Biden's second Year .

I can’t believe it’s only been a year of Biden…how did he survive ? President Joe Biden’s biggest challenges as he prepares to enter the second year of his presidency.  (1)>>His first State of the Union address is on the 25th. That's going to be interesting. I wonder if CNN and WaPo will have live, by-the-minute fact-checkers working it like they have the last few years. Feels like a full term, to me.It's a daunting series of challenges as Biden gets set for his second year in office.(1.2)>>The idea that we have three more to go is really frightening. As bad as it is now, it’s going to be at least three times worse than that, by 2024. We better come out en masse for the 2022 elections, if we hope to have any chance of keeping him from destroying the republic. In FiveThirtyEight’s average of polls, Biden’s approval is down to 42.9 percent, with his disapproval rating up to 50.7 percent. It’s obviously not good to be nearly 8 points underwater, but with historical context, Biden’s situation looks even worse. Biden’s approval rating is already lower than Barack Obama’s and Bill Clinton’s were just before their disastrous 2010 and 1994 midterms — Obama’s approval was at 45 percent, and Clinton’s was at 47.2 percent. Democrats lost 63 House of Representatives seats in 2010 and 54 seats in 1994. Other examples can be cited, including the ailing world economy and rampant crime and violence, which greatly affect the quality of life. Simply stated, much of this is the result of people’s insatiable pursuit of pleasure and wealth​—now. Polls compiled by Real Clear Politics underscore the heavy lift Biden will face, with those saying they believe the U.S. is on the “wrong track” overwhelmingly outnumbering respondents who say the U.S. is going in the right direction. The Washington Examiner reports:  (2)>>Biden at 11 months: ‘One of the worst years ever’. With Democrats fearing losses in November’s midterm elections, inflation and other economic issues are top-of-mind for voters by a large margin, a recent Wall Street Journal poll found. Worryingly for Biden and congressional Democrats, Americans see the GOP as better able to handle them, according to the survey. Republicans blasted the White House after last week’s consumer-price-index report showed the cost of living climbing again last 2021 November, driving the U.S. inflation rate to a nearly 40-year high. His second year might be even worse if you think last year was terrible .The $3.5 trillion proposal would vastly expand governmental social, environmental, educational and health care programs, all of which would be paid for by tax increases on the wealthiest Americans and American businesses. The proposal is staunchly opposed by Republicans, and moderate Democrats will likely support the reconciliation bill only if the bipartisan infrastructure bill is passed first — if even then.The biggest communications challenge, but the best kind of challenge a president can confront, is the sheer number of highly popular proposals that have been passed, and that Biden and Democrats are battling to pass.I really do think this is a problem. It’s great that they’re doing so much, but it seems like there are too many voices talking about too many issues, and the overall message gets a little diluted, and gives the GOP’s propaganda machine more targets to attack. I think it would be helpful if they just picked a few of the most important items to focus on, and really hit them hard. Democratic senators conceded there is no chance of passing the Build Back Better Act before the end of the year. Democrats,  are seeing rampant inflation, government overreach, (3)>>failings of government broadly and runaway debt mounting against them.  as they had hoped, Days before Christmas, Trump announced that he would hold a news conference on Jan. 6, the one-year anniversary of the riot at the U.S. Capitol that the former president is accused of inciting. Democrats expect that Trump will continue to be a thorn in Biden’s side, particularly as he gets closer to a potential announcement. Persistent inflation, a tough midterm-election outlook for Democrats and an ongoing grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic are shaping up to be some of President Joe Biden’s biggest challenges as he prepares to enter the second year of his presidency.

NOTES AND COMMENTS :

(1)>>His first State of the Union address is on the 25th. Biden inherited an economy he didn’t build, sundered by a pandemic he didn’t start. He oversaw the distribution of a vaccine he didn’t develop, and his inoculation campaign ran headfirst into vaccine resistance he couldn’t control. He was slammed with a viral mutation he didn’t ask for, then got punished by an international supply-chain mess, which slammed into domestic logistics problems overseen by private-sector transportation companies he can’t command, compounded by trucker shortages and port inefficiencies he couldn’t go back in time to fix. (1.2)>>The idea that we have three more to go is really frightening. Many Americans agree, the country is not on the right track. How did we become more divided than at any other time since the Civil War? The root cause of our discontent is politics. Some point to the election of Barack Obama as the beginning of the troubles, others see the origin lie in the Tea Party reaction and the rise of Birther populism that swept Donald Trump into the office of President. The contest will be decided by the choice between the narratives of Trump or Joe Biden, the candidate the country elected to unseat Trump. Both stand accused by their opponents of much wrongdoing, including criminal behavior. (2)>>Biden at 11 months: ‘One of the worst years ever’.  Everywhere we turn, criticisms of Biden's leadership abound. Global supply chain challenges exist along with historic levels of inflation, including skyrocketing prices for gas, food and other goods. And the COVID-19 culture war about masks, vaccination mandates and travel bans continues.   Political fallout is likely. It is now less than a year before the 2022 mid-term congressional elections. At present the Democrats control the presidency and both houses of Congress. The 2022 midterms are important because they will determine if ‘gridlock politics’ returns with the Republicans regaining control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate as well. In turn, Republican majorities in one or both Houses of Congress would put paid hopes Democrats entertain of passing President Biden’s continuing ‘Build Back Better’ legislative agenda.Can Biden recover? Historically speaking, it's challenging for presidents to bounce back after seeing their approval rating sink during their first-year in office. (3)>>failings of government broadly .More serious than this, however, is the fact that many of the difficulties that we are facing today are a direct result of the evident shortsightedness on the part of governments, agencies and private individuals. Many of the studies, conferences and special commissions often work at cross purposes in their vying for fundings and recognition. And, at best, they are merely tinkering with the symptoms. There is no government, agency or individual on earth wise, powerful and influential enough to plot the course and bring about the changes needed for a better future.