Democrats' dilemma: Biden's agenda is popular, but he is not

Isn't this the problem with every Democratic president? Where the policies proposed have upwards of 70% approval, but once it's mentioned that the person has a scary D next to their name, it immediately drops 30%?
Also, 57% have a negative opinion of Biden, and yet only 58% have a negative opinion of Trump? If that polling is accurate, what an absolutely fucked country we are.
- I think a lot of it is also “national mood”. The world is a bummer right now and people feel fed up. For a lot of voters, including sadly many on the left, “vibes” are more important than facts.
  
  It's less that things are a bummer now, but that we have no idea what "better" even looks like. Instead of schlepping to the office in a gas car we schlep in an electric car? Instead of going bankrupt buying a fancy chemo treatment we go bankrupt buying a fancy mRNA treatment? Instead of conflict in the middle east we'll have conflict in the middle east? Is this what I have to look forward to for the rest of my entire life?
  One thing conservatives have an advantage on is vision. Everybody remembers the past. A lot of people remember it fondly. It's easy to sell something like that. It's why they use it to sell everything.
- This. Just like every time there is a Democrat in office, we get economic dooming before the election regardless of what the actual numbers say.
- Nah.
  This is also actual progressives who didn't believe his platform last time, and have even less trust in him this time.
  Like, I have a negative opinion of Biden. I think he's lied a lot to get elected, he went from saying only he could get Republican Senate votes for the Democratic platform, to acting like people were crazy for thinking he could talk Democratic senators into voting for the Dem platform.
  I see absolutely no reason we're running him again. We're risking trump again by running an elderly unpopular candidate like we did in 2016.
  But he's a hell of a lot better than trump, so I'm pretty much forced to vote for him.
  When the only reason people have to vote for someone is so the other guy doesn't win, voter turnout will be down.
  Positive reinforcement is always better than potential negative reinforcement.
  
  When the only reason people have to vote for someone is so the other guy doesn't win, voter turnout will be down.
  Turnout in 2020 was the highest in years, decades even, so this isn't true at all. People showed up mainly to vote against Trump. I was one of them.
  
  You don't see why the Democrats are running him again? Really?
  No democrat can beat him in a primary and the closest person capable is basically a pinko who is treated with more respect by trump voters than typical Democrats.
  
  I think he’s lied a lot to get elected, he went from saying only he could get Republican Senate votes for the Democratic platform, to acting like people were crazy for thinking he could talk Democratic senators into voting for the Dem platform.
  I don't recall him saying either of these things. Do you mind pointing me to some speeches or states that support this claim?
  
  Positive reinforcement is always better than potential negative reinforcement.
  Not if you've experienced the potential negative. And I think there's actually a psychological basis to this. The best example of this is food that's a little past the expiry date. The only reason to not eat it is because I could get sick. If I've been fine so far, I'll just eat it without a worry. But if I end up with painful stomach cramps and nausea and I'm running to the bathroom constantly, the next time I'm faced with the dilemma, I'm just throwing the food in the trash.
  Psychologically I think our lizard brain creates a negative association. If we eat something that makes us sick, we aren't going to be eager to eat it again in the future because of our negative experience. That's why I'll still occasionally gag if I have a drink with whiskey.
- It would help Dems tremendously if there was any follow through on campaign promises. Immediately giving voters the cold shoulder in order to further the corporate agenda after getting into office leaves a bad taste in voters’ mouths.

The mainstream media has really been harping on Biden's age lately. But they often forget to mention that the reason age is important is that it's an indicator of health and mental acuity. Trump is almost as old, but if you ignore age and directly compare Biden and Trump on the actual important factors, health and mental acuity, Biden comes out far ahead.
If the choice actually comes down to Biden or Trump, and if you were only basing your vote on their health today, you'd be an idiot to vote for Trump. That would be on top of all of the other, much more important reasons to prefer Biden to Trump. Like they say in the article, Biden's agenda is popular. And on the other hand, Trump is a fascist fraudster sexually abusive criminal who already came within inches of overthrowing our government.
- The question is. People want neither, as they’re both, very, very, very old
  
  The problem is that the real choice in 2024 will be to vote for whoever the Democratic candidate is, whether it's Biden or not, or you can vote for whoever the Republican candidate will be.
  But among the Republican candidates, only Chris Christie is willing to tell the truth about January 6. Politically, I don't agree with Christie, but he's literally the only Republican candidate who is not actively trying to destroy our country. But if you think age is an important factor, and the GOP comes to its senses and doesn't nominate Trump, in all likelihood, you'll end up with somebody who is actively trying to destroy our country.
  It's a fucking disaster. On top of that, look at Ronald Reagan. He started having memory problems during his second term, and publicly he did fine, because he surrounded himself with people who would cover for him. If Biden starts having problems, we can decide what to do at that point.
  Do I think age should be an important factor in elections? Yes. But it can't be a factor in 2024 because it will throw us all over a cliff.

I’m definitely more of a progressive than a democrat and I may not like Biden much, but I’ll sure as shit vote for him to prevent another Trump term. I feel like the media is trying to create a crisis here.
- Not just the media but also... Am I the only one frustrated by the amount of "voting for Biden is dumb" posts on Lemmy? Yeah, he sucks, I don't like him. He's basically a 1950s Republican from back when they at least pretended to have some standards and acted like the government could occasionally do things. That's not inspiring.
  But what's the play here? Don't vote at all? Vote for Trump but ironically? I don't get it. Voting is NOT the only thing you can do, and it's not the only thing you SHOULD be doing, but it's still a thing you absolutely should do.
- I may not like Biden much, but I’ll sure as shit vote for him to prevent another Trump term.
  That may work for us, but we absolutely need to get some people excited and motivated, or they'll just stay home, handing the election to Trump...
- Oh no, there is a crisis.
  It's an incredibly idiotic one. But it exists.
- The problem here is you are voting because you are afraid of a Trump second term rather than voting for a candidate that is qualified for the position.
  If you are more of an independent and look at a crazy person on one side and a senile sun downing person on the other the choice is more of a 50 50.
  The Democrats are playing with fire and doing undemocratic plays to keep viable candidates out of the race and hide a compromised Biden instead of having an open primary and that might cost all of regardless of who actually wins.
  
  Okay but the other side is a senile sundowning crazy person. We act like Biden is so much older than Trump but it's only three years.
  
  Well I’m not an independent and I completely disagree that the choice is 50/50. I have seen what Trump did to this country and I believe it is vital that we do not allow him to have a second term. There are plenty of issues with Biden but they pale in comparison to what Trump will do if re-elected. You are damn right I’m afraid of a second term with him. He almost destroyed our democracy during his first term. Just look at the shit he is outright saying he will do if re-elected.
  
  Sorry I prefer a senile person to a political strongman
  
  It’s really not that close though, when the crazy person has such a history of fraud and corruption, is such a danger to our country, our society, has been so dividing, whose policies are responsible for so many pandemic deaths, so beholden to corporate interests and foreign dictators, etc. His approach to governing is a three year old throwing a tantrum and smashing Lego sets

I dont know why Biden gets so much hate. He has been a fantastic president so far. Could he have done more? Sure, but I dont understand why the hate. They say "hold my nose" to vote for him... like wtf why?
- Yeah I'm right there with you. Biden has accomplished a lot. I don't agree with everything he's said or done but as a whole he's done a fantastic job turning America around. If he can beat Trump once he can beat him again and that is paramount. Plus it gives dems another 4 years to start pushing younger more progressive candidates into the spotlight.
  
  Don't forget Trump is dragging the Republican party down, big time. - he will destroy the country. He has allowed those who are enemies of the constitution to come out of the closet and attack democracy.
  Biden on the other hand, has surprised us by being more progressive than we thought he would be. He may not be physically agile but he knows good policy, like forgiving student loans for example, and he knows how to get legislation passed.
  
  What if the GOP replaces Trump? There are a lot of ways he could become unelectable in the next year. So how would Biden do against a fresh Republican candidate? (My guess is Biden could lose if he doesn't have the "anyone but Trump" vote, so I hope the Dems have a fresh candidate of their own ready to take up the torch soon.)
- A lot of people don't understand how hard it is to fix things with a hostile Supreme Court and an obstructive congress. To the people saying "both sides are the same because Biden has only managed to clean up a few of Trump's messes", how would you do it instead? Biden has decades of experience, and he's trying. Do you honestly believe someone else could do better?
- Because he's not charismatic.
  People like to point to his earlier career not aging well to current social / political norms, completely ignoring that adapting one's values as society evolves is a desirable trait.
  But really, it comes down to charisma. He's awkward and not particularly likeable, and people will bend over backwards to justify their dislike of him despite his accomplishments.
  Then there are the hardline progressives, who literally no one electable will ever please. I'm sure even Bernie would have had to make too many compromises ,or fail to deliver enough, to alienate these folks if he had taken the presidency.
  
  If Bernie got elected hard-line progressives would be throwing themselves off their roofs onto the grass outside their mothers houses for how little he's done and how all politicians are the same lol.
- Why do you think the left is becoming radicalized?
- Axelrod and a bunch of the 'conservative' left really, really dislike Kamala and fear her as a president.
- Because he's just there to maintain the status quo in a system that's been pushed to the brink and is no longer providing for the people participating in said system.
  Also he's so, so fucking old.
  We someone to bring about a ton of meaningful change, and fast. Biden isn't the one to do it.
  
  We someone to bring about a ton of meaningful change, and fast. Biden isn’t the one to do it.
  Our system is not designed to do this. So really no one is, unless we are going to throw the whole system out.
  He's not been perfect, of course, but he's been pretty good. And more importantly because he has a ton of experience and connections, he's been pretty effective. Again, all within the system we have.
  So unless we are going to throw the whole system out, it's hard to say you are going to get a more effective candidate than Biden.

I'd really like for the Democrats to stop trying to make Biden appear young. Yeah, I would like a younger president, yeah I like that Biden can ride a bike or go for a walk, but these don't make him look younger to me and I didn't vote for him because I thought he was younger and super fit.
I wish the Biden team would lean into the memes, I feel like that's when he's been most popular. Appropriating the Let's go Brandon memes, appropriating the "I did that stickers/meme," leaning into the Dark/Dank Brandon memes, and back when he was VP leaning into the Uncle Joe vibe.
Fucking embrace that the dude is old and make him America's great grandpa. Have him walk out onto a Mr. Rogers lookalike set in a red cardigan to talk about policy. Have him do a fireside address with a blanket and a coffee. Have him throw on the sunglasses and crack the goofy smile before going to get ice cream with a podcaster.
Hell, get the people who made this video to help on Biden's public image.
https://youtu.be/OIDEGN4Js40?si=mHhctXdgoCi1RMgR
- You're right. He's not young. But he's still a better President than I expected and he's far, far better than any alternative that Republicans will nominate. So can we let go of the age thing for now until we have an opportunity to pick better candidates? I sincerely doubt this election cycle will be it.
  
  Oh I totally agree. I guess the rest of my comment was about how they're trying to make it an age thing and it's the worst marketing for him.
  
  Exactly. When the other side is literal fascists I will, begrudgingly, vote for whoever the non-fascist is.
  
  "shut up or my guy might lose"
  No. It's a valid criticism. I don't think I should have to set my concerns aside so the chosen moderate can stall progress for the next 4 years.
  
  I'm pretty sure he selected Kamala specifically for the "well what if he dies" crowd.
- The Biden HQ x formerly known as twitter account does lean into the memes pretty good. Even made an account on truth social.

Oh yeah? Well I love Joe Biden, and I'm not ashamed to say it. Let's talk about the last two administrations:
Joe Biden tried to forgive my debt. Donald Trump tried to take away my health insurance. Joe Biden thinks we need more trains. Donald Trump thinks we need more walls. Joe Biden lowered my student loan bills. Donald Trump raised my taxes. Joe Biden released people who were convicted on marijuana charges. Donald Trump locked up children for coming to the US. Joe Biden wants to be president. Donald Trump wants to be Vladimir Putin. Joe Biden told me to join a union. Donald Trump told me to drink bleach.
Is the Biden administration perfect? Of course not, but the man has actually tried (and occasionally succeeded) to do things that would actually benefit me personally. https://www.whitehouse.gov/therecord/
The reality is that for most people on most days, what's happening in DC has only a very small impact on our lives. Our state and local governments are vastly more consequential. But this administration, despite being faced with an opposition party composed of literal fascists, is fighting tooth and nail to make life better for real people without losing the Republic in the process. Given the current state of SCOTUS and Congress, it's nothing short of a miracle Joe Biden has accomplished anything at all. He's not as far left as me, but he's as far left as we've got right now, and never mind the fact that the other guy wants to destroy our country so he can stay out of prison.
Joe Biden has conviction, he has compassion, and he has ability. I like the agenda, and I like the man.
- Joe Biden is defending democracy.
  Donald Trump wants a theocratic autocracy.
  It really is that simple.
  Everyone please vote in 2024 to prevent project 2025.
- Joe Biden doesn’t have the Progressive agenda I prefer, but he’s been the Moderate we need.
  Even when I disagree with his approach, I usually have the impression that he acknowledges reality and at least considers knowledgeable advice

Republicans' dilemma: We will vote for Biden over literally any Republican so it doesn't matter.
- Most Americans will vote Biden over Trump, but those same people would vote for any moderate Republican over Biden.
  Republicans are attached at the hip to Trump and thus is actually best for the Democrats if Trump stays out of prison for the next year and keeps running for office.
  
  It's just fine if he runs from prison as well.
- I never thought I’d be one of those people who votes party lines, but at least at the national level, there just doesn’t seem to be a Republican that’s not just despicable

- Do you think they will add "Dark Brandon" write-ins to Biden's tally?
  
  @rbhfd @eranmorad they better or im gonna be peeved lol

Biden is fine as president but I find it hard that a octogenarian can possibly understand the realities of my life and that's the problem, the largest voting block isn't old people anymore and democrats need to pivot for that. I'll still vote for the old bastard.
- I mean, even if he was 40 he wouldn't understand your life. He belongs to a more rarified political class than we plebs.
  
  It's closer then Trumps life, things need to change and politicians are not gonna change it because it means radical financial changes in politics which they all love so I don't really know. I would love to run for the house in my state but the minimum is 100000 just to get on the ballot. The lowest class will never be able to compete

- Weed for sure, prostitution I think you underestimate just how puritanical this country is.

I'm not a huge fan of Biden for multiple reasons, and I'd often show up in the "disapproval" stats for him as a person. I'd prefer to vote for Newsom or Fetterman. But I'll vote for Biden any day of the week over any Republican if he's the eventual Democratic nominee.

hold your nose and vote for the lesser evil of two ancient, conservative candidates.
yay america... just ooozing with democracy
- Vote for fascist; no more democracy until civil war or total collapse.
  Vote for not-fascist; no democracy/choice until the fascist party change their platform.
  It’s reductive but it’s also why a two party system is anti-democratic. You can’t vote properly if you dont have a choice.

I mean, the agenda is mostly common sense and not making things worse so... Just get someone else and keep trucking?

- That sounds very authoritarian.

This is the best summary I could come up with:
Biden's legislative victories include items popular with a large swath of American voters, such as allowing the federal government to negotiate Medicare drug prices, capping insulin costs, boosting infrastructure investment and tackling climate change.
Biden has sought to weave those items into a broad economic message - dubbed Bidenomics - of reinvesting in working-class America and lowering the costs of essentials like energy and healthcare.
Biden and top administration officials spent chunks of the summer crisscrossing the country on an "Investing In America" tour to highlight and explain those policies and seek to boost support for his presidency.
A campaign memo last week showed that Biden plans to ask voters to let him "finish the job" and focus on proven winning issues such as abortion rights, while also presenting Trump as out of touch with Americans.
"Our early research shows the president’s message of building on our progress to finish the job remains a winning one for mobilizing our base and persuading undecided voters,” campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said.
She said pundits and media often talk about bad polls but then rattled off a list of accomplishments - from capping insulin and prescription drug charges for seniors to investing in green energy jobs - that are widely popular.
The original article contains 951 words, the summary contains 209 words. Saved 78%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

I would support Biden more if he enacted policies outside of when "Democrats at risk of losing next election" is the dominant headline. He was a wet noodle until the midterms, then he was a wet noodle again until Trump started actively talking about the election. He's doing the right thing for the wrong reasons.

News brought to you by billionaire-owned and millionaire-operated media megacorp

This article is so misleading.
Reuters considers the "Biden agenda" to be things like fighting climate change, infrastructure spending, and healthcare reform.
If Biden actually fought for the "Biden agenda" then he would be much more popular.
- Already forgotten about the infrastructure bill? That also includes a lot of climate action.
  
  I agree the infrastructure bill is a step in the right direction, but its mostly just clearing the maintenance backlog. Our infrastructure will be upgraded from "crumbling" to "poor". Its easy to forget it, most Americans already have.
  Now instead of being 20 years behind China, our infrastructure will only be 15 years behind. As the richest country in the history of earth, we can do so much better than this.
  And as for climate, tinkering around the edges isn't meaningful. We are still going full speed ahead towards climate ccatastrophe. We need radical change to save our civilization, and this bill ain't it, jack.

Maybe Biden should push more for "Biden's agenda". It feels like Biden is pushing harder for COPPA (require people to be 18 and have a license to go on the internet, allow state attorney general to censor LGTBQ stuff online) then popular stuff like marajana legalization or Roe codification.
- Where on Earth are you getting that from? I read and watch the news extensively every day, to a fault, and that is not what he's been pushing.
  
  Comments sections, mostly. I'm guessing.
- Marijuana legalization or Roe codification are not going to happen with a Republican led house. It's an impossibility. That's not Biden's fault.
- I'm not surprised Biden isn't pushing marijuana reform. He's one of the biggest proponents of the horribly racist, classist, and murderous drug war. He's from a generation that thinks reefer madness is an accurate representation of pot, and his personal prejudice towards recreational drugs is widely known.
  He's always been the wrong candidate, but the Democrats can't seem to find anyone better. All we can hope is that Republicans stay home and he gains votes that way
  
  Biden stated during the 2020 election debates and town halls that he regretted supporting the drug war and some of the racist policies. I'm not clear on why people keep claiming he supports it, it's all on tape to see and has been for years that he said he was mistaken.
  
  Is he? He's said publicly that he supports it and his admin just pushed to reschedule it from schedule I to schedule iii. Which isn't perfect but would be a HUGE step forward.
  
  Its not that Democrats can't find anyone better. It's that they won't allow anyone better to advance through the ranks.
  Its that Biden is exactly who the DNC wants in office.
  Once upon a time, there was an argument that at least some Democrats tried to represent their constituents.
  Those days are long gone. Citizens United stands. Corporations are "the people" the federal government represents. Money is speech. If you don't have the money, they don't have ears for you. Both parties represent the corporations, not the people, and Biden has a wonderful history of supporting all of those corrupt things that make the corporate overlords happy.
- I suspect Biden is focusing on things he knows he can get done, rather than wasting time on things he knows will never get done. He's a very smart politician.
  Codifying Roe is super important, but it will never happen under the current House & Senate. Focusing on that might excite lot of people, but it won't do any good right now. When election time rolls around, then you start pointing out what could happen if enough people vote for Democratic candidates.