What Do You Think Joe Biden Must Do To Improve His Approval Rating?

[vcczar]

What Do You Think Joe Biden Must Do To Improve His Approval Rating? 

The obvious answer is stop inflation or reverse it, but that's not really something a President can really control all that much. Aside from this, what do you think Biden MUST do to:

1. Improving his approval. 

2. Help Democrats in the Midterms. 

3. Win reelection for himself or for another Dem nominee in 2024. 

If you aren't a Democrat or Biden supporter, your opinion is still valuable as you may have things you don't want him to do for fear it might make him and his party more competitive. I'd especially like to know what these might be. 

[Rezi]

At this point, I doubt it would have much of an effect, but Biden could take executive action on marijuana to effectively decriminalize it as well as grant clemency to nonviolent marijuana offenders. It would be a broadly popular policy that would give Biden and Democrats something to campaign on that only helps them, even in Red states.

[vcczar]

27 minutes ago, Rezi said:

At this point, I doubt it would have much of an effect, but Biden could take executive action on marijuana to effectively decriminalize it as well as grant clemency to nonviolent marijuana offenders. It would be a broadly popular policy that would give Biden and Democrats something to campaign on that only helps them, even in Red states.

Yeah, I think at this point he needs to give up on "unifying the country" because his attempts have completely failed. He's apparently acknowledged as such, according to NY Times writer Thomas Friedman, who had lunch with Biden recently. As such, what he needs to do is just energize supporters and independents who don't like Trump. By this, I mean go bold. Not going bold will just reinforce his old man image. If he can't look vigorous he should seek to be vigorous in other ways. Here's what I'd advise him to do: 

1. As you say, use all legal executive action to decriminalize marijuana, and call for legislation to make it legal and taxable. 

2. Use all legal executive action to eliminate or reduce student loan debt, and call for legislation to prevent such a situation from occurring again. 

3. Use all legal executive action to reduce the cost of gas and basic need commodities so long as inflation is an issue. 

4. Use all legal executive action to reduce the cost of prescription medication, and call on Congress to legislate in a similar manner. 

5. Use all legal executive action to temporarily reduce property tax and other taxation that has increased recently partially due to the COVID pandemic and inflation, and call on Congress to legislate in a similar manner. 

6. Go to Kyiv, Ukraine and do not leave until you provide Ukraine with decisive, non-boots-on-the-ground assistance

7. Use all legal executive action to work towards the Equal Rights Amendment, calling on Congress and the States to ensure its passage. 

On top of the above, Biden also needs to do some things that will generate voter turn-out in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Detroit. That is, things that will ensure that black voters are energized to go to the polls. Similarly, Biden needs to visit South Texas and Arizona to see specifically what Hispanic-American voters want to see. Supposedly, Hispanic-Americans are getting tired with identity politics. There's probably several reasons for this, but I think part of it is that Democrats focus on Black voters in a way that they don't focus on Hispanic voters. However, many Hispanic voters identify as white (since White is a race and Hispanic is an ethnicity). 

One issue for Biden too is, if he does any of the above, does he do it before midterms or before the 2024 election? President's often seek to time things for turnout. 

[vcczar]

Just now, Patine said:

Other: Admit he's way past his prime, over the hill, gaffe prone, and no longer up to the job, and retire to let younger leaders take the torch. A move that may - possibly - cause Republicans to also reevaluate their own dotard.

Yeah, that could definitely go on the list. When/if he does so, he needs to emphasize it in a way in which he loops Trump as "too old," but also do so without alienating senior voters. 

[SilentLiberty]

I just don't think he can tbh.

[vcczar]

28 minutes ago, SilentLiberty said:

I just don't think he can tbh.

Why is that?

[SilentLiberty]

1 hour ago, vcczar said:

Why is that?

Unless the economy turns around significantly I think he's pretty much toast. I get it's not solely his fault, but a lot of average Americans vote based off that. "It's the economy stupid!"

So baby formula shortages, gas prices constantly rising every day, the price of milk rising, normal every day things that people need shooting up in price, that's all hurting him. Anything else he does is good and fine but I doubt it matters for his approval rating and the approval ratings of democrats as a whole unless the economy truly significantly turns around. That has to be his number one priority and I think it might be a day late and a dollar short.

[SilentLiberty]

And yeah I know you addressed some of that, but I don't see him doing the executive actions that would be required. He's kind of just twindling his thumbs and biding his time. Least that's how it appears. He's a place holder. He's toast. I don't know. I just don't think he can do anything game changing at this point. And assuming Republicans get the house or senate this fall, it's over. Democrats can still win in 2024, but not with Biden, imo.

[jnewt]

Spearhead the effort to encourage municipalities to abolish exclusionary zoning and build more affordable housing

[SilentLiberty]

12 minutes ago, Patine said:

But, of course, Donald, "the Tariff Lord," Trump will somehow make any of these things cheaper, right. 🙄

It's amazing how short-sighted modern voters are. And, this is yet another - of many - call-out moments when a third (or more) choice who could actually (be allowed) to win would be great for the future of the United States.

I mean I didn't say that Trump would. I don't think he would. I suppose the argument Trump supports would make is that inflation and the economy weren't as bad when Trump was president. Personally I hope Trump doesn't run again for any reason ever.

Really truly, I'm gonna be honest, third party candidates pretty much always suck. It's not like Bernie or Ron Paul are running under the Green or Libertarian banners. Andrew Yang is trying a third party but I think he's lost some momentum.

[vcczar]

3 minutes ago, SilentLiberty said:

I mean I didn't say that Trump would. I don't think he would. I suppose the argument Trump supports would make is that inflation and the economy weren't as bad when Trump was president. Personally I hope Trump doesn't run again for any reason ever.

Really truly, I'm gonna be honest, third party candidates pretty much always suck. It's not like Bernie or Ron Paul are running under the Green or Libertarian banners. Andrew Yang is trying a third party but I think he's lost some momentum.

On thing that some historians say is that if the economy is bad in the first two years of a presidency, it is usually the fault of the previous president. Similarly, if the economy is good the first two years of a presidency, it is because of the previous president. If the economy is still good or bad or is converted from good to bad (or vice versa) after midterms, it is then actually the president's fault. Obviously, I can see some arguments to be made by decisively good or bad actions, but on the whole, I think that the historians are probably correct. 

If true, Biden inherited a bad economic situation from Trump is being hit hard for Trump's mismanagement. I think most of it is obviously COVID's fault, but I'm sure the tariffs are hurting supplies and such. For instance, it's harder to get baby formula from Canada because of Trump's policies and some other things. 

If true, Trump's good economy prior to COVID was mostly due to Obama. 

If true, Obama's sluggish economy was mostly due to George W. Bush. 

If true, Bush's great economy at the beginning of his term was due to Clinton. 

And so on. 

I firmly believe that following WWII, that the presidents have very little impact on any panics, recession, or depressions that are also worldwide. Since the Reciprocal Tariff Act, tariffs have not really fluctuated much, and most tariffs are settled internationally. Taxation really hasn't fluctuated that much since Reagan. Historically speaking, both 21st major parties are Free Trade and low Taxes. 

[SilentLiberty]

11 minutes ago, vcczar said:

On thing that some historians say is that if the economy is bad in the first two years of a presidency, it is usually the fault of the previous president. Similarly, if the economy is good the first two years of a presidency, it is because of the previous president. If the economy is still good or bad or is converted from good to bad (or vice versa) after midterms, it is then actually the president's fault. Obviously, I can see some arguments to be made by decisively good or bad actions, but on the whole, I think that the historians are probably correct. 

If true, Biden inherited a bad economic situation from Trump is being hit hard for Trump's mismanagement. I think most of it is obviously COVID's fault, but I'm sure the tariffs are hurting supplies and such. For instance, it's harder to get baby formula from Canada because of Trump's policies and some other things. 

If true, Trump's good economy prior to COVID was mostly due to Obama. 

If true, Obama's sluggish economy was mostly due to George W. Bush. 

If true, Bush's great economy at the beginning of his term was due to Clinton. 

And so on. 

I firmly believe that following WWII, that the presidents have very little impact on any panics, recession, or depressions that are also worldwide. Since the Reciprocal Tariff Act, tariffs have not really fluctuated much, and most tariffs are settled internationally. Taxation really hasn't fluctuated that much since Reagan. Historically speaking, both 21st major parties are Free Trade and low Taxes. 

Yeah I agree with historians there too, and I think it tends to be a mix, like if the economy is good the first two years yes the previous president helped but the new one also maintained it. In general though I think the average American doesn't care about that. My partner(who knows I vote in the primaries and generals of every election) has explicitly told me she'll only vote during presidential elections, and doesn't enjoy talking about or paying all that much attention to politics unless it's earth shattering(covid, roe v wade, etc) yes she's one example but I'd wager there are more Americans like her than their is like us. However more and more people are paying attention! A plus!

[Brunell]

As a Republican, for me personally, I'd approve of Joe Biden if he stepped down, or retired in 2024.

But in all seriousness, I think the bridge has passed for him to seriously get above 50%. In this political climate of intense partisanship and toxicity, as long as he is at around 45% he is fine. He does this by stabilizing the economy, making sure middle America has a lot of quality of life issues as I like to call them (baby formula, supply chain issues, inflation, crime, etc.) gotten under better control. If that happens, I could see him getting back to 45, possibly 50%. 

[ShortKing]

As a Republican who voted for Biden and has been pretty disappointed in his governance so far, I actually have a completely opposite view from vcczar here. I think Biden's problem is he's been too bold and set expectations so high that he can't meet them. He passed $1.9 trillion in a stimulus package through the ARP with no GOP support, he then passed the most significant investment in physical infrastructure ($1.2 trillion) in a generation with wide bipartisan majorities, but he had spent the summer promising to pass the BBB, even going out of his way to link the BBB with the bipartisan deal, ensuring that anything less than passing both bills is a failure. His administration spent months telling voters inflation was transitory and not a substantive concern before they were all but forced to concede that it was a major issue they intend to address.
The withdrawal from Afghanistan was never going to be pretty, but he decided to make grand and bold predictions about how long it would be before the Taliban took Kabul, constantly painting a far more positive and optimistic picture of the withdrawal that did not comport with what people were seeing and it bruised his credibility with voters. 
It's clear that governing with such slim majorities means a lot of popular agenda items are off the table, but as it has been noted, he has certain executive options for decriminalizing weed and pardoning or commuting the sentences of non-violent offenders. Forgiving student loan debt would likely aggravate inflationary pressures, but it seems like something he will try to do to curry favor with younger voters.

More than anything, I think he needs to focus on nuts and bolts issues of governance and try to rebuild his personal credibility with the voters. Something went wrong with the FDA that led to this baby formula shortage and he should be seen doing something about it. In Ukraine, his administration has largely availed themselves and he should take advantage of that and fly to Kyiv to personally deliver military aid and weaponry. He can't fix inflation, but he can acknowledge that it was an issue that they hadn't foreseen and that they're reorienting their economic policy toward combatting it, instead of pretending the economic agenda his administration had fashioned before considering inflation also happens to be anti-inflationary, which voters are simply not going to believe. There's likely not much within Biden's control that can materially change the outcomes of the midterms, but in terms of helping his own chances in 2024, he needs to set expectations where he can meet them and be honest and transparent when he falls short. His best asset in 2020 and likely in 2024 will be his character, and voters need to know they can still trust him. 

[Pringles]

3 hours ago, ShortKing said:

As a Republican who voted for Biden and has been pretty disappointed in his governance so far, I actually have a completely opposite view from vcczar here. I think Biden's problem is he's been too bold and set expectations so high that he can't meet them. He passed $1.9 trillion in a stimulus package through the ARP with no GOP support, he then passed the most significant investment in physical infrastructure ($1.2 trillion) in a generation with wide bipartisan majorities, but he had spent the summer promising to pass the BBB, even going out of his way to link the BBB with the bipartisan deal, ensuring that anything less than passing both bills is a failure. His administration spent months telling voters inflation was transitory and not a substantive concern before they were all but forced to concede that it was a major issue they intend to address.
The withdrawal from Afghanistan was never going to be pretty, but he decided to make grand and bold predictions about how long it would be before the Taliban took Kabul, constantly painting a far more positive and optimistic picture of the withdrawal that did not comport with what people were seeing and it bruised his credibility with voters. 
It's clear that governing with such slim majorities means a lot of popular agenda items are off the table, but as it has been noted, he has certain executive options for decriminalizing weed and pardoning or commuting the sentences of non-violent offenders. Forgiving student loan debt would likely aggravate inflationary pressures, but it seems like something he will try to do to curry favor with younger voters.

More than anything, I think he needs to focus on nuts and bolts issues of governance and try to rebuild his personal credibility with the voters. Something went wrong with the FDA that led to this baby formula shortage and he should be seen doing something about it. In Ukraine, his administration has largely availed themselves and he should take advantage of that and fly to Kyiv to personally deliver military aid and weaponry. He can't fix inflation, but he can acknowledge that it was an issue that they hadn't foreseen and that they're reorienting their economic policy toward combatting it, instead of pretending the economic agenda his administration had fashioned before considering inflation also happens to be anti-inflationary, which voters are simply not going to believe. There's likely not much within Biden's control that can materially change the outcomes of the midterms, but in terms of helping his own chances in 2024, he needs to set expectations where he can meet them and be honest and transparent when he falls short. His best asset in 2020 and likely in 2024 will be his character, and voters need to know they can still trust him. 

To add on, I think Biden has come into office with way too many high expectations. Similar to Jimmy Carter did in 1976. 

Now he is being confronted with the harsh realities of the Presidency. He has a lot of experience, but it doesnt seem to have done him too well. 

I also think the media portrayal of Biden plays a role. Everybody was rejoicing when Trump was defeated. Now they're talking about how hes hitting terrible polls among all demographics recently. 36% approval among Latinos. Only 57% approval with African Americans. 

I think Biden will tick up before re-election. He will win if Trump runs again. 

Anybody else though? Hes toast. It wont be a 1980 in the literal sense but if the Republican Party isnt stupid, which they have been pretty stupid lately, they will nominate anyone but Trump who will go on to beat Biden. 

With the way things are presently, that's how I see it. 

Edited May 24, 2022 by Pringles

[jvikings1]

There really isn’t much that can be done.

Gas prices are only going up. Price controls will only create shortages and likely making overall problems worse. (Same with food and other essentials). Any efforts to increase access to fossil fuels would have a negative reaction amongst the Dem base and would likely take too long to have much of an immediate impact.

Overall inflation is going to last. And continued government spending (including waiving loans, infrastructure, etc) will only keep making the problem worse.

Neither Biden nor the federal government has the authority to provide relief for state/local taxes (such as property taxes). And any bailout money would only make inflation worse.

Focus on Ukraine might provide a distraction, but more money would likely not help on the home front. It won’t help with inflation and people struggling at home won’t like foreigners getting help over them.

 

Other domestic issues such as taking action on marijuana and criminal Justice reform might help a bit but won’t overcome the economic issues.

[Edouard]

.....

Edited July 19, 2022 by Edouard