# Is it just me or is President Biden really good at the job? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 1, 2023, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859 "2023-06-01T06:12:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/221 "2024-02-21T23:34:16Z")
Understood. You will note it was not a quote box tied to the poster making those statements. There is no direct attribution. IMO, and I welcome your feedback, is that there is a gigantic rule-violating difference between e.g. > [@Aspenglow](#): > > This is a ~~hard~~ strict rule on SDMB. versus > [@Aspenglow](#): > > This is a hard rule on SDMB. I think you meant > This is a ~~hard~~ strict rule on SDMB. The former example is totally absolutely altering an attributed quote, albeit in a very obvious way, and is clearly absolutely prohibited. I have no disagreement whatsoever with that. And that is not what I do in general nor did what I did in the cited case upthread. The latter is more nuanced and is a construction I use regularly. Quote them verbatim _with_ attribution, then use an _un_attributed quote box to provide the altered version in a parallel formatting. I can certainly switch to using some other formatting convention to avoid this potential misunderstanding. But ISTM that’s a cure worse than the disease. Thank you for your (and all the mods’) largely successful efforts to keep this place civilized and I look forward to your feedback. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2024, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/222 "2024-02-21T23:46:41Z")
I see your point. Something was bugging me about it and that was it. Let’s call it Moderator Brain Fart and I will withdraw the mod note. Sorry about that! ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/223 "2024-02-22T22:02:47Z")
Biden is a competent President. Under difficult circumstances he has accomplished some things. The polls do not give him adequate credit: 55% of Americans disapprove of his performance. To be truly excellent, I would have preferred it if he had left the Democratic nomination to someone else. But at least he is sane, reasonable and has policies broader than personal rancor. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/224 "2024-02-22T22:37:42Z")
Sorry, looking back Nixon had some good points; supported creation of EPA, made peace with China (something no Dem would tried or succeeded) and actually proposed a form of Obama Care which was shot down by Ted Kennedy. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/225 "2024-02-22T22:52:43Z")
Nixon ended our war with China? Is that like how Trump ended our war with North Korea? ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/226 "2024-02-22T22:56:43Z")
Nixon made peace with China something no Democrat would be allowed to do by conservatives/Republicans. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2024, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/227 "2024-02-22T23:12:12Z")
That was the point at the time (1972). Nixon could go to China and talk with its leaders. Anybody farther right than him would indeed have been vilified just for the attempt. Making “peace with China” as fedman1 said is not a meaningful phrase. Nixon made the first steps in normalizing relations with China in the diplomatic sense. Full recognition of China didn’t occur until 1979. It became the one and only China. Until that time, the U.S. recognized Taiwan as the nation of China. In 1979 they were tossed under the bus. Realistically, that had to happen at some point and three presidents were involved, making it hard to lay the blame, but later history shows that Taiwan needed to have been recognized as a full and free country because, just as realistically, that’s what it is. Not doing so is leading to war. So Nixon did something apparently good that proved to have rotten edges as time went by. Yeah, that’s Nixon for you. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/228 "2024-02-23T02:26:03Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Biden is a competent President. Under difficult circumstances he has accomplished some things. The polls do not give him adequate credit: 55% of Americans disapprove of his performance. To be truly excellent, I would have preferred it if he had left the Democratic nomination to someone else. But at least he is sane, reasonable and has policies broader than personal rancor. If people feel they are worse off now then they will blame the president. You can cite a bunch of statistics but people will look at their grocery bill and blame Biden. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/229 "2024-02-23T02:36:00Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > If people feel they are worse off now then they will blame the president. You can cite a bunch of statistics but people will look at their grocery bill and blame Biden. Yup. The President gets too much of the credit for good economic conditions, and too much of the blame for bad conditions. And, even though the economy, **as a whole** , is doing pretty well, food is still substantially more expensive than it was a few years ago, as are rent rates and interest rates. Most people are going to form their opinion of the economy on their own personal situation, and for people with low-to-middle incomes, any wage increases they may have gotten over the past couple of years are probably being outstripped by a higher cost of living. From a recent WaPo article on food prices (gift link below): > [@](#): > > Grocery prices have jumped by 25 percent over the past four years, outpacing overall inflation of 19 percent during the same period. And while prices of appliances, smartphones and a smattering of other goods have declined, groceries got slightly more expensive last year, with particularly sharp jumps for beef, sugar and juice, among other items. > **[Inflation has fallen. Why are groceries still so expensive?](https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/02/02/grocery-price-inflation-biden/?pwapi_token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJyZWFzb24iOiJnaWZ0IiwibmJmIjoxNzA4NTc4MDAwLCJpc3MiOiJzdWJzY3JpcHRpb25zIiwiZXhwIjoxNzA5OTYwMzk5LCJpYXQiOjE3MDg1NzgwMDAsImp0aSI6Ijg0MzYwYTExLTUxNDktNGZlNi04MGI2LTJhNGFlMDA1MTEzNyIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lndhc2hpbmd0b25wb3N0LmNvbS9idXNpbmVzcy8yMDI0LzAyLzAyL2dyb2NlcnktcHJpY2UtaW5mbGF0aW9uLWJpZGVuLyJ9.mKx6oNFUuheUq9D51OEl0OAmlXpQ_cRd8gsj43RDSsQ&itid=gfta)** > > Price hikes have moderated throughout the U.S. economy but food prices have remained persistently high. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/230 "2024-02-23T02:47:09Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > If people feel they are worse off now then they will blame the president. You can cite a bunch of statistics but people will look at their grocery bill and blame Biden. People will look at what the news says their grocery bill is, and blame Biden, without actually looking at the bill itself. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/231 "2024-02-23T02:49:27Z")
See: The stories on Fox about: The outrageous price of ~~airport restaurant~~ hamburgers. The outrageous price of ~~hand-raised, heirloom,~~ turkeys. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/232 "2024-02-23T03:13:36Z")
Looking at recent food prices in Canada, it is easy to be skeptical about the posted inflation rates. To be sure, stuff goes on sale and if you are price sensitive, willing to wait and shop around, you can pay for most things about what you think they’re worth. But every day I see a price that makes my eyebrows dance. And Canada is more stable than many places, though there is little (only some small ethnic stores) between dollar stores and the slightly cheaper grocery chains owned by the few big grocers here. They are doing pretty well, so I think the causative factors provided in your link are incomplete. Do I blame the Prime Minister? Absolutely!! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/233 "2024-02-23T03:59:37Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > People will look at what the news says their grocery bill is, and blame Biden, without actually looking at the bill itself. Hubs, who went batshit crazy during the pandemic, is constantly complaining about inflation and how we are going to outlive our money. When I point out that we pulled about 4 grand a year out of our savings during the trump years but now are spending more on toys while only pulling less than a grand out of our savings for the last couple of years, he looks shocked. And then forgets it the next time he listens to Fucker. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/234 "2024-02-23T14:50:30Z")
That sounds exhausting. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/235 "2024-02-23T16:41:02Z")
> [@JaneDoe42](#): > > Hubs, who went batshit crazy during the pandemic, is constantly complaining about inflation and how we are going to outlive our money. When I point out that we pulled about 4 grand a year out of our savings during the trump years but now are spending more on toys while only pulling less than a grand out of our savings for the last couple of years, he looks shocked. And then forgets it the next time he listens to Fucker. My condolences. Seriously, I’d go out of my mind. ---
**Author:** ![JaneDoe42](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/janedoe42/32/14104_2.png) [@JaneDoe42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JaneDoe42)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/236 "2024-02-23T18:24:03Z")
Thanks. I smoke a whole lot of weed. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/237 "2024-02-24T03:39:58Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > > [@Loach](#): > > > > If people feel they are worse off now then they will blame the president. You can cite a bunch of statistics but people will look at their grocery bill and blame Biden. > > People will look at what the news says their grocery bill is, and blame Biden, without actually looking at the bill itself. I look at the bill. I don’t blame Biden. I don’t need anyone telling me how much I’m paying now. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/238 "2024-02-24T04:54:17Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > See: The stories on Fox about: > The outrageous price of ~~airport restaurant~~ hamburgers. > The outrageous price of ~~hand-raised, heirloom,~~ turkeys. And about Taco Bell, if you buy a week’s worth of meals all at once. @Loach , you might actually look at your bill, but there are a heck of a lot of clueless folks out there rexitting the $300 turkey and the $30 hamburger and so on. ---
**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:** [February 24, 2024, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/239 "2024-02-24T05:33:43Z")
But don’t they then see a turkey at their local store priced way less? And get a burger for $5.75? And then why don’t they go “hey! That meme was bullshit!”? I mean it’s not hard math to see that $5.75 is cheaper than $30.00 ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/240 "2024-02-24T08:10:40Z")
Marinate the mind sufficiently in MAGAnade, and information incompatible with established preconceptions doesn’t penetrate the outer layer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859.md?page=13)