ve always been too dense to assimilate information.

    I’ve noticed the host is a Wordle enthusiast.
    Lets say we say Biden and Harris teaming up to take on the word of the day. what level of confidence would you have in their efforts? Lets go further and say the five letter word is BIDEN… more confidence or equal?
    Trump Pence working on the puzzle would give me a high certainty that Trump would immediately leave the room and l Pence would handle it

    steveg (e81d76)

  27. As I remember, you were rooting for Putin against Trump, too, DCSCA. It’s the borscht, isn’t it?

    But, yeah, it’s good you mentioned “competent”. Biden’s failure to advance his Politburo’s agenda is a disappointment to the left, but for the rest of us it is largely a good thing. Who wants a competent leftist?

    nk (1d9030)

  28. “Start rootin’ for Putin: he’s competent.”

    Nahh, he’s a killer and a thug….and his interests don’t align with my country’s interests. Why would I cheer for Ukrainians to mostly lose their civil rights and be dominated by a totalitarian? So I can shake my head about Biden!? Biden will be gone soon enough. Let’s not confuse Putin with entertainment…..

    AJ_Liberty (ec7f74)

  29. by providing Americans with free testing kits

    Only four per household.

    Most back ordered.

    The CDC does not actually expect all mask wearers to wear N95 masks, but says they should get the best masks they will actually wear.

    why has Biden outsourced the border issue to his overmatched vice president

    Because he knows nothing will, or can, change.

    Biden is very cautious and deliberate in action. He will not deliver his State of the Union message till March 1.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/19/2022 @ 8:35 am

    And yet, it foreign policy] is seen as his strength.

    Based on a neutral measure people can agree on: Time spent or his involvement in these matters.

    Not whether he was right or wrong, or whether anything he proposed was wise or foolish. (splitting Iraq into three pieces. Being opposed to the raid on Osama bin Laden’s hideout in Pakistan.)

    Time123 (9f42ee) — 1/19/2022 @ 8:40 am

    ….need some help on strength 2.

    A reluctant, and even phony, radical. Maybe the best the Democratic Party can do.

    AJ_Liberty (ec7f74) — 1/19/2022 @ 9:17 am

    d. Sure, the GOP can be the party of being against inflation (is there a plan to actually relieve supply shortages?)

    No, the plan they seem to endorse is raising interest rates, which might relieve supply shortages by raising prices – interest is a cost – or reducing people’s incomes and overall GDP. (except the way it is talked about it is so abstract that people don’t readily see that. And most of the inflation has been in asset prices. People who shop online have experienced the least inflation.

    I’d still like to see an agenda that is more than dancing around and lamenting how bad Biden is…..

    That’s what political messaging has become. They couldn’t agree on more. And both parties want to agree on campaign themes. The best thing for that is either “the other guys are terribe” or things that can never happen and that the other guys will never endorse.

    whembly (7baeb9) — 1/19/2022 @ 9:42 am

    The consistent driver for inflations, imo, is the supply chain disruptions so it needs to be a concerted-broad plan.

    No it doesn;t. you just have to le t things take care of themselves.

    Now there are two possible ways of relieving supply problems. The standard, and wrong, way and the right way. The standard way is to reduce demand. his does not necessarily stop inflation. The right way is to increase supply. That takes a little time but is guaranteed to work.

    Sammy Finkelman (c49738)

  30. Nahh, he’s a killer and a thug…

    And COMPETENT.

    If he doesn’t take advantage of Joe Doofus’s stumble-bumming then his own competence is called into play. Roll the tanks– and seel that beaftont property in Taiwan.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  31. ^ ‘seel that beaftont’ =cough= “covfefe”

    ‘sell that beachfront’

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  32. Why would I cheer for Ukrainians to mostly lose their civil rights and be dominated by a totalitarian?

    Don’t give a damn about them. ‘Bout time E/W Europe took care of itself on their own dime: WW1, WW2 & Cold War is enough bailouts. Past time to tend to America; piss on Kyiv- time to tend to Detroit.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  33. I’m sensing a lot of buyer’s remorse for Biden these days.

    Only if you can find it: his ‘shelf is empty,’ too.

    Went grocery shopping yesterday; empty shelves, $5/lb. hamburger, $10/lb. London Broil; $5.15/gal. gas; cable bill jumped; utiltiies up; 7% inflation. Worst U.S. POTUIS in my lifetime. Makes Carter look like Lincoln.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  34. Here is one way Biden could improve his popularity:

    Restrictions including COVID-19 passes, mask mandates, and work-from-home guidance will be removed in England, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Wednesday.

    Johnson also suggested that self-isolation rules may also be thrown out at the end of March as the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic becomes endemic.

    Effective immediately, the UK government is no longer asking people to work from home.

    The COVID pass mandate for nightclubs and large events won’t be renewed when it expires on Jan. 26.

    And from Thursday, indoor mask-wearing will no longer be compulsory anywhere in England.

    The requirement for secondary school pupils to wear masks during class and in communal areas will also be removed from the Department for Education’s national guidance.

    Roaring cheers from lawmakers could be heard in the House of Commons following Johnson’s announcements on masks

    Drunk drivers everywhere, but they probably vote too.

    https://www.theepochtimes.com/england-ends-all-covid-passports-mask-mandates-work-restrictions_4222549.html

    BuDuh (9a7c0c)

  35. “Don’t give a damn about them.”

    Short sighted, like Neville Chamberlain doing a deal with Hitler. You don’t appease tyrants….and you don’t root against liberty….even in places like Ukraine where there’s a fair share of corruption. Putin moving into Ukraine or Xi heading for Taiwan does not make this a more stable world…and when nukes are involved….one poor choice can be cataclysmic. I don’t want us to create Mad Max because you’re bored with what’s on Peacock…..

    AJ_Liberty (ec7f74)

  36. Get rid of Buttgieg post haste and nominate an actual trucking, maritime shipping, or rail magnate in the spot. If that is too unpalatable, there’s a Blue Dog Dan Lipinski who might take it and have enough touch to get things done from his days on the Infrastructure committee.

    urbanleftbehind (c073c9)

  37. Piss on Detroit, too. Not that they need our water or what becomes of it in our kidneys. They seem to have more common sense with guns and Irish democracy and will always have upside compared to the more populated Blue Hells.

    urbanleftbehind (c073c9)

  38. > A bill that trades greater border security for citizenship for Dreamers is another.

    i’m unconvinced such a bill could pass in the Senate.

    aphrael (4c4719)

  39. > The saner Democrats are demanding that BBB be broken into pieces and the parts that are popular pushed through on a bipartisan basis,

    how likely do you think it is that McConnell would allow any of them to come up for a vote? He can hold his caucus together to keep ten republicans from supporting *anything* if it means reclaiming the Senate at the end of the year.

    aphrael (4c4719)

  40. Biden and the establishment democrats at the DNC know the few moderates he gains by appealing to them will be more then made up for by losses on the left who are holding their nose to support joe biden now! They will not make the mistake that clinton made in 2016 of saying where are you bernie supporters and minorities going to go?

    asset (89c9e7)

  41. Short sighted.

    Like hell. We’re not the world’s policeman nor is it prudent to go to war to maintain business and finasncial interests for the West under the sucker banners of ‘freedom’ and ‘liberty.’ The ‘liberty and freedom’ crap are fodder for the “short-sighted.” We barely keep it here. Fool us once; shame on you; fool us twice, shame on us. THREE times, we’re damned fools. They can take care of themselves and it’s about time they did it. Remember Churchill’s dream of a ‘United States of Europe?’ Thank righty wackos like friend-of-CPAC Nigel Farage and similar blokes who torpedoed that. Revisit the list of nations in NATO before the CCCP collapsed and the Warsaw-Pact dissolved. Putin has a valid POV- NATO has grown. If Russia brought Canada and Mexico into their fold, the U.S. would be squawking exactly the same way.

    ‘Putin moving into Ukraine or Xi heading for Taiwan does not make this a more stable world…’

    It does: from their POV.

    Have great respect for the Russia and the Russian people. Been there. Few Americans truly understand the strength, tenacity and history of the hardships faced by the Russian people nor their capacity to endure it. You may not like how they get things done– but they deserve to manage their own ‘neighborhood’- just as America does.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  42. Biden is very cautious and deliberate in action. He will not deliver his State of the Union message till March 1.

    No.

    He’s just lost track of time- as old folks do.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  43. The theory that Putin is competent is not shared widely among Russians, judging by their behavior.

    Population growth rate
    –0.11% (2018 est.) Country comparison to the world: 205th
    –0.08% (2017 est.)
    +0.19% (2014 est.)

    Russians don’t think enough of their prospects to have many children. (Those that do have children are disproportionately from the Muslim minorities.)

    And during the COVID pandemic, Putin botched Russia’s response:

    Russia’s overall pandemic death toll reached 658,634, according to Reuters calculations based on Rosstat figures up to the end of November and data from the coronavirus task force for December, overtaking Brazil which has recorded 618,800 deaths.

    The death toll in the United States is higher, at 825,663 people, according to a Reuters tally, but its population is more than twice as big as Russia’s.

    Russia’s population is about 146 million, the US population about 334 million.

    If Putin had done as well against COVID as Trump and Biden did, their death toll would be about 361 thousand. If he had done as well as Germany’s Chancellor Merkel, the Russian death toll would have been about 180 thousand.

    Jim Miller (edcec1)

  44. @27. No issues w/Vlad managing and maintaining a sphere of influence around his own turf. American does it. Better to let him police his own nuclear neighborhood. And Russians have a lot less tolerance for ‘folks’ who step out of line. They secure their borders.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  45. The people of the ukraine like the people of afganistan don’t like russians.

    asset (89c9e7)

  46. Expect oil prices to soar and gas prices to spike when oil-rich Vlad rolls them tanks and puts the chill on energy hungry Europe and the ubiquitous petroleum market. Wendy Sherman sure didn’t spook him and given Blinken’s poor performance in the Afghanistan debacle, American diplomats are a joke. Possession is 9/10th of ‘the law’ so if Putin doesn’t take advantage of this astonishing confluence of weaknesses, and let the tanks roll, he’s a fool. The guy keeps winning at poker w/a pair of deuces because Joe isn’t playing w/a full deck.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  47. The people of the ukraine like the people of afganistan don’t like russians

    That’s THEIR problem.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  48. The Greens in Germany pretty much don’t like the pipeline anyway.

    Sammy Finkelman (02a146)

  49. There is something hilarious about the claim that the nation with the
    most nuclear warheads in the world is holding a “pair of deuces”.

    The Russian Federation is known to have possessed three types of weapons of mass destruction: nuclear weapons, biological weapons, and chemical weapons. It is one of the five nuclear-weapon states recognized under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. The nation possesses approximately 6,400 nuclear warheads—the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons in the world.[4] More than half of the world’s 14,000 nuclear weapons are owned by Russia.

    Or, it would be hilarious, were the matter not so serious.

    Jim Miller (edcec1)

  50. “A year of enormous progress.” sez Plagiarist Joe w/a sh-t-shoveling grin.

    God help us.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  51. @23

    And if you want one reason, and one reason only, why voting for Biden over Trump was, and still is, the right thing to do, Biden would not have gone around whining that the election was stolen from him and he would not have incited his Oklahomans to storm the Capitol on 1/6, if he had lost. No way! Not ever! Guaranteed!

    nk (1d9030) — 1/19/2022 @ 10:00 am

    Except we don’t know that.

    In 2018 leftist went apesh!t over Trump’s inauguration and rioted in streets of DC.

    HRC still, to this day, argues that Trump’s win was illegitimate.

    We’ve had a Bernie-bro trying to assassinate GOPers at a softball field.

    Then, we’ve had summers of riots during Trump’s tenure that were handwaved over by media/Democrats.

    What would the lefties do in the face of a hypothetical 2nd Trump win? Biden would DEFINITELY go around and claim it was a stolen election as it’s du jour by Democrats when they lose.

    A riot similar to Jan 6th was a distinct possibility by those same rioters on the left.

    That certainly doesn’t excuses Trump’s behaviors and the real Jan 6th rioters. But voting for Biden over Trump will always be a “pick your poison” vote.

    whembly (7baeb9)

  52. @50. They’re just negotiating tools. Lest you forget, only one nation has ever used them. Twice.

    And it wasn’t Russia.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  53. Biden: We won’t do anything about Ukraine without Ukraine, although we were negotiating about Afghanistan without Afghanistan.

    News: The Taliban would like control of Afghan’s embassies. No foreign government has recognied the Taliban (except Pakistan and maybe Uzbekistan and Russia and China partly) and neither are they in the UN.

    The old Afghan ambassador to China has resigned and the Taliban are trying to get a specific person become the de facto head.

    There is limited contact between the embassies and the people in Kabul, but the Taliban continue to honor passports and visas granted by these embassies. The embassies are not getting money but some are finanicing themselves with consular fees

    Sammy Finkelman (02a146)

  54. High prices. It’s the world’s fault– and Covid, sez Joe.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  55. 44. DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/19/2022 @ 12:40 pm

    . They secure their borders.

    No, they don’t.

    https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/russia-demands-1m-illegal-migrants-to-leave-country/2211717

    More than 1 million illegal immigrants from CIS countries currently live in Russia, according to Gorovoy.

    A moratorium on the expulsion of illegal immigrants, introduced in Russia because of the pandemic, is effective until June 15.

    Until that date, illegal immigrants can freely leave Russia and not receive penalties.

    Sammy Finkelman (02a146)

  56. It’s the weather’s fault.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  57. @56. Except they do- and given the size of the land mass, know how to manage the leakage.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  58. Joe says it’s Big Meat’s fault.

    This man is an idiot.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  59. Joe thinks people going back to work amidst a pandemic is job growth.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  60. “Name me one thing they’re [Republicans] for.” – President Plagiarist 1-19-22

    Getting rid of you.

    Idiot.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  61. Finally honesty by the CDC via The NY Times:

    “Unvaccinated people with a history of Covid also had lower rates of infection and hospitalization than those protected by vaccines alone.

    The data are consistent with trends observed in international studies, the researchers said.”

    https://mobile.twitter.com/TheEliKlein/status/1483881881015930884

    If only someone here can quantify this in terms of people who went to war and survived.

    BuDuh (b47bd6)

  62. For God’s sake, he still has a list of reporters to read from to call on.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  63. Door opened to Vlad by Joe- adds qualifiers; ‘minor incursion’ etc. No dollar transactions; cuts off allowance.

    Roll the tanks, kid.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  64. “My guess is he will move in.”

    Sez Joe.

    Roll the tanks, kid.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  65. Cast change:

    Playing the part of Biden’s Brain in today’s performance: David Sanger, NYT

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  66. Biden news conference:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhkGwSKipNI

    Sammy Finkelman (02a146)

  67. #60 So does the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

    The unemployment rate declined by 0.3 percentage point to 3.9 percent in December, and the number
    of unemployed persons decreased by 483,000 to 6.3 million. Over the year, these measures are down
    by 2.8 percentage points and 4.5 million, respectively. In February 2020, prior to the coronavirus
    (COVID-19) pandemic, the unemployment rate was 3.5 percent, and unemployed persons numbered 5.7
    million.

    Job growth of 4.5 million during the second half of the COVID pandemic is pretty good, as any rational person would recognize.

    (The latest Economist that I have is dated December 18th. Turning to the “league table” at at the back, I see that Russia has a higher unemployment rate than the US (4.3%), lower growth rate for the last year (4.3% versus 4.8%), and higher inflation for the last year (8.4% versus 6.8%).

    Russia sure is lucky to have that competent Putin managing their economy. /sarc)

    Jim Miller (edcec1)

  68. Fear of party divergence?

    Guess Joe’s never heard of Ronald Reagan. Or FDR. Or LBJ. Or ever heard RFK twisting arms for his brother.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  69. @68. Going back to your job isn’t ‘job growth,’ Jim.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  70. Reuters reporter nails Biden on his own answer in his own presser as noted in #54.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  71. ^64.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  72. NBC nails him on his own answer as referenced in #65.

    A wholly befuddled POTUS.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  73. Mentions Thurmond, McCain, Lewis, Clyburn and McConnell.

    Well, at least two of them are still alive.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  74. The Taliban are “incompetent”- sez Joe.

    They won.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  75. CNN reports real time: Ukrainian officials ‘horrified’ at Biden’s presser remarks.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  76. Can you say plausible deniability for the opposition and most of the Dem base, if they get really horrified?

    https://youtu.be/teSXcJlpMl8

    urbanleftbehind (09a594)

  77. Did you bring the borscht, Vladimir?

    nk (1d9030)

  78. Note that both Obama and Reagan had significantly higher numbers even though the country was in the grip of a deep recession in both cases. Perhaps that was because people understood that the mess was not of their doing and accepted that they were change agents and moving forward.

    Biden may have inherited a mess with Covid, but he promised to address it and did not, while using his massive 0.3% mandate to try to force through long-rejected policies of the Left. Policies that many see as exacerbating the problems.

    Safe prediction: Biden will continue to move lower in polls, inflation will continue to move higher, and the Fed will respond with high interest rates that will make our current deficits look modest. Eight percent on $22 trillion is about $2 trillion all by itself.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  79. Perhaps that was because people understood that the mess was not of their doing and accepted that they were change agents and moving forward.

    Perhaps it was because people understood what they were saying and not the gobbledygook spewed out to the world today. Except for Ukrainians, who, in real-time ‘horror,’ heard him loud and clear.

    … and Putin smiled.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  80. Today when Joe was eyeball-to-eyeball with Vlad.

    Joe blinked.

    … and Putin smiled.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  81. But how does Ludmilla Putina look going up the steps of Aeroflot One, DCSCA?

    nk (1d9030)

  82. 64. DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/19/2022 @ 1:34 pm

    Door opened to Vlad by Joe- adds qualifiers; ‘minor incursion’ etc. No dollar transactions; cuts off allowance.

    Joe Biden was obviously concerned that there could be a full fledged invasion and hoped that if so, he could change that to a minor incursion.

    Graduated penalties. Like Class A and Class E felonies. Why do we have them if not to encourage criminals to pick the Class E felony?

    Sammy Finkelman (c49738)

  83. @83. Joe Biden’s “April Glaspie” ‘Price-Is-Right’ Moment:

    ‘Vladimir Putin, “Come on down!”

    https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/23/world/confrontation-in-the-gulf-us-gave-iraq-little-reason-not-to-mount-kuwait-assault.html

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  84. @82. Like Tiffany…

    At 55.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  85. I think some people didn’t understand Joe Biden. He said that people who are against his voting bill are on the same side > as Bull Connor, not that they are (like) Bull Connor. He’s right. Point well made.

    Except that Bull Connor wold have thought the voting system that the Dem bill aimed to change was in favor of much more voting than he wanted. He’d still lose.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bull_Connor

    In 1948, Connor’s officers arrested the U.S. Senator from Idaho, Glen H. Taylor. He was the running mate of Progressive Party presidential candidate Henry Wallace, former Democratic vice president. Taylor, who had attempted to speak to the Southern Negro Youth Congress, was arrested for violating Birmingham’s racial segregation laws. Connor’s effort to enforce the law was caused by the group’s reported communist philosophy,[8] with Connor noting at the time, “There’s not enough room in town for Bull and the Commies.”

    ….In 1960, Connor was elected Democratic National Committeeman for Alabama, soon after filing a civil lawsuit against The New York Times for $1.5 million. He objected to what he claimed was their insinuation that he had promoted racial hatred. He dropped his claim for damages to $400,000; the case dragged on for six years until Connor lost a $40,000 judgment on appeal…

    …In 1962, Connor ordered the closing of 60 Birmingham parks rather than follow a federal court order to desegregate public facilities.
    In November 1962, in response to the extremely negative perception of the city — it was derisively nicknamed “Bombingham” by outsiders for the numerous attacks on the homes and churches of black civil rights activists — Birmingham voters changed the city’s form of government. Rather than an at-large election of three commissioners, who had specific oversight of certain city departments, there would be a mayor-council form of government. Members of the city council were to be elected from nine single-member districts. Blacks were still largely disenfranchised. For instance, in 1961 when the president of the city’s Chamber of Commerce was visiting Japan, he saw a newspaper photo of a bus engulfed in flames, which occurred during the Freedom Rides. Bull Connor had arranged for opponents to have time to attack civil rights activists when their bus reached Birmingham.
    Endorsed by Governor George C. Wallace, Connor attempted to run for mayor, but lost on April 2, 1963. Connor and his fellow commissioners filed suit to block the change in power,[1] but on May 23, 1963, the Supreme Court of Alabama ruled against them.[17] Connor ended his 23-year tenure in the post. Citing a general law, he had argued that the change could not take effect until the October 1 following the date of the election, but the Supreme Court of Alabama held that the general law was preempted by a special law applicable to only the City of Birmingham.

    Sammy Finkelman (c49738)

  86. After today’s press conference there’s lots of room for Biden’s approval rating to go lower. Won’t reach the level of whale feces on the bottom of the ocean—but it will be near there.

    GlendaleGreybeard (443593)

  87. Considering the screwing dementia joe xiden gave Ukraine, imagine whats in store for America?

    mg (8cbc69)

  88. DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/19/2022 @ 7:51 pm

    HA!

    felipe (484255)

  89. As to the GOP’s plans: I’d be really, REALLY interested for plans to strengthen the supply chain issues. The consistent driver for inflations, imo, is the supply chain disruptions so it needs to be a concerted-broad plan.
    whembly (7baeb9) — 1/19/2022 @ 9:42 am

    I am with you, Whembly. But most of those politicians are going to observe the motto “never interrupt your opponent while he is making a mistake,” because they forget that it is the country that suffers most, in the end, not their opponent.

    felipe (484255)

  90. 82, she’s been out of that role for several years, but she does share one thing with fellow first wives clubber Ivana Trump, marrying a much younger man after the divorce.

    urbanleftbehind (c0eb5e)

  91. Whembly & Felipe, I don’t think the GOP has much of a plan or agenda. There aren’t many examples from the previous administration on that make me think “Wow, they’d really have been all over solving the supply chain problem.”

    Not that Biden’s administration has shown any performance at all in this area.

    Time123 (9f42ee)

  92. I’ll believe the “supply chain” drama as the cause of inflation when I believe that “climate change” caused the New York City basement flooding. The fact is that the dollar becomes worth less with every instance that it is spent on things of no productive value. Consume, my pretties, consume!

    nk (1d9030)

  93. @93 nk, supply chain disruptions drives up the costs.

    Who pays for it?

    whembly (eafcf2)

  94. @93, NK, Google “Auto Prices Micro-Chip Shortage” for an example.

    Time123 (9f42ee)

  95. How come Putin only moves on the Ukraine after Biden takes over? I thought it was Trump that Putin owned. Also, the Biden family history in the Ukraine must give some there pause. Maybe Hunter will be appointed Ambassador.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  96. Went to McDonald’s the other night. OMG the prices have gone up. Almost $6 for a flipping quarter-pounder? $4 for fries? Then again, they got the order right, which is an improvement.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  97. nk, are you aware that the eurozone is experiencing record high inflation? there’s something going on globally that extends beyond American fiscal policy.

    aphrael (4c4719)

  98. nk, are you aware that the eurozone is experiencing record high inflation? there’s something going on globally that extends beyond American fiscal policy.

    I rather doubt that unemployment benefits are lower in the Eurozone, so many of the same Covid-era long-term UI issues would arise there, too.

    Low-skilled workers have received huge disincentives to work, due to the federal UI boost making UI better than prior wages for some. Yes, this is now slowly ending, but the previous need to raise payscales to compete with Uncle Sugar’s checks has driven up the prices of many goods, particularly those that rely on large numbers of low-skill workers, such as restaurants.

    And once the payscales go up, it takes a while to bring them down; inflation and payscale inertia being the likely process, which takes years.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  99. We were doing well working towards complete energy independence under Trump. The luddite Biden destroyed those successes as his first act in office.

    NJRob (0f9ea2)

  100. I was just going through my utility bills. NM produces natural gas in large quantity — so much that the state has windfall income of about $1000/resident from separation taxes.

    Yet my 1/22 natural gas bill, on 10% less usage, is 28% higher than in 1/21. Of course, it is still lower than my “winter” bills ever were in Los Angeles. SoCalGas rates were higher in 2012 than they are here in 2022. I routinely pay less in much colder NM than I did in mild SoCal.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  101. While transport and other fuel costs are up, nothing compares to the labor market hit of Uncle Sam’s thumb on the scale. A number of businesses that survived the shutdowns went broke trying to hire people for labor-intensive operations.

    What made economic sense before Covid suddenly did not as formerly $8 and $10/hour jobs suddenly were costing $16 or $18/hour. Great for some workers, who got the higher bucks, but not for others who were now priced out of the market.

    The real minimum wage is zero, and there’s a reason that things get automated. Just ask any former LAX-area parking lot attendant after LA City Council imposed “living wages” on the airport zone.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  102. I’d vote for George the third.

    mg (8cbc69)

  103. I’d vote for George the third.

    The last British monarch before Independence or the grown up “little brown one”?

    urbanleftbehind (c0eb5e)

  104. Da 3rd came back from a mental breakdown, recovered, popularity and admiration came back for his steady leadership through the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. Although i think madness did set in again. But joe dementia aint coming back. And George Foreman is not little!

    mg (8cbc69)

  105. Uh, not the one(s) I’m thinking of, mg. If one feels the need to groan or even vomit, you’ve been warned.

    urbanleftbehind (c0eb5e)

  106. Figured you were talking about lil boooosh. 10 gallon egos run in that family.

    mg (8cbc69)

  107. Hunter Biden has experience as Ambassador at large/bag man.
    One way to stop Russia from taking Ukraine would be to open a US consulate in Bumblebleep bordertown, Ukraine and staff it with Hunter, provision it with crack and hookers until this whole thing cools down.

    steveg (e81d76)

  108. The Vindmans can pull security

    steveg (e81d76)

  109. Biden is more like King Canute

    steveg (e81d76)

  110. There are no supply chain disruptions. There are labor market disruptions and some crazy-ass port regulations in Long Beach.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  111. Kevin M, at 112: tell that to the authors I know whose book releases have been pushed off because the publishers can’t source enough book-grade paper, the bicycle stores who aren’t able to reliably source bicycle parts, and anyone trying to buy either a new or used car (given that the new car market is backlogged because of inability to obtain a particular chip and the old car market has exploded because the new car market is backlogged).

    Supply chain disruptions are a real, worldwide phenomenon.

    aphrael (4c4719)

  112. Kevin is saying all this is because of the ports. That may not be true. There is a worldwide shortage of shopping containers in the right place. It took about a year for that to materialize. Too many one way cargo trips with shipping containers left in places that do not export to China or anywhere.

    Sammy Finkelman (c49738)


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