# Can I be the only person stunned at just how badly President Joe Biden is doing? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 31, 2021, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851 "2021-08-31T19:33:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/475 "2021-12-18T17:44:06Z")
An editorial, not an article as @CHealy7 claimed, and one that says, “CNN’s media correspondent Oliver Darcy revealed that three Biden administration officials - National Economic Council Deputy Directors David Kamin and Bharat Ramamurti, and Ports Envoy John Porcari – have been ‘briefing major newsrooms over the past week’ in an effort to persuade them to be more positive about the President.” But it doesn’t link to the story from Oliver Darcy, nor was I able to find it. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/476 "2021-12-18T17:51:43Z")
Wow; that is indeed one doozy of any “article”. Here’s my favorite part; I think it is very revealing about Mr. Morgan: > [@Piers Morgan](#): > > What journalist worth a grain of salt wants their own Government to campaign for them to win awards for sucking-up? Right? What journalist would actually be trying to _help_ their country? What journalist would _actually_ love their country? ---
**Author:** ![Ziberian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/919ad9/32.png) [@Ziberian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ziberian)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/477 "2021-12-18T17:58:48Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > > [@Miller](#): > > > > He doesn’t need congress to do anything about student debt. > > Unilaterally cancelling $1.7 trillion in debt owned by the US government isn’t something done lightly, especially when you’re also trying to pass a social safety net bill that costs about that much and you’re dealing with an opposition party that pretends to care about the debt when they’re in the minority. Biden has already canceled loan debt for the disabled & victims of for-profit colleges. Canceling student debt across the board is likely to turn off as many voters as he gains. Those who sacrificed to pay off their loans, or complete college without loans, for example. Is cancellation of loan debt a widespread concern or limited to a relatively small group? Seems like it’s mostly younger people (20s), which raises the question of how many of the people clamoring to have their debt canceled voted for Biden (or at all) in 2020? In other words, does this group matter for Biden’s reelection? Raising minimum wage and lowering drug prices would impact nearly everyone. They are simple to explain, provide a massive boost to everyday people’s everyday lives and prove the Democrats _will_ make positive improvements (to people who are struggling to survive so don’t have time or energy to care about voting rights). ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/478 "2021-12-18T18:11:17Z")
HOLY SHIT Chealy7! I can’t believe that administration officials are briefing major newsrooms about good things that are happening! This is the worst thing since Pearl Harbor. Impeach Biden Now! There must be 5 -6 congressional hearings on this IMMEDIATELY! ---
**Author:** ![Ziberian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/919ad9/32.png) [@Ziberian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ziberian)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/479 "2021-12-18T18:12:38Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > > > What _would_ have been a good answer? > > It may well have been the best approach that he could manage at the time. > My point was that he sidestepped the actual question in the way that pretty much all poltiicians do and that he comes across as pretty dull and uninspiring. Well, Joe Biden is dull and uninspiring to listen to. For many of us, that’s a vast relief after the Trump years. But in less than a year, he’s reversed a bunch of Trump destruction, passed a major infrastructure bill, and continues working on more goodies. That’s pretty inspiring, as in, actions speak louder than words. In the early Trump days, Politico maintained a list of ‘behind the scenes’ actions Trump took that actually had a big impact. Things like removing a particular regulation, or judicial appointments. I’d love to see such a list for Biden’s actions – just from occasional mentions in the news, I believe it would show that he’s not moving slowly at all where it matters. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/480 "2021-12-18T18:33:38Z")
> [@Ziberian](#): > > Canceling student debt across the board is likely to turn off as many voters as he gains. Those who sacrificed to pay off their loans, or complete college without loans, for example. Cancelling student debt polls pretty well. [This Forbes article is a pretty good summary.](https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamminsky/2021/02/23/heres-everyone-who-wants-biden-to-cancel-student-loan-debt-its-popular/?sh=636dfc3741c0) There’s something like 40 million people with student debt, which is not a small number. One of the perennial struggles the Democrats face is convincing young people to get out and vote, so the whole, “Does this group matter,” angle is really bizarre - yes, this group matters, and this could potentially be a huge aid in getting this key demographic involved in politics. Raising the minimum wage wouldn’t impact “nearly everyone,” at least not directly. A $15 minimum wage would directly affect less than half of American workers, and of course, that number gets smaller the more you reduce the new minimum. I think the number of Americans who take prescription drugs is something like 1 in 4, so even fewer people would be affected by that policy. And, of course, that latter policy is going to mostly help older Americans. If “Who are these people likely to vote for?” is a concern in deciding whether or not to help people with student debt, it should equally be considered when deciding whether or not to help people with prescription drug prices, and that’s a lot of Trump voters in that group. FTR, “We should only help people who will vote for us,” is a terrible, immoral way to run government, and not one I support at all. I’m in favor of fixing prescription drug prices because it’s the right thing to do, not because it helps demographics that I agree with. Which segues nicely into my last point, which is, “I had to pay off my loans, why should they get a free ride?” is 100% the argument of a total asshole, and could be applied to nearly any policy proposal. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/481 "2021-12-18T18:49:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Does it matter? It is a Piers Morgan editorial from the Daily Mail Does it have anything to do with him being the single most pathetic pseudo-man in all Britain who is still pining for Megan Markle to the point of Sour Grapes and Flouncing off the air like a school boy whenever she is seen in a positive light? Oh, he doesn’t like President Biden either? ( Talk about an inadvertent positive endorsement ) ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/482 "2021-12-18T18:52:05Z")
Oh wait, CHealy7’s “bombshell” remark wasn’t meant to be taken sarcastically? I really need to get my meter fixed. I notice that the first half of this op-ed is spent saying how evil dictators control the media through threats and intimidation and how shocking it is that Biden is doing exactly the same thing, but doesn’t get to actually mentioning what Biden did until people like CHeal7 have quit reading and posted it to all their Facebook friends. > Journalists in the United States are allowed to be as critical of Governments as they wish without fear of being killed for what they say or write. > > Nor should they ever have to worry about being lent on by Government officials to censor their criticisms. > > Yet that’s exactly what’s been happening in the past week. > > In a shocking report, CNN’s media correspondent Oliver Darcy revealed that three Biden administration officials - National Economic Council Deputy Directors David Kamin and Bharat Ramamurti, and Ports Envoy John Porcari – have been ‘briefing major newsrooms over the past week’ in an effort to persuade them to be more positive about the President. Yes, sending out press briefings is exactly the same as sentencing journalists of labor camps, sending out hit squads. Nothing like this [level of intimidation](https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/senior-white-house-official-mentions-dossier-reporter/) -[has ever happened](https://www.politico.com/story/2016/06/david-french-trump-intimidation-223982) -[before in the US](https://jonathanturley.org/2017/06/30/did-the-white-house-staff-try-to-coerce-the-morning-joe-hosts-with-a-national-enquirer-threat/). ---
**Author:** ![Latimera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/latimera/32/497_2.png) [@Latimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Latimera)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/483 "2021-12-18T18:54:06Z")
I suspect your sarcasm is totally wasted on Chealy7. He isn’t smart enough to understand or appreciate it. and he probably won’t read it anyhow. Besides, given his posting history, his reading comprehension is suspect to say the least… ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/484 "2021-12-18T19:02:37Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Cancelling student debt polls pretty well. [This Forbes article is a pretty good summary.](https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamminsky/2021/02/23/heres-everyone-who-wants-biden-to-cancel-student-loan-debt-its-popular/?sh=636dfc3741c0) There’s something like 40 million people with student debt, which is not a small number. One of the perennial struggles the Democrats face is convincing young people to get out and vote, so the whole, “Does this group matter,” angle is really bizarre - yes, this group matters, and this could potentially be a huge aid in getting this key demographic involved in politics. > > Raising the minimum wage wouldn’t impact “nearly everyone,” at least not directly. A $15 minimum wage would directly affect less than half of American workers, and of course, that number gets smaller the more you reduce the new minimum. I think the number of Americans who take prescription drugs is something like 1 in 4, so even fewer people would be affected by that policy. There are currently around 32 million US workers making less than $15/hourly; a figure which is not all that far off from 40 million. A quarter of the US population would be about 82 million; roughly twice the 40 million, and certainly not “even fewer” than 32 million. [This site](https://hpi.georgetown.edu/rxdrugs/) says the figure’s actually 131 million. I think some other parts of your argument make sense; but an argument that 40 million people matter more than 131 million and a great deal more than 32 million doesn’t seem to me to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/485 "2021-12-18T19:05:59Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > I think some other parts of your argument make sense; but an argument that 40 million people matter more than 131 million and a great deal more than 32 million doesn’t seem to me to do so. Probably good that I didn’t make that argument, then. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/486 "2021-12-18T19:17:03Z")
Apparently some conservative posters stun so easily perhaps they should be using fainting goats as their avatars. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/487 "2021-12-18T19:19:23Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Which segues nicely into my last point, which is, “I had to pay off my loans, why should they get a free ride?” is 100% the argument of a total asshole, and could be applied to nearly any policy proposal. Help me with my arguments here: _why_ is it a dick move for someone who has repaid their loans to feel that way? Why shouldn’t they feel betrayed by the system? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/488 "2021-12-18T19:23:12Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Help me with my arguments here: _why_ is it a dick move for someone who has repaid their loans to feel this way? Why shouldn’t they feel betrayed by the system? Because “Nobody helped me out, therefore, nobody else should be helped,” is a fundamentally shitty attitude. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/489 "2021-12-18T19:33:13Z")
I agree, but that doesn’t even begin to cover the situation and will certainly not be enough to placate or sway anyone, IMO. Thanks, tho. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/490 "2021-12-18T19:40:11Z")
You’re welcome! If you have any more questions about why something makes you an asshole, feel free to ask. I know it’s a subject you struggle with. ---
**Author:** ![Ziberian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/919ad9/32.png) [@Ziberian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ziberian)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/491 "2021-12-18T19:49:32Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > FTR, “We should only help people who will vote for us,” is a terrible, immoral way to run government, and not one I support at all. I’m in favor of fixing prescription drug prices because it’s the right thing to do, not because it helps demographics that I agree with. Which segues nicely into my last point, which is, “I had to pay off my loans, why should they get a free ride?” is 100% the argument of a total asshole, and could be applied to nearly any policy proposal. I don’t see how paying your bills and expecting others to do the same is being an asshole. Canceling college debt without reimbursing all those who attended college and paid for it (during the same period covered by loan cancellation) is supporting deadbeats & screwing responsible citizens. If it’s just a numbers game, canceling mortgages or car loans would impact more people. Raising wages wouldn’t just help those who vote Democrat, it helps every low wage earner. And as a side benefit, would give those with loans the means to pay them off. Liveable wages, healthcare, and drug prices aren’t just about getting votes, they would help make the US a 1st world country. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/492 "2021-12-18T19:50:45Z")
Expecting people to show responsibility towards their legal obligations is not an assholish position. It’s a rational and adult position. What next? Society needs to feel obligated to pay off irresponsible people’s rent, mortgages, car loans, etc? Hell, I won’t be surprised to see a push to tax savings, retirement accounts, and pensions in order to redistribute wealth to those who chose not to save. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/493 "2021-12-18T19:51:12Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > You’re welcome! If you have any more questions about why something makes you an asshole, feel free to ask. I know it’s a subject you struggle with. Aye, I’m prolly not as well-versed as you are at assessing personal assholishness, no, but only because I’ve had far less need to practice that skillset. Thanks again for the opportunity to learn from a master. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2021, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851/494 "2021-12-18T19:53:05Z")
Raising wages by fiat is no good either. If folks don’t have enough money after working and finding ways to cut expenses due to a global economy we’d be better off exploring UBI in conjunction with means tested assistance. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-i-be-the-only-person-stunned-at-just-how-badly-president-joe-biden-is-doing/949851.md?page=25)