President Biden was always unlikely to get an approval from conservative voters regarding his job performance. The reason his approval rating is so low is because people who lean more to the left are giving him an unfavorable evaluation of his job performance. If this approval rating were not connected to a likely outcome in the November elections, then it would be stupid but it would not matter. Is it because these people don’t understand that Joe Manchin has agency or they think the president is a dictator or they don’t understand the three branches of the federal government and how they work and how they are currently populated? I don’t know. People on this blog who in theory understand if given a multiple choice or even a true/false assessment of whether or not Joe Manchin has agency and whether the president is a dictator or not and are there three branches of the federal government … somehow are unable to apply this knowledge to the approval of the job performance of President Joe Biden. It’s also self-defeating.
Let’s take the Freedom to Vote Act and focus on the US Senate. 96% of US senators who caucus with the Democratic Party support it and would vote for it and would vote to create a carve out to the filibuster for voting rights whereas 100% of republicans oppose it. Two US senators who caucus with the Democratic Party support it in theory, but will not vote to create a carve out to the filibuster for it doomed it. Sitting out the election and throwing President Biden under the bus for not getting this passed out only makes it less likely that it will eventually get passed. It is self-defeating for those who support voting rights and want voting rights legislation passed to blame President Biden and the entire Democratic Party in the federal government for the failure to pass it because it likely means that they will sit out the November elections or not vote for Democratic Party candidates. This is similar for the Build Back Better agenda. If you want more left leaning legislation passed, then you need more democrats in Congress, not fewer. If you don’t think that it matters which political party is in power, then you either have an incredibly short memory or are very stupid and ill-informed.
Penalizing the entire Democratic Party and disapproving of President Biden when 95% of democrats in Congress support the agenda that one wants passed only makes it less likely that one’s agenda will be passed. Who deserves the blame for what does not pass? Republicans and very conservative democrats in Congress and the anti-majoritarian nature of our system of government and voters who lean left and voted for President Biden but also voted for US Senate candidates who are committed to defeating his agenda are all to blame. There are no perfect candidates and since all voters who lean left don’t agree on what constitutes a perfect candidate, it is impossible to have a candidate for Congress who is considered a perfect candidate by all voters who lean left. Despite their imperfections, almost all candidates in the Democratic Party who ran for either the upper or lower chamber of Congress tried their best to win their election. Those voters who lean left who were not disenfranchised either voted for all candidates who are members of the Democratic Party for Congress or they did not. There is no try there as Yoda would say. So the candidates for Congress who are members of the Democratic Party tried their best, but voters who lean left who were not disenfranchised either did or did not vote for said candidates. Those voters who lean left and were not disenfranchised and who did not vote for candidates for Congress who are members of the Democratic Party chose to not vote for candidates for Congress who are members of the Democratic Party. They made a choice. They did not try their best and yet come up short. They intentionally chose to not vote for candidates for Congress who are members of the Democratic Party. That was not a morally neutral choice. I have noticed people who consider themselves the progressives here never blame the person who leans left and was not disenfranchised but did not vote for candidates for Congress who are members of the Democratic Party. They blame our largely good but imperfect candidates who tried their best, failing to recognize that due to the diversity within the party it is impossible for any candidate who is a member of the party to garner approval from all voters who lean left. For me, Lt Governor Fetterman is a great example. Here in my view, we have a great and progressive candidate, but there are sincere progressives who don’t approve of him and can articulate why.
If not for the conservatives in Congress who are members of the Democratic Party, President Biden and the Democratic Party would have a much stronger job approval rating. Rep Henry Cuellar voted against legalizing marijuana despite being a member of the Democratic Party. However, he was one of only two democrats who voted against the measure. He is also anti-choice. By the way, he is being challenged in the run off by a great progressive candidate, Jessica Cisneros, who would vote much better in our view than he, Representative Cuellar, votes.
I have been very angry about the topic which was addressed in all but the last paragraph for quite a while. However, I read an article from Univision which led me to write out my feelings. The article revolved around the horrifying policy of family separation also known as 42.
La cancelación del Título 42 del Código de EEUU a partir del 23 de mayo le está generando serios problemas políticos a la Casa Blanca. Tanto republicanos como demócratas creen que el retiro de la cuestionada política desencadene una crisis migratoria sin precedentes en la frontera sur del país.La Casa Blanca dijo que "la Administración está trabajando arduamente para planificar y prepararse para eso, y continuaremos trabajando con el Congreso para implementar el levantamiento del Título 42 de una manera tan ordenada y humana como sea posible".
Los republicanos se han unido en varios frentes para advertirle al gobierno que, si lo elimina, se generará una crisis migratoria sin precedentes en la frontera con México, al tiempo que amenazan con acciones legales para mantenerlo en vigor.
Por otro lado, varios demócratas se han unido a la presión republicana inquietos por los resultados de las elecciones de mitad de periodo previstas para el primer martes de noviembre, cuando los estadounidenses acudan a las urnas y elijan un nuevo Congreso (la totalidad de la Cámara de Representantes y un tercio del Senado).
Un grupo de congresistas demócratas moderados, entre ellos cinco senadores, se sumaron al rechazo del retiro y exigieron a la Casa Blanca mantener vigente la política de salud pública. El grupo argumenta que la eliminación de la controversial medida desencadenará una nueva crisis y aumentará el nivel de amenaza a la seguridad pública y nacional de Estados Unido
Again, it’s the conservative members of the Democratic Party who are in Congress who are causing problems for President Biden’s agenda. It’s disgusting that said democrats support retaining the family separation policy. This should be and in the past would have been something that members of both political parties would have opposed. Now, we have members of the Democratic Party who are in Congress who are advocating to retain the family separation policy and they are doing so because they think it will help them politically which seems crazy to me. President Biden’s administration does seem to have dragged its feet on ending this evil policy. Still, President Biden advocates for ending the policy and it seems to be within sight. It is not unexpected in today’s political climate that republicans in Congress would oppose ending title 42. However, it is or should be unexpected that any democrats in Congress would oppose ending it. Frustration with the president is more than understandable on this issue. Yet, his administration seems to be close to ending it and the vast majority of democrats and those who caucus with the Democratic Party in Congress support ending it as well whereas all republicans support retaining it and will use the elimination of title 42 to help them win control of both chambers of Congress in the upcoming November elections.
So should a left leaning voter disapprove of President Biden's inaction on title 42 and then sit out during the upcoming November elections? First, doing so will only make certain that the Republican Party has a majority or even a strong majority in both chambers in Congress. Second, the vast majority of democrats and those who caucus with the Democratic Party support eliminating it and so does President Biden who appears poised to go ahead and do so despite the possible political cost. Therefore, a progressive sitting out the November elections is penalizing the entire political party for the actions of a few, ignores the fact that the vast majority of democrats in Congress support eliminating it, President Biden has made it clear he is working on eliminating it, and if the Republican Party gains a great majority in both chambers of Congress, then the elimination of title 42 will only be delayed that much longer. Therefore, the only sensible decision for the voter who opposes title 42 is to do all they can to expand the majority of the Democratic Party in both chambers of Congress.
Thursday, Apr 21, 2022 · 4:16:09 PM +00:00
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Dem
It is alleged that I detest or have an issue with myself. I consider myself progressive and my policy preferences mark me as a progressive. I have been a user here for over 16 years. During this time, it has been my unbroken observation here that the users most likely to criticize a president who is a member of the Democratic Party and the Democratic Party itself as a whole are either universally or nearly universally those who consider themselves progressives. That trend has continued through the Biden presidency. They blame President Biden for Joe Manchin's choices and actions. When you look at the left leaning groups which are most likely to criticize President Biden, they are all progressive activist groups who are never happy with or satisfied by President Biden's choices, policies or actions in their specific area of concern. This is so obvious that it seems hard to deny. Moreover, who else would be unhappy with President Biden's accomplishments and policies besides progressives? The reason for democrats to be unhappy generally with our accomplishments as a political party are mostly because of the failure to pass voting rights legislation and the failure to pass the Build Back Better agenda. The only other reasons for discontent that I can see are inflation and the pandemic. However, few democrats are likely to be unaware that inflation is a result of the pandemic and is countered by amazing job creation numbers. Likewise, very few democrats are likely to be unaware that the reason the pandemic is still a factor in our lives is mostly because of republicans in Congress and in state governments. This leaves us with voting rights legislation and the Build Back Better agenda not being passed.
Those most likely by temperament to not understand that progress is usually made inch by inch and that the size of and nature of the majorities in Congress determine what can be passed are progressives. I consider myself a progressive and there are many reasons to commend progressives. We constantly push for more progress and if we were content with the status quo or what has been accomplished thus far, then there would be no more pressure to continue making more progress. Progressives drive the messaging are promote the big ideas. Progressives bring accountability to democrats in the White House and Congress.
However, we progressives need to understand that elected officials have agency and that in some cases the ability of the party and the president to influence some democrats in Congress like Joe Manchin can be limited at best. Progressives need to understand that attacking the party as a whole for the mistakes and evil actions of a few is self-destructive.