# 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:** 7
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/121 "2023-06-02T18:38:40Z")
The thing is - the UK’s royal family once really did handle the actual state functions as well. To the extent it’s ceremonial now, there’s a contingent of people wondering if they need the monarchy part of the whole business at all. And technically Charles is also King of Canada and King of Australia. Yet, he hardly serves any ceremonial purposes for them. It’s not a matter of American exceptionalism. Other countries that have adopted a parliamentary system that did not start with a strong monarchy did not retain their monarchies or institute ceremonial equivalents. It would actually be a case of American exceptionalism to create such a position since nobody else has done so. Those positions predated the democracy portion of their current governments by centuries. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/122 "2023-06-02T18:46:04Z")
Deleted as it was about Nixon rather than Biden. > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > > > Yes. Biden is worse than GWB. And that says a lot, because I really don’t have much good to say about GWB. > > I pretty much agree with your assessment of Biden. So I’m having a hard time seeing where you feel he’s worse than George W. Bush. > > Unless you’re a Trumpist, you’d have a hard time pointing to many bad things Biden has done (and a hard time pointing to many good things he’s done). That was not the case with Bush; he did plenty of horrible things. And these were things he chose to do not things that things he was pushed into. I found myself agreeing with ECP as well in terms of what he said, just coming to a different conclusion as well. I think Biden has done a masterful job at steadying the boat. It’s just that I think the current moment in history calls for a POTUS to rock the boat in a good way, like FDR or LBJ, rather than a don’t rock the boat POTUS like Clinton or Obama. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2023, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/123 "2023-06-02T18:46:26Z")
Moderating: Many of you are getting very far afield of the topic. Let’s please stick with discussing Joe Biden’s job performance. Anything else is a hijack and belongs elsewhere. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/124 "2023-06-02T21:33:16Z")
I’m not sure what it is we’re being asked to avoid. Are you saying comparisons of Biden with other Presidents are off topic? It seems difficult to judge whether or not Biden is doing a good job without trying to establish what level of performance qualifies as good. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2023, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/125 "2023-06-02T21:39:02Z")
No, I meant things that are really off topic, such as discussion of having a royal family, a prime minister or other figureheads in lieu of or in addition to a president. None of this is germane to the topic at hand. No problem discussing Biden’s performance as it stacks up to other presidents. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2023, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/126 "2023-06-02T22:47:04Z")
Okay, I was concerned you had issues with the posts on Nixon. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2023, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/127 "2023-06-02T22:59:01Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I was concerned you had issues with the posts on Nixon. > [@Aspenglow](#): > > No problem discussing Biden’s performance as it stacks up to other presidents. I would be mindful to keep the discussion within this scope, and you’ll be fine. Sorry I wasn’t more clear earlier. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/128 "2023-06-03T00:25:08Z")
I think Biden has been good at domestic policy. I’m afraid he has not been so good at foreign policy because of failing to sufficiently prepare.for the possibility – I’d say likelihood – that the next President will be some kind of isolationist. 2/3 of South Koreans say they want nuclear weapons. Estimates are that their highly responsible government could build several in 1 - 3 years if it wasn’t for U.S. opposition. We see what happened to Ukraine due to not having them. Trump has no credibility in terms of shielding Seoul from Pyongyang, and Biden is doing nothing to prepare for this. That’s what history is liable to judge him on. There are several ways humanity could luck out here, in which case historians won’t care about my concerns. But if Biden winds up being seen, decades from now, as a mediocre president, it will be because he didn’t properly prep for Trump term 2. EDIT: This documents the South Korean public’s view: [Recent public polls suggest that more than 70% of South Koreans would support developing their own nuclear weapons or the return of nuclear weapons to their country.](https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/seventy-one-percent-south-koreans-now-support-return-nuclear-weapons-their-country-even) ---
**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:** [June 3, 2023, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/129 "2023-06-03T00:48:35Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > I’m afraid he has not been so good at foreign policy because of failing to sufficiently prepare.for the possibility – I’d say likelihood – that the next President will be some kind of… How’s he responsible for that?? ---
**Author:** ![Eric1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3bc359/32.png) [@Eric1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eric1)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/130 "2023-06-03T00:49:17Z")
I could see how a balance of nuclear arms in Korea makes reasonable sense since it’s going to be a long time before N. Korea changes their weapon priority or declares peace with S. Korea. But I’m a hearts-and-flowers guy-it’s enough to make you sick. ---
**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:** [June 3, 2023, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/131 "2023-06-03T00:52:48Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > There are several ways humanity could luck out here, in which case historians won’t care about my concerns. But if Biden winds up being seen, decades from now, as a mediocre president, it will be because he didn’t properly prep for Trump term 2. So you’re suggesting the Biden should do a lot of things now that are not in the USA’s best interest now, just in case some future president might do other stuff that’s even less in the USA’s best interests then? Got it. That’s some real Elon Musk 23D chess you’ve got going on. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/132 "2023-06-03T01:24:01Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > So you’re suggesting the Biden should do a lot of things now that are not in the USA’s best interest now, just in case some future president might do other stuff that’s even less in the USA’s best interests then? I didn’t say “a lot of things”. And I don’t see how South Korea having a credible deterrent is not in the U.S. national interest. I think that one item is the biggie where Biden could make a difference in terms of making Trump 2 less risky. It might even help with Taiwan by giving Xi a bit more to worry about when it comes to deciding yes or no on military adventurism. If you are an old-school progressive saying that nuclear non-proliferation is always a good idea, I would look more at specifics than generalities. I don’t think it’s outrageous to suggest we would be in a safer place if Ukraine had kept a small nuclear arsenal when separating from the USSR. > [@](#): > > Got it. That’s some real Elon Musk 23D chess you’ve got going on. I can barely guess what you are getting at here, and my guess would probably be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/133 "2023-06-03T01:47:23Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > I can barely guess what you are getting at here, and my guess would probably be wrong. It does seem like your argument is that a Democratic president is to blame for mistakes a future Republican president will make. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/134 "2023-06-03T02:14:14Z")
I don’t think adding people to the nuclear club is a good idea. South Korea may be a stable ally now, but can you guarantee that for all time? I think Biden’s foreign policy is so-so. He’s not doing enough to rectify the gaps Trump left, and, like most American politicians, he’s more concerned with the domestic, since most Americans don’t seem to care what happens beyond the borders. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/135 "2023-06-03T02:20:27Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > It does seem like your argument is that a Democratic president is to blame for mistakes a future Republican president will make. Obviously, Biden is going to be ranked higher than Trump by virtually all historians having a liberal/democratic perspective. But the thread is supposed to be about whether Biden is “really good.” I think making it hard for your good policies to be reversed is a big differentiator between acceptable and “really good”. We won’t know if Biden was “really good” until there is some historical perspective, so we are judging him on what turns out to be most important in the long term. It could be that, in the long terms, a right/left issue of today (global warming?) will look to have been the biggest factor in whether Biden was “really good.” But maybe not. Maybe it will be a question of war and peace, and I was trying to think of the one where Biden may have some control. ---
**Author:** ![PhillyGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@PhillyGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhillyGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/136 "2023-06-03T02:57:05Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > I don’t think adding people to the nuclear club is a good idea. South Korea may be a stable ally now, but can you guarantee that for all time? No. Given the dreadfully consistent Trump-a-bit-ahead-of Biden poling averages, and DJT’s adulation of dictators, I can’t even guarantee it for two years. Or maybe even two hours. We today have no NATO-like clear mutual defense treaty with South Korea. I also can’t guarantee it for any current nuclear weapons state, including Britain and France — both of which are more stable democracies than the U.S. In the ultimate long-run, we are all dead. In the meanwhile, international relations is complicated. North Korea needs to be deterred. And South Korea can do this much more plausibly than the U.S. (A question sometimes asked is whether a U.S. president would really risk Los Angeles for Seoul. Biden, maybe. Trump, no.) So I would look at specific situations with as much care as possible. I totally can see being against all nuclear proliferation early in the nuclear age. But it’s looking like nuclear states are generally less likely to go to war with each other. I was afraid of India and Pakistan having nuclear weapons, but so far, so good. And the sanctions we put on those two countries, when they became nuclear weapons states, did nothing good. A really good president should adjust to this realty. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/137 "2023-06-03T23:18:20Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Mango Mussolini This was my first encounter with this one! I now need to change my drawers. Just pissed myself laughing! ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2023, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/138 "2023-06-04T15:35:05Z")
My lifetime ranking: Biden LBJ Eisenhower Clinton Obama JFK Carter Bush Sr. Ford Nixon Reagan Bush Jr. Dump That in the consensus of historians, the best president, Lincoln, was preceded and followed by the two worst, Buchanan and A. Johnson, gives a sense of whiplash. That Dump was succeeded by Biden is a whiplash of similar proportions. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2023, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/139 "2023-06-04T15:38:35Z")
“The road of life is rocky, And you may stumble too; So while you point your finger, Someone else is judging you.” —Bob Marley ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2023, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859/140 "2023-06-04T15:49:03Z")
> [@PhillyGuy](#): > > Obviously, Biden is going to be ranked higher than Trump by virtually all historians having a liberal/democratic perspective Biden is going to be ranked higher than Trump by any fair assessment, regardless of politics. Trump didn’t become the worse because he had the worst policies. He gets that honor by being incompetent, corrupt, dishonest, disguising, and ineffective. His America Last foreign policy is going to hurt his ranking too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-just-me-or-is-president-biden-really-good-at-the-job/984859.md?page=8)