# What has the Biden administration done that's so awful? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 7, 2022, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060 "2022-02-07T17:52:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/41 "2022-02-09T16:04:30Z")
That’s a big part of my objection to the way he’s gone about it. By announcing it, he’s telegraphing his punch, and giving them ammunition to attack his nominee strictly because he announced it ahead of time like he did. Had he just waited and nominated a black woman without any advance fanfare, that particular avenue of attack would have been forestalled. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/42 "2022-02-09T16:05:25Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Not every **day** – 🤦🏽‍♀️ C’mon, please don’t take my statement to an extreme. > > I agree with you-- I like that I know he’s working, but I want it to be clear that HE is the one who is working. I would tend to agree. Being POTUS isn’t really the sort of job where you can just be a hard working behind the scenes. I don’t think Biden has done a great job of being visible. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/43 "2022-02-09T16:07:53Z")
Do you think that is on purpose because of his age? Are his advisors trying to minimize any potential bad optics? ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/44 "2022-02-09T16:16:13Z")
Didn’t he have to do that in order to get Clyburn to endorse him in the primary? This keeps being presented a choice he had, but he probably wouldn’t be in the position to nominate a SC justice had he not made that promise. Going back on the promise seems more problematic to me. As does the viewpoint that there could not exist a Black woman that is more than qualified to be a SC justice. How that isn’t getting more media traction one wonders. I think ruling out a demographic is much worse than choosing someone from that demographic. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/45 "2022-02-09T16:18:38Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > Do you think that is on purpose because of his age? Are his advisors trying to minimize any potential bad optics? He’s only 4 years older than Trump. I don’t think age is a problem. Certainly that wasn’t the tactic with Elder Orange. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/46 "2022-02-09T16:27:32Z")
Has anything Donald Trump _ever_ done make you think he considers how he comes off? Or that he would listen to his advisors? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/47 "2022-02-09T16:48:56Z")
I think it matters very much to Donald Trump how he comes off. That’s all that matters to him. He only cares about image and his “brand”. That’s his entire existence. It’s why he can’t help responding to any criticism, no matter how petty it is. It’s why he can’t shut up, and why being deplatformed is so unbelievably painful to him. On the other hand, the way he cares isn’t like other people. He doesn’t mind being hated, or seen as a bully, as long as enough people praise him. He doesn’t ever want to be seen as weak (a trait common among the weakest people). It’s why he had to brag about how much of a genius he was, and get a doctor to vouch for how “healthy” he was. And he does listen to advisors. Not always, but there have been many times he has wanted to do something and his advisors stopped him. Consider that for a moment, and think about how, as bad as he has been, he could have been worse. It’s terrifying. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/48 "2022-02-09T16:51:48Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Second, there’s no winning on oil; we can be oil-independent and US oil companies can make a lot of money… and prices at the pump will be HIGH, or we can deal with OPEC and have lower at the pump prices and less US oil company profits. That’s how it works- Biden’s dealings with OPEC were in response to very high oil prices in order to relieve the price at the pump for most people. > > Third, high inflation is totally a consequence of the pandemic and the associated economic disruptions. That’s not something Biden did, or can really do a whole lot to mitigate when it comes right down to it. And while you’re at it, oil prices and inflation is a problem world-wide. Biden can’t be at fault for that, because I’ve been assured by Canadian Idiots that high oil prices and inflation is all Justin Trudeau’s fault! ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/49 "2022-02-09T16:58:20Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > Do you think that is on purpose because of his age? Are his advisors trying to minimize any potential bad optics? Considering the amount of stress he is under, Joe Biden looks great! I’m six years younger and he looks a helluva lot better than I do. (This pic is from an hour ago.) [![](https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/50860682967_b810aa6b14_o-1.jpg) ](https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/50860682967_b810aa6b14_o-1.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/50 "2022-02-09T16:59:05Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I think it matters very much to Donald Trump how he comes off. That’s all that matters to him. He only cares about image and his “brand”. That’s his entire existence. It’s why he can’t help responding to any criticism, no matter how petty it is. I agree with you that it matters very much to Trump how he _thinks_ he’s perceived. The big problem is, he has very little sense of how he’s _actually_ perceived. He’s never in his life had someone who was allowed or inclined to tell him to his face how stupid he looks, and so he has no sense of when he looks stupid. If he thinks it looks good, he assumes everyone else does as well. This explains almost every thing about how he presents himself - the gaudy taste in gold plated everything, the stupid ties, the baggy suits, the awful hair, the bad fake tan, the stupid grin he uses in photo-ops, the posing with a table full of fast food in the White House, the petty twitter feuds, all of it. He has no idea how stupid any of that, let alone all of that, makes him look. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/51 "2022-02-09T17:01:40Z")
And as a gold-plated narcissist, he doesn’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/52 "2022-02-09T17:01:46Z")
I was alluding more to the occasional verbal gaffe or other things that make the other side declare that he has dementia, etc. Minimizing the ammo, so to speak. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/53 "2022-02-09T17:03:51Z")
True. But I AM amazed at how good he _looks_. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/54 "2022-02-09T17:06:33Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > The big problem is, he has very little sense of how he’s _actually_ perceived. He’s never in his life had someone who was allowed or inclined to tell him to his face how stupid he looks, and so he has no sense of when he looks stupid. If he thinks it looks good, he assumes everyone else does as well. This explains almost every thing about how he presents himself - the gaudy taste in gold plated everything, the stupid ties, the baggy suits, the awful hair, the bad fake tan, the stupid grin he uses in photo-ops, the posing with a table full of fast food in the White House, the petty twitter feuds, all of it. He has no idea how stupid any of that, let alone all of that, makes him look. Yes, this is definitely the case. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/55 "2022-02-09T18:10:04Z")
> [@Southern\_Yankee](#): > > I was alluding more to the occasional verbal gaffe or other things that make the other side declare that he has dementia, etc. Minimizing the ammo, so to speak. OTOH, Obama was articulate, poised, funny, and well-spoken _to a fault_, and people hated him for that, too. So there ya go. ---
**Author:** ![Akaj](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akaj/32/145_2.png) [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/56 "2022-02-09T18:14:36Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Obama was articulate, poised, funny, and well-spoken _to a fault_ , and people hated him for that, too. No they didn’t. They hated him for being articulate, poised, funny, and well-spoken while black. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/57 "2022-02-09T18:58:12Z")
Oh yeah. He was so articulate, poised, funny, and well-spoken I forgot he was black. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/58 "2022-02-09T22:30:32Z")
> [@bump](#): > > But what if there’s a gay Hispanic male lawyer who’s even more qualified? There isn’t “more” or “most” qualified. There’s qualified and unqualified. There isn’t some linear way of measuring qualitfication. It’s far more nuanced and complicated than that. There’s a pool of people who are qualified. There are plenty of black women in that pool. It’s long past due to make one a SC Justice. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/59 "2022-02-09T23:58:01Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I mean, I’m sure there are perfectly good black woman candidates out there. But what if there’s a gay Hispanic male lawyer who’s even more qualified? Or a straight native Hawaiian man? Or a non-binary Asian person? Yet the President has decided that the pool of candidates has been narrowed down to black women because the President wants to make some kind of point about race and gender. This is a mistaken mental model that many people commonly fall into where they mistake prestige for difficulty. Supreme Court jobs are hard to get but they’re not especially difficult. Like, you wouldn’t want to give it to any random off the street but there’s probably a few thousand people who can do the job just fine. Within that group, there’s not really a notion of better or worse, just different ways of all doing the job well. When faced with a situation like this, you always do a first cut to exclude the obviously unqualified but of the people remaining, you, by necessity need to start excluding them based on arbitrary criteria that have no bearing on their ability to do the job. Because these criteria are usually implicit, they’re places ripe for unconscious or unadmitted bias to sneak in which is why you see so many prestigious jobs given to a select narrow portion of the population far out of proportion to any actual differences in ability. The conflation of prestige with difficulty is an idea deliberately pushed by proponents of “meritocracy”. Because these positions are so few, they must be incredibly difficult which means we must justify the incredible amount we pay for them and because the people who end up in these positions overwhelmingly are of a certain type, that type must be the superior type. What people mostly seem angry about is that Biden made an implicit choice explicit and, by doing so, gives the game away. If picking even a subset of a subset results in an equally qualified candidate, then the fact that anyone gets chosen for anything becomes less special and less worthy of adoration. You didn’t get there through some preternatural superhuman ability, you were the lucky one who was picked from a sea of thousands of equally qualified choices. It’s telling that for as much offense people are taking on how the choice is restricted to people who are black and female, people don’t seem to care at all that, by the nature of modern partisan politics, the choice also has to be of someone fairly young. Where are the people crying over all of the 70 year old judges who could potentially be a “more qualified” SC judge but will inevitably be passed over because they were unfairly excluded from the start? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060/60 "2022-02-10T00:12:27Z")
# [What has the Biden administration done that’s so awful?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060) The biggest thing I can think of is how the Biden administration mishandled the pullout in Afghanistan. That was a total cluster fuck by any measure. Not that we pulled out, but in how it was so badly bungled and seemed so devoid of planning or even thought. Other than that, I can’t think of anything awful he or his administration has done unless we are talking strictly from a Republican/Conservative perspective, in which case he’s the anti-Christ in all regards. Depending on who the Republicans run, I’ll probably hold my nose and vote for him again, FWIW. He hasn’t been the greatest president of all times, and I am pissed about Afghanistan, but…he’s been an adequate placeholder until a better candidate comes along. Assuming one ever does… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-the-biden-administration-done-thats-so-awful/959060.md?page=4)