BooIsMyCat Loc: Somewhere

(Biden is having a pretty effective presidency)

Am I getting this right? The same Republicans who spent years castigating President Biden as barely mentally competent now are complaining that he ate Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s lunch in this week’s debt ceiling negotiations? Might one even go so far as to say that “Dark Brandon” understands the “art of the deal” a lot more than the man who preceded him?

Of course Democrats found much to dislike in the compromise bill despite voting aye on it to overcome Republican intransigence and avoid a default on the national debt. It will cut funding for some substantial progressive programs and it certainly is a world away from the budget Democrats would pass if they still held the House majority.

There are also those who argue that Biden, on principle, never should have negotiated in the first place. Instead, the thinking goes, he should have used dramatic unilateral actions like the 14th Amendment to declare the debt ceiling unconstitutional.

But once the Democrats lost the House in the 2022 midterms, some sort of showdown was inevitable. And now Biden has used the brinkmanship to outmaneuver his adversaries and largely clear the next two years of his presidency of budgetary and debt fights. He’s come out stronger and the Republican caucus is turning on itself. That’s a win for him, both substantively and politically — a pretty big win at that.

Meanwhile, one can hope that if (and when) Democrats resume control of Congress and the presidency, changing the current debt limit foolishness will be a top priority (along with things such as the filibuster).

But let’s try to step back from this particular moment and see a broader picture. We are now almost two and a half years into the Biden administration and the conventional wisdom is that he is a weakened president. He is portrayed as old, tired, uninspirational, and only moderately effective. Many speculate that he still might be favored to beat Trump or DeStantis, but that’s mainly because, as the guessing goes, people will vote against them rather than for him.

According to poll numbers, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of enthusiasm for Biden even among Democrats, let alone Republicans or Independents. But one wonders what exactly is going on. Inflation is decreasing while the job market remains hot. At the same time Biden has achieved a remarkable number of legislative wins during the course of his term in office. And many of those are monumental accomplishments. For example, his climate measures are outperforming even the most optimistic predictions notwithstanding the concessions on a major pipeline. Oh, and he has also strengthened NATO and stood by Ukraine in the war against Russia.

One thing you learn covering Washington is that the place is incredibly insular and tends to tally success by who dominates each daily, or even the nanosecond, news cycle. But that is not how administrations are judged by history. Daily ephemera are quickly forgotten. Even weeks-long dramas over horse trading and sausage making fade soon after the votes are taken.

Presidents tend to be measured by the sweep of their accomplishments. And by that metric, the early verdict sure looks like Biden is in the midst of a very substantial, if not, indeed, consequential presidency. It’s only more notable when you consider the margins he has had to contend with in Congress.

For all the talk of Democrats being in disarray, it is the Republicans who are now in revolt. When it comes to measuring results — including in the 2022 midterms — MAGA nihilism has repeatedly crashed against the rocky shoals of Biden’s pragmatism.

A lot can still go wrong before the next election. The duration between now and November 2024 represents several eternities in politics. If Biden were to lose, his entire legacy would be rewritten. But as of right now, he has shown an ability to regularly play the hands he’s dealt with cunning and skill.

Don’t take his word for it. Just listen to how much the Republicans are complaining.


DAN RATHER AND ELLIOT KIRSCHNER
JUN 1

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Biden ate no one's lunch.
He, as we all know, just sat there and drooled and crapped his pants while his handlers did the work and then with fake news help put the narrative out about FJB negotiating.
Anyone notice how he was pretty much MIA even afterwards.
Why no impromptu press conference to answer questions on his skills at negotiating.
Finally McCarthy is pretty much a RINO and preserved the status quo that he loves.

BooIsMyCat Loc: Somewhere

LOL!

Seems ALL Republicans you disagree with are RINOs.

Do you see a pattern here yet?

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

Let's face Archie. The House Republicans got taken to school last night. I'll bet someone calls for Motion to Vacate and get rid of McCarthy. Then the Republicans can nominate MTG, so the face of the party will reflect more honestly on its collective IQ, which apparently failed to achieve triple digits.
You can call Biden stupid or incompetent all you want but he still came up on top.
You know about being on top, don't you? That's where your boyfriend usually is.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Like Romney and Cheney.
Yep there is a pattern.
Those who are a part of the swamp and run as Republicans because they are in Republican districts and could not win as a Democrat.
Here our LCRC refused to endorse the Republican because he is a RINO and that really pissed him off when we finished the endorsement votes.

BooIsMyCat Loc: Somewhere

So, because Cheney refused to lie for Chump, she's a RINO?

Pretty low standards for being a "true Republican", don't you think? All you have to do is LIE for your dictator wannabe.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Lie?

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

Lol neither side are anyone's lunch much less Biden. Why do you lie so much?

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

Dictator wannabe? Was it Trump who demanded that businesses shut down under mandate and that all government employees receive covid vaccines under mandates or lose your jobs? Nope, those were Democrats including the Biden, so who is it that is really the wannabe dictator?

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

You probably didn't notice but mandatory vaccinations have been in existence for many years. You can't send your kids to school without vaccinations. You can't serve in the armed forces without vaccinations. You can't even work in healthcare without vaccinations.
If you want to talk about authoritarians, you need to ask the questions:
1. Who is banning books in schools?
2. Who is mandating that women cannot have abortions?
3. Who keeps insisting this is a "Christian Nation"?
4. Who wants to restrict voting by passing laws to hinder turnout?
5. Who had a President in office who openly stated that he wanted to be President for Life?
6. Who supports gerrymandering voting districts to favor their party?
7. Who passed 24 state bills to interfere with or change the way votes are counted?
I could go on but I know Republicans have very short attention spans and are probably half asleep by now.

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

Lol mostly BS, also just because their has been mandated does not mean it’s right, it’s still a form of a dictatorship which democrats support. Many books and materials are banned from schools like the Bible, should we mandate bibles in schools? Should be allow pornographic materials in public schools? Should be allow magazines and books promoting the sales of guns and AK-47’s? Do you ever just think about what you post before you post your BS? Not even gong to address your other BS lies.

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

Richard,
Get out of the garage, you're breathing too much carbon monoxide and it shows.
BTW You might want to invest in Grammerly. It's free and you definitely need it.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

#2, Banning abortions is no longer federal issue as the Constitution prohibits it from getting involved.
So the abortion issue is what free people decide state by state.
Banning good books like DrSeuss and Mark Twains books is the sole purvue of the democrats.
Americans want nasty porno and perverted books taken out of 1st grade class rooms while people like you demand that they force these little children to read and then praise.

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

Your definition of free is a bit screwed up.
If the state passes a law that all males must get vasectomies, would you consider that freedom?
Please list what schools have porno books available to 1st-grade students.
Speaking of "praising", it is you and your ilk that grooms children to believe in the power of an invisible man that lives in the sky.
You are truly a deluded soul. I'd pray to the invisible man for you but I'm not a believer in fairy tales.

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

You always seem to bring about really stupid counter arguments.