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Actually significantly below average even by the low bar of the Dem leadership. He was the most conservative democrat candidate in a field that included Amy Klobuchar and two billionaires, one of whom is a former republican.
He's barely to the left of Joe Manchin and neoliberals pretend that he's the most progressive president ever 🤦
And yes, of course he's still a much better choice than the Mango Mussolini, but talk about a low fucking bar!
He is undeniably awful on some issues, however if you look at everything that's happened under him, I think you'll be surprised how much, lets say his people, have started to pull the US out of a 40 year old Reagan shaped hole.
Sure, he's made some good cabinet appointments, but I guarantee that, for example, the excellent Lauren McFerran who's been doing a great job at NLRB wasn't his idea.
Party loyalists like the twitter troll Neera Tanden, unprincipled opportunists like Pete Buttigieg and conservatives like Merrick Garland are much more Biden's speed.
Can you list out some of the legislation he's helped pass and some of his executive orders?
Edit: Instead of everyone continuing with the "here's one thing I didn't like" game, here's a non-exhaustive list for you:
- Rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement
- Rejoining the World Health Organization
- Revoking permits for the Keystone XL pipeline
- Ending support for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen
- Withdrawing from Afghanistan
- Juneteenth National Independence Day Act
- American Rescue Plan
- Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
- CHIPS and Science Act
- Inflation Reduction Act
- Honoring our PACT Act
- Eliminating the Schedule F class of federal workers Trump created that stripped federal workers of job protections
- Restoring collective bargaining rights to federal workers
Well there's the time he lobbied Congress to take away the rights of striking railway workers.
And then there's the fact that he circumvented normal procedures to expedite weapons sales to Israel twice in December alone.
That's just two of many examples of him being on the side of the rich and powerful and against regular people every time there's conflict between the two groups.
How dare he… checks notes… prevent a national financial crisis but still worked to get the unions everything they wanted, and stand by our international allies in a crisis even when Congress won't.
I guess you'd prefer a reality where he takes the fall for the consequences of the strike, Republicans win, and Israel is thrown under the bus, providing an example to our other allies that we will do the same to them as soon as it's politically convenient. Brilliant politics.
prevent a national financial crisis
He did no such thing. That was just his bullshit excuse. The crisis from the next major derailment, one that could happen anywhere, including in major metropolitan areas, will likely be much worse than anything caused by upholding the rights of striking workers.
stand by our international allies in a crisis
Yeah, when those allies are operating an apartheid regime committing genocide, it's not a good thing to pretend that automatically taking their side is the principled thing to do. The crisis is of their own making and US support in the form of weapons and funding is making it worse, not better.
Republicans win, and Israel is thrown under the bus
Bullshit. Republicans are MORE staunchly in favor of the Israeli government, being fellow fascists.
we will do the same to them as soon as it's politically convenient
Yeah, because not enabling genocide by an apartheid regime is all about convenience! Gtfo with that bullshit!
- You seem to be under the impression that the strike was about safety, it was not. It was about sick days.
- Israel is neither genocidal nor an apartheid state, this is total hyperbole, and I'm very glad the Biden administration does not share your warped redefinitions of these terms. Biden is now putting sanctions on those who go too far in Israel, which I appreciate. I hope he goes after their right wing politicians next.
- The comment I was responding to wanted Biden to throw Israel under the bus, not the Republicans that would replace him due to the financial consequences of a national rail strike.
You seem to be under the impression that the strike was about safety, it was not. It was about sick days.
It was about both. You can repeat your narrative as many times as you want, doesn't change the fact that you're lying.
Israel is neither genocidal nor an apartheid state,
False. It's by definition a case of both.
this is total hyperbole
Wrong again.
your warped redefinitions of these terms
Those aren't my definitions. They are those of the Genocide Convention and South African Apartheid survivors.
Biden is now putting sanctions on those who go too far in Israel
Nope. He's frozen assets of a handful of civilian murderers from the West Bank, but is still supporting the Israeli government genocide with weapons, funding and lying about the extent of their atrocities.
The comment I was responding to wanted Biden to throw Israel under the bus
Israel IS the bus and he's throwing his own re-election prospects under it. He's already alienated significant portions of crucial battleground states like Michigan and he's hemorrhaging support from every voter who doesn't consider massacring civilians the cost of doing business.
the Republicans that would replace him due to the financial consequences of a national rail strike.
Again, a purely fictional hypothetical invented to excuse the ongoing gross violations of labor rights by some of his favorite owner donors.
I swear you Biden stans are just as blind to the many faults of your Dear Leader as the Trump cult sometimes 🤦
Israel has not been found guilty of violating either statute, keep repeating it like a mantra but it doesn't make it any more true. 21% of Israel's population is Arab/Palestinian and they have full legal citizenship rights. Pretty odd for an, "apartheid state." Israel is not attempting to destroy Palestinians in whole or in part, they are responding to an attack by a belligerent nation and going to great lengths to select legal targets in response even if they have significant collateral damage. It's clear this is about self-defense and not racial based punishment, despite your uncharitable portrayal.
I swear you Biden stans are just as blind to the many faults of your Dear Leader as the Trump cult sometimes 🤦
Biden is the best president we've had in a long time and I'm tired of Hamas stans criticizing him for supporting our allies against unprovoked terrorist attacks. Supporting our allies in a time of crisis is the right thing to do.
Israel has not been found guilty of violating either statute
Because until now the US has vetoed every attempt at holding them accountable and the current ICJ case is still ongoing. The lack of a conviction doesn't invalidate painfully obvious reality.
eep repeating it like a mantra but it doesn't make it any more true
Could say the exact same thing about your denials. Difference would be that I'd be basing it on objective reality rather than lies from pro-Israel outlets such as NYT and Times of Israel.
21% of Israel's population is Arab/Palestinian
Completely irrelevant.
and they have full legal citizenship rights.
No they fucking don't! Even Times of Israel admits they don't!
Israel is not attempting to destroy Palestinians in whole or in part,
Yeah, they are. They're specifically saying so themselves.
they are responding to an attack by a belligerent nation
No, they are responding to a terrorist attack in a wildly disproportionate manner.
going to great lengths to select legal targets in response
Nope. They're notorious for lying about the legitimacy of targets. There's no fully functional hospitals left in Gaza because that's what the Israeli government wanted, not because there were Hamas "fighters" hidden in or under every single one like the IDF keeps claiming.
even if they have significant collateral damage.
You mean CAUSE, right? Because by their own official estimate, they kill twice as many civilians as Hamas and since they refuse to share the data, it's probably much worse than even that.
It's clear this is about self-defense
Are you fucking drunk? On other mind-altering substances? Because you can't be this gullible sober and still function.
Unless of course you're deliberately lying, which is very likely.
Biden is the best president we've had in a long time
Second-best since Carter, but that's still an awfully low bar since they've all been really baf in each their own way and also the shared way of being beholden to billionaires and their corporations.
Hamas stans
Let me be absolutely clear: I abhor all terrorism by all terrorists, including Hamas. You don't have to be on their side to abhor genocide.
criticizing him for supporting our allies
Genocidal apartheid state regimes do not make for worthy allies.
against unprovoked terrorist attacks.
I'm not saying that the attacks were in any way justified or excusable, but to call them unprovoked is the height of ideological blindness! Are you SURE you're not drunk or high right now?
Supporting our allies in a time of crisis is the right thing to do.
Not when said crisis is of the making of said allies and their crimes against humanity.
Yeah, the Hamas stans are basically indistinguishable from the MAGAs now. They just scream some made up shit they saw from their social media feeds over and over. They even subscribe to many of the same conspiracy theories as the MAGAs about the media being manipulated by the Jews. Though the MAGAs still tend to use code wards like "Globalists" but it's ultimately the same delusional conspiracy theories.
It's really sad how people who are well aware of the manipulations the Trump MAGA movement have used to get people to go down weird rabbit holes they can't escape from, but then jumped down a rabbit hole right next to it that led to basically the same place. "Joe Biden is evil, the media is controlled by the Jews and is lying to everyone, only my social media feed tells me the truth." It's bizarre how people can't step back for a moment and consider what they're doing.
this is some pretty ham-fisted pigeonholing
I mean Hamas is a blood and soil (from the river to the sea!) movement, that's anti-democracy, constantly goes on about victimization, constantly talks about restoring past greatness that was taken away by another ethnic group. They have demonstrated a willingness to use violence to maintain power.
They tick all the same boxes as the MAGAs. Might be because they're both fascist movements.
I'm always involved in conversations with the "Free Palestine" crowd and the conversations go exactly the same way as with MAGAs. debating whether or not the news can be trusted, trying to pierce through the paranoid conspiracy theories, "both sides" logic, and dog whistles to get to the truth. Ultimately conversations with MAGAs devolve into the MAGA making overt homophobic/transphobic/racist statements. With the Hamas supporters it devolves into overt antisemitism.
Hell, yesterday there was someone willing to look the other way on gay people being crucified in Yemen because it was distracting from hating Israel. This person said they were part of the LBGTQ+ community.
Some real batshit crazy shit coming from both the MAGAs and Hamas fans.
These groups use the same logic (if you can call it that), they just have different groups that they target their hatred towards. It's all about maintaining the righteous anger and rejecting anything that doesn't fit the narrative.
Sick days (and other PTO) is a safety issue. Forcing employees to come in while sick or working them to the bone with no breaks makes for an unsafe working environment. When workers are tired or sick, they're more prone to mistakes.
undermining the autonomy of workers to choose to strike is bad.
What are you, some kinda big mouth Co- . . . oh . . . . sorry. Carry on.
You said he got the unions "everything they wanted". They wanted 15 sick days so I'll wait for you to post a source saying every rail worker in all 12 unions now has 15 sick days. Or you can admit saying he got them "everything they wanted" is a lie.
Those striking railway workers eventually got their demands for sick leave met in their contracts with continued support from the Biden Administration AND our national economy didn't grind to a halt
"We’re thankful that the Biden administration played the long game on sick days and stuck with us for months after Congress imposed our updated national agreement,” Russo said. “Without making a big show of it, Joe Biden and members of his administration in the Transportation and Labor departments have been working continuously to get guaranteed paid sick days for all railroad workers.
Source: https://www.ibew.org/media-center/Articles/23Daily/2306/230620_IBEWandPaid
They got a fraction of what they were asking for and they weren't even asking for much. Their working conditions are still so awful that it's only a question of time before the next major derailment disaster like the one in Ohio happens.
Next time, it might happen in a major metropolitan area, in which case many will die and the economy will suffer a lot worse than not trampling on their rights would have.
And even the tiny concessions they DID get in spite of Biden convincing congress to make them fight oligarchic railway companies without their best weapon, strike actions, was due to NLRB efforts with no help from Corporate Joe.
The strike threat was about paid sick leave, it wasn't about railroad safety. Safety is an important issue too, but every single source from the time, even directly from the unions, explicitly discussed only paid sick leave. In that sense they got their demand met completely
It was about sick leave and improving the working conditions that are so awful that they're literally making workers sick and trains less safe.
every single source from the time, even directly from the unions, explicitly discussed only paid sick leave
That's simply not true. That's the MSM and party narrative, but it isn't the truth. Outlets less intertwined with the political establishment such as The Intercept and The Nation could have informed you better, had you bothered to look beyond the bubble.
in that sense they got their demand met completely
You mean in that entirely fictional sense? To quote the Nation piece:
this was never just a conflict over the number of paid sick days. About 115,000 workers represented by 13 separate craft unions, who keep 40 percent of the nation’s freight moving, got screwed. The coalition of interests that did the screwing includes: the executive boards of the seven class-1 carriers, most of Congress, and the president.
Without making a big show of it
That's how Biden works! The corporate media is against Biden and it shows to those who can see. It's tough getting the real news and that's a massive problem for this country.
Yeah, I'm not really sure that's the point. The fact that the only changes that are allowed to get through are what the president allows is disheartening. The fact is, these workers should have been able to strike on their own terms without being shut down. What happens with a more hostile leader? What Biden did was defang the Union in that instance. Threw them a bone afterward, sure, but he defanged them.
Those child detention centers at the border: still open on his term.
He's still against universal healthcare. I am tired of folks beating people for wanting candidates that are more electable than Biden running instead of him. Universal healthcare polls well on the right and left.
That one issue tells you everything you need to know about him, he sides with corporate lobbyists before material needs of the people.
Remember how much political capital Obama had to spend just to get the ACA passed, and even then just barely? I would love universal healthcare but this probably isn't the best time to push for it, at least not until fascism is defeated and Democrats have the numbers. The president isn't a genie who can just make things like this happen unilaterally. The public may support it but Republicans do not.
democrats are fascists, so voting for them won't stop it.
This is a bleak perspective and I refuse to believe that it isn't a good time. When will it ever. That view will never produce change.
Pushing for legislation that is a non-starter when we are barely able to pass a budget to keep the government running isn't a great strategy. Political capital needs to be spent where it is most effective, even if that means putting good legislation that isn't viable on the back burner from time to time.
I hope we get universal healthcare sooner rather than later, but our problems are a little more existential right now. They might elect the guy who wants to end democracy. Sometimes we must compromise and do what is viable rather than what is desired. The good should not be sacrificed in pursuit of the perfect.
People not getting healthcare right now, is just as existential. Why are we not deserving of passing that? The time to fight for things like that is now. I'm not saying we shouldn't vote against Trump, we are all saying it is best to have a healthy conversation about who would be a better candidate overall.
It has nothing to do with deserving, it has to do with viability.
You shrink the world of possible with your imperfect logic on probable.
What polls are you looking at that have universal health care polling well on both sides?
Isn't hard to find, because it never is in contention. Republicans in power, Democrats in power, want the status quo because of the lobby of pharma, healthcare insurance, and corporate control over our bodies. Those in the public on the right and left support government paid healthcare. https://news.gallup.com/poll/468401/majority-say-gov-ensure-healthcare.aspx
72% of Democrats, 13% of Republicans support government-run system
Currently, 88% of Democrats and 59% of independents but just 28% of Republicans think the government is responsible.
Your source seems to disagree.
Oh OK, just a vast majority of Americans and a growing subset of republicans. So why aren't the democrats choosing a candidate that supports this again?
I was just wondering about your statement that majorities on both sides support it. Not really debating that it's a good idea.
Anyone that asks the question.
Every poll I can find has the large majority of Republicans opposing single payer health care. Some are in favor of "universal health care" but that being a mix of public and private similar to what the afordable* care act with the individual mandate did.
Op said universal healthcare
And said the majority of people on the right support it. I can only find polls where like a 1/3 do.
Then you aren't looking.
I love that railroad Striker story because it just makes identifying people online so easy. Because whenever people online complain about it it's either one or two things, it's either they're completely ignorant of this actual scenario and what actually happened or they're just being intellectually dishonest on purpose.
false dichotomy: i support the freedom to strike and anyone who challenges it is a class enemy
Right so the second one then, good to know. It's always one or the other.
calling my dishonest doesn't change that biden is a class enemy
I love that railroad Striker story because it just makes identifying people online so easy.
You love a story about blocking workers from striking? Cool bruh.
No, it just shows clearly who is actively informed on what happened and who is parroting nonsense information -either intentionally or not
I've seen it used by both sides for good and bad framing, depending on the level of detail they go into lol.
Sounds like you read the newspapers but that's not where the real news is at. Corporations own the news. Dig deeper, a lot deeper. Biden isn't as bad as the MSM wants you to believe.
You're seriously saying that the MSM, most of which enjoys a symbiotic relationship with the DNC are portraying Biden as WORSE than he really is??
It's because I consume media from OUTSIDE of the MSM bubble that I know he's not anywhere near as great as the likes of Politico and NYT keep pretending.
So you're going with the whole "liberal media" trope, eh? Figures.
Some tropes are based in truth and the one about the MSM consisting of billionaire-owned outlets that unquestioningly support either neoliberalism (Politico, MSDNC, NYT etc) or fascism (Faux News, Breitbart, WSJ editorials etc) is one of them.
MSM slobs his knob, what are you on about?
Rejoining the Paris Climate Agreement
Which is a non-binding agreement that the US is STILL not abiding by, so bfd.
Rejoining the World Health Organization
While continuing to downplay Covid-19, lifting the emergency status and forcing everyone back to work long before it was safe. Likely at the behest of donors.
Revoking permits for the Keystone XL pipeline
Which was a good thing more than made up for by mandating that any new renewable energy projects would be contingent on first increasing the amount of federal land leased for fossil fuel extraction many times over.
Ending support for Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen
Nope. The US is still very much supporting that genocide as well as the one in Gaza.
Withdrawing from Afghanistan
Which was a good idea horribly executed. Worst bungled end to a US war since Vietnam.
Juneteenth National Independence Day Act
Purely symbolic
American Rescue Plan
Insufficient but ok, I'm gonna be charitable and give him that one.
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Mostly a giant giveaway to corporations, it privatized a lot more infrastructure than it paid to fix.
CHIPS and Science Act
Another corporate giveaway.
Inflation Reduction Act
Failed to live up to its name
Honoring our PACT Act
Ok, this was a good on.
Eliminating the Schedule F class of federal workers Trump created that stripped federal workers of job protections
While taking rights away from other workers.
Restoring collective bargaining rights to federal workers
Unless they bother some of his favorite donors like the railway workers did
How do you propose Biden stop shale drillers on private property in Texas and New Mexico? Well he signed a massive investment in green energy and infrastructure that can help renewable technologies compete more effectively with fossil fuels. Should more immediate and drastic action happen? I believe so, but Biden can't do that without a Congress that agrees. Elect more Democrats to Congress
Weird how when there's a Conservative in charge they have unlimited power to ruin the country, but the dems hands are so tied, he couldn't possibly have done anything to stop the big bad oil companies.
Weird how it's easier to break something than to build something
Could he not break the fossil fuel industry then?
He really can't. Breaking the fossil fuel industry would require building a regulatory framework to do so, which would require congressional action. On the other hand, directing federal agencies to stop enforcing existing regulations and making internal decisions to undermine federal oversight of industry (aka breaking the regulatory framework) is much easier.
Also, when gas prices go up people get angry
So instead of fighting against the system that's actively destroying the environment, you decide to advocate for business as usual.
When the lesser of two evils is still an apocalypse, it's time to change the system.
Breaking the fossil fuel industry would require building a regulatory framework to do so,
no, he can charge them with espionage, seize their assets, and make them fight it in a fisa court where they can't see the evidence.
thank you
he has the EPA.
The EPA was stripped of its power to regulate carbon emissions in 2022. Congress would need to pass another Clean Air Act for them to do anything. Even then with the Chevron precedent about to be overturned in the coming weeks, the EPA will have the authority to do...not a god damned thing.
https://www.npr.org/2022/06/30/1103595898/supreme-court-epa-climate-change
the same supreme Court which just got undermined in Hawaii?
make em do it again.
How? Hawaii has a state constitution backing their decision. What can the EPA do? Say they Regulate climate emissions and ban oil extraction tomorrow. What happens? Texas and the other red oil producing states just fall in line? They say "gosh, I guess they can tell us what to do even though my boys on the cout said they can't, oh well, we lose"
Of course not. Blue states tend to not need to be told what to do and are often the ones making the standards that are later imposed by the EPA nationally (see CARB standards still regulating MPG for example). So the EPA will be telling red states what to do, with no authority to do so and you seriously think they will just...do it? In what universe do you live, because I'd sure like to be there.
>So the EPA will be telling red states what to do, with no authority to do so and you seriously think they will just…do it?
not red states. people. they will have to shell out for lawyers, and get a court date, and until then, they won't be polluting.
but lets say that biden can't find anyone at the epa willing to defy the impotent court: he could just use his national security powers.
but he won't because he doesn't actually care to fix things.
Which has the power to do what in this case?
You would think, based on the name, protect the environment.
If you're judging agencies by their names rather than the powers given to them through enacted legislation, I guess I don't know what to tell you
So instead of focusing on giving the EPA more power to do their job, what has he been doing for the past 4 years?
Executive Order creating the Office of Environmental Justice, among other things
Setting new greenhouse gas limits for coal and gas power plants
These are just the first two things I found in a search, you're welcome to continue learning about what his administration has actually done on this
So, not enough. Thanks.
Yeah he should really pull back on that giant "produce oil" lever he's got on the Resolute desk with the presidential seal on the handle.
Or, you know, treat the climate apocalypse seriously.
Basically undoing everything Trump did. It's not impressive enough. He needs to do newer and better things.
Holy shit do you ever annoy yourself with this shit?
He's barely to the left of Joe Manchin
You know Biden & Manchin were in the same Senate together, right? So it's in fact quite easy to look up & see that this is completely false.
He was the most conservative Democrat candidate
That's not what voters thought during the primaries. This Business Insider ranking has him middle of the pack. And this Pew poll shows him having more liberal support than Bloomberg.
If you can show me a ranking of the candidates ideologies that shows Biden as the most conservative (actual data that supports your opinion, not just feelz), go ahead. I'll wait.
I don’t thing “above average” was a reference to how liberal he is.