Maybe he didn't want ot mandate an unapproved vaccine that was only greenlit for emergency use at the time. Things do change.
Corona is a new virus. At first they thought it was like SARS so the rest of the world didn't think it was a bfd. But it's not a wildfire like SARS, it's slower burning and more contagious. I think the 2% hospitalization/mortality rate makes people roll the dice. It's just that while I'm not visibly affected by it yet, our healthcare system is showing signs of stress across the nation. If you were to operate on that uncertainty plus the stats coming from hospital availability to make a leadership decision, then things make a little more sense. I still remember when there were claims of empty hospitals 2020 June, which caused people to claim overreaction (Lena) or hoax. I wonder if those perceptions by the same people have stayed solid or have they changed as the recent data suggests. I fully understand the need for leaders to project certainty or confidence throughout this crisis. I felt the same way when vaccines were rolling out and we were still being locked down. Governments tend to be slow on purpose and by scale. It's the worst combination for a wildly infectious disease but it's the best we got so far.
Democrats’ midterm dilemma: Biden’s agenda isn’t breaking through with voters yet https://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article254271088.html
It's so funny watching MAGA turds flip flop on literally every issue. It was the anti Afghanistan war when trump was president and biden had the balls to actually follow through. Then it was the AMERICA first agenda ANTI China agenda then biden actually follows through with giving nuclear subs to an ally to fight China and now magically they care about FRANCE LOL. These spineless cult turds literally have no values or beliefs. It's just a trump cult and it's pathetic watching them infest society. Trump was always all talk no stick and biden actually DOES what trump TRIED. Biden and Trump foreign policy is the same but biden has balls to go up against the military establishment.
Biden’s Entire Presidential Agenda Rests on Expansive Spending Bill A plan for the economy, education, immigration, climate and more binds disparate Democratic lawmakers, but the proposal risks sinking under its own weight. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/18/business/biden-spending-bill.html?smid=url-share excerpt: WASHINGTON — No president has ever packed as much of his agenda, domestic and foreign, into a single piece of legislation as President Biden has with the $3.5 trillion spending plan that Democrats are trying to wrangle through Congress over the next six weeks. The bill combines major initiatives on the economy, education, social welfare, climate change and foreign policy, funded in large part by an extensive rewrite of the tax code, which aims to bring in trillions from corporations and the rich. That stacking of priorities has raised the stakes for a president resting his ambitions on a bill that could fail over the smallest of intraparty disputes. If successful, Mr. Biden’s far-reaching attempt could result in a presidency-defining victory that delivers on a decades-long campaign by Democrats to expand the federal government to combat social problems and spread the gains of a growing economy to workers, striking a fatal blow to the government-limiting philosophy of President Ronald Reagan that has largely defined American politics since the 1980s. But as Democrats are increasingly seeing, the sheer weight of Mr. Biden’s progressive push could cause it to collapse, leaving the party empty-handed, with the president’s top priorities going unfulfilled. Some progressives fear a watered-down version of the bill could fail to deliver on the party’s promises and undermine its case for a more activist government. Some moderates worry that spending too much could cost Democrats, particularly those in more conservative districts, their seats in the 2022 midterm elections, erasing the party’s control of Congress. The legislation, which Democrats are trying to pass along party lines and without Republican support, contains the bulk of Mr. Biden’s vision to overhaul the rules of the economy in hopes of reducing inequality and building a more vibrant middle class. But its provisions go beyond economics. Democrats hope the package will create a pathway to citizenship for as many as eight million undocumented immigrants, make it easier for workers to form unions, and lower prescription drug costs for seniors. They want to guarantee prekindergarten and community college for every American, bolster the nation’s strategic competitiveness with China and stake an aggressive leadership role in global efforts to fight climate change and corporate tax evasion. The plan includes a large tax cut for the poor and middle class, efforts to reduce the cost of child care and expand access to home health care for older and disabled Americans and create the first federally guaranteed paid leave for American workers. It is almost as if President Franklin D. Roosevelt had stuffed his entire New Deal into one piece of legislation, or if President Lyndon B. Johnson had done the same with his Great Society, instead of pushing through individual components over several years. more at the link
“Build Back Better” Is an Awful Catchphrase If Biden wants to convince voters of the urgency of his plans, he’ll need a stronger way to sell the Democrats’ reconciliation bill. https://newrepublic.com/article/163705/joe-biden-build-back-better-infrastructure-reconciliation
Key Biden allies express outrage over Border Patrol’s treatment of Haitian migrants. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/09/21/us/politics-news#biden-haiti-democrats-naacp the article: Democrats and civil rights leaders expressed outrage on Tuesday toward the Biden administration’s treatment of Haitian migrants in response to images and video of U.S. Border Patrol agents on horseback chasing down and blocking migrants. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, speaking from the Senate floor, said that the images were “completely unacceptable.” He said that the administration could not “continue these hateful and xenophobic Trump policies that disregard our refugee laws,” adding that asylum seekers must be afforded due process. Representative Bennie Thompson, Democrat of Mississippi and the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, echoed those comments, calling the images “horrific and disturbing.” And in a statement, Derrick Johnson, the president of the N.A.A.C.P., also compared the practices of the Border Patrol agents to the inhumane immigration policies of the Trump administration. “The humanitarian crisis happening under this administration on the southern border disgustingly mirrors some of the darkest moments in America’s history,” Mr. Johnson said. “If we were to close our eyes and this was occurring under the Trump administration, what would we do? The inhumane treatment of the Haitian refugees seeking help is utterly sickening.” The Homeland Security Department, which includes the Border Patrol, said on Monday it was investigating what was shown in the footage. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment but Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday described the images as “horrible.” She said she planned to discuss the matter with Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the Homeland Security secretary. “What I saw depicted about those individuals on horseback treating human beings the way they were, was horrible. And I fully support what is happening right now, which is a thorough investigation into exactly what is going on there,” she said. The criticism from a leading civil rights organization was the latest sign that the crisis at the border is alarming some outside groups whose counsel Mr. Biden has turned to and whose support he has courted since the campaign. On Tuesday, Mr. Johnson demanded a meeting at the White House to discuss the refugee crisis. “In the words of William Clay, ‘We have no permanent enemies and no permanent friends, only permanent interests,’” Mr. Johnson said. “The N.A.A.C.P. only has permanent interests. We look forward to our meeting with the President.” Mr. Biden, a lifelong member of the organization, has met with Mr. Johnson multiple times since his election. Their last meeting was on July 8, when they discussed strategy to pass legislation on voting rights. The rise in Haitian migration began in the months after Mr. Biden took office and as the administration began reversing Trump-era immigration policies. That was interpreted by many as a sign that the United States would be more welcoming to migrants. In May, the administration extended temporary protected status for the 150,000 Haitians already living in the country and that was extended again over the summer for Haitians living in the U.S. before July 29. But thousands started crossing the border into the town of Del Rio, Texas, last week, in what Mr. Mayorkas on Tuesday called an “unprecendented” increase of migrants crossing one part of the southern border. — Annie Karni and Eileen Sullivan
Haha there are federal laws on drinking and implied to states but that doesn't stop the 2nd worst poster here from trying to be the worst poster here. " In 1998, Congress created an incentive grant to get states to lower their BAC to 0.08%. In 2000, this became the national legal limit."
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/21/politics/iowa-poll-joe-biden-approval/index.html This poll should terrify Democrats ahead of 2022 Analysis by Chris Cillizza, CNN Editor-at-large Updated 10:34 AM ET, Tue September 21, 2021 (CNN) It's the rare poll that makes an entire party sit up and take notice. The new Iowa poll is one of those polls. Just 31% of Iowans approved of how Joe Biden is handling his duties as president while a whopping 62% disapprove. Biden's disapproval number is below the lowest ever measured by ace pollster J. Ann Selzer for former presidents Donald Trump (35%) and Barack Obama (36%). "This is a bad poll for Joe Biden, and it's playing out in everything that he touches right now," Selzer told the Des Moines Register. Biden's approval on pulling American troops out of Afghanistan stands at a meager 22%. Approval for his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic is now just 36% among Iowans. This poll is rightly understood as a blaring red alarm for not just Biden but especially down-ballot Democrats -- in Iowa and elsewhere -- who will be running in the 2022 midterms. While Iowa is not the pure swing state that it was in, say, 2000, it remains a place where Democrats can and do win -- both in statewide elections and in congressional districts. Democrats, as recently as 2020, controlled three of the state's four House seats although Republicans won both the first and second districts back last November. And both are considered Democratic re-takeover targets in 2022 -- depending, of course, on what the congressional map winds up looking like. If Biden's numbers are anywhere close to this bad in other swing states -- and districts --- Democrats' hopes of holding onto their very narrow three-seat House majority are somewhere close to nonexistent. While first term, midterm elections are, historically, very difficult for the president's party in the House, that trend is made far, far worse if the president's approval rating is below 50%. As Gallup wrote in 2018: "In Gallup's polling history, presidents with job approval ratings below 50% have seen their party lose 37 House seats, on average, in midterm elections. That compares with an average loss of 14 seats when presidents had approval ratings above 50%." That average is even higher in the wake of the 2018 midterms, where Republicans lost 40 House seats thanks in large part to Donald Trump's approval ratings being stuck in the low 40s. The best news out of this poll for Biden and Democrats is that it is September 2021, not September 2022. Which means that Biden -- and the Democratic-controlled Congress -- have time to turn his numbers around, likely by finding a way to pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill and some sort of major budget proposal (although both of those bills have an uncertain path forward at the moment). But if the President's numbers in Iowa are anything close to where they are today, it is an absolute disaster for Democrats -- and would presage the near-certain loss of a large number of House seats (and their majority) come next November.
Why does Iowa hold so much away over the national political conversation? I'd imagine Ohio to be a more representative state.
Politico ganging up on the President Biden slips into political quicksand amid Haitian migrant buildup The president is bucking calls to stop deportations of Haitians even as his team expresses outrage over images of aggressive treatment by border agents. https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/22/biden-haitian-migrant-513561 excerpt In sharply visceral terms, the national Border Patrol union blasted the White House on Tuesday, characterizing it as inept for failing to have a plan in place to deal with the influx of some 15,000 migrants that left agents overwhelmed. Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council provided text from emails he says the union had sent to the administration in June warning of an influx of migrants in Del Rio. In those texts, the union suggested a way to process the crowds more smoothly. But the response from management in the Border Patrol’s Del Rio sector, according to the union, was that “several other platforms are being considered which are more efficient.” The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the U.S. Border Patrol, did not have a response by deadline late Tuesday. Judd said Border Patrol agents are beyond frustrated. “They knew this was coming, and they didn't take the steps to mitigate this so now you've got a bunch of people that are sitting under a bridge in conditions — these are little tiny kids sitting under this bridge in deplorable conditions,” Judd said. “It looks like a warzone but in the United States. I'm completely, totally floored.” As for the images that the White House had condemned on Tuesday, Judd said Border Patrol agents were simply using methods they were trained to use under the Biden administration. “We’re outnumbered by 200 to one. We’re put into a situation where we’re in between people — there’s a propensity for violence when there’s large crowds. We’re expected to control that,” Judd said. “We don’t strike anybody. We used the tactic we were trained with — and the White House vilified us.” The cascading criticisms and calls for policy reversals underscored what the White House has long feared — that the issue of immigration is, for Biden, the equivalent of political quicksand. The president faces pressure from the left to grant asylum to immigrants at the border and reverse Trump-era policies over expulsions. But Republicans immediately characterized a spike in asylum seekers as Biden’s failure to secure the border. more at the link
Gallup poll: Biden's Approval Rating Hits New Low of 43%; Harris' Is 49% https://news.gallup.com/poll/354872/biden-approval-rating-hits-new-low-harris.aspx excerpt: WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Eight months after President Joe Biden's inauguration, his job approval rating has fallen six percentage points to 43%, the lowest of his presidency. For the first time, a majority, 53%, now disapproves of Biden's performance. These findings are from a Sept. 1-17 Gallup poll that was conducted after the U.S. military evacuated more than 120,000 people from Afghanistan. The United States' exit from the nation's longest war was marred by the Taliban's quick takeover of most of the country and a suicide bombing at the airport in Kabul, which killed 13 U.S. service members. Over the same period, COVID-19 infection rates, nationally, were surging, leading to hospital overflows in some regions. more at the link
