this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2024
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President Biden’s policy agenda is incredibly popular, much more popular than his opponent’s. But Biden the man? Not so much.

The question now is whom to blame for the approval gap between the president and his agenda: voters, the media or Biden himself.

Democrats have long argued that their policies are more popular than those of Republicans. In a recent blind test conducted by YouGov, that was unmistakably true. The polling organization asked Americans what they thought about major policies proposed by Biden and Donald Trump without specifying who proposed them. The idea was to see how the public perceived ideas when stripped of tribal associations.

Biden’s agenda was the winner, hands down.

Of the 28 Biden proposals YouGov asked about, 27 were supported by more people than opposed them. Impressively, 24 received support from more than 50 percent of respondents.

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[–] audiomodder@lemmy.blahaj.zone 50 points 4 months ago (1 children)

To be clear: these were policy proposals, not actual policies put in place by either candidate.

[–] Ranvier@sopuli.xyz 40 points 4 months ago (5 children)

That's what this articles is about, but policies passed during the Biden admin have also been popular, though according to these sources some not well advertised enough.

https://navigatorresearch.org/one-year-after-passage-the-inflation-reduction-act-maintains-broad-support/

https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/12/politics/bipartisan-infrastructure-bill-poll-support/index.html

https://apnews.com/article/poll-ukraine-aid-congress-b772c9736b92c0fbba477938b047da2f

I tried but it's harder to find polling on very specific executive department actions and regulations though, like the SAVE student loan repayment plan changes for example. So harder to say on those.

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[–] exanime@lemmy.world 46 points 4 months ago (3 children)

It doesn't matter. The average voter is functionally illiterate.

They'd vote for the candidate "they'd have a beer with". They can't understand anything about policy

[–] MimicJar@lemmy.world 23 points 4 months ago (2 children)

To be fair "have a beer with" is about trust.

If I can't sit down with you, have a beer, and enjoy myself, I can't trust you. A president is going to encounter unknown challenges and I need to trust them to solve it.

That being said Trump fails that test immediately. There is no version of "having a beer" with Trump where I could trust him.

Biden however? If you asked the average American what they know about Biden one of the top three answers is "having a beer", it's called "grabbing an ice cream" but the principal is the same.

[–] exanime@lemmy.world 14 points 4 months ago (1 children)

To be fair "have a beer with" is about trust.

As evaluated by a college freshman. I can think of a ton of people I have encountered whom I have trusted with money, repairs, my health and I would not enjoy a beer with them

I understand the question is to reduce a complex issue to a binary answer; but I'm afraid too many people take it literally and cannot evaluate a candidate any further

[–] MimicJar@lemmy.world 8 points 4 months ago

I completely agree, it's a simple metric and one that charisma plays a role in. If that's all you use to judge someone it's going to be a small part of the story.

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[–] WolfLink@sh.itjust.works 15 points 4 months ago

I’m pretty sure I’d have a better time having a beer with Biden, even if he’s asleep, than Trump.

[–] hark@lemmy.world 14 points 4 months ago (2 children)

If the average voter is so stupid, why can't the democrats figure out how to appeal to them? Are democrats just too smart? Well I guess we're going to smart our way into fascism then!

[–] timewarp@lemmy.world 10 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

First, Democrats like to think the other side is stupid. Trump is not stupid. Trump is malicious. Democrats are stupid when they underestimate their enemies.

Trump is a product of religious nationalism whose leaders have joined together and confirmed what many Democrats have known for decades, that a majority of churches in America are nothing more than a cult.

Trump represents that group who wants authority to brainwash and traumatize a large percentage of American people into their cult. They want to integrate religion and law so that you don't have a choice anymore about what you believe and neither will your kids.

The leaders of the Trump cult don't actually believe in the Bible. Trump is just a tool to maintain their wealth and power. You can't maintain a cult when you're followers are able to think rationally.

Biden is being selfish. He knows the polls are showing he's going to lose. He knows people never voted for him, but instead they voted no to Trump (who represents religious nationalism). Biden should have never ran a second term. He was never popular. The only thing that was popular was Trump not winning.

If the polls are showing the cult has suckered more people in and he's going to lose, maybe we should find a candidate that tbose considering joining the cult can relate to... That gives them hope, inspiration, and that appears strong and admirable on the outside.

[–] exanime@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Trump is not stupid. Trump is malicious

Trump is both... If Trump were as smart as a hamster, we would all be fucked by now.

Trump is hailed up by smarter people who know anonymity is power and realize they can achieve their goals while putting Trump in the spotlight. Trump is so dumb and so narcissistic, he is happy to tag along for the ride

Imo, later (sooner already passed) Trump will wind up assassinated or in some form of house arrest while his family will be ultra fucked. Unfortunately, we will all pay the price of not stoping his backers earlier on

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[–] InternetUser2012@midwest.social 29 points 4 months ago (19 children)

He's only unpopular because of bots, trolls, and the likes of fox "news". He's what AMERICA needed after having a child with 34 felonies ruling by incompetence and revenge for four sad years.

[–] A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world 17 points 4 months ago (1 children)

hes mostly unpopular because the media dosnt cover 90% of the shit he does, and what they do cover they cover vaguely and don't credit him, because the media is heavily invested in another trump win because trump winning brings in ratings as people tune in every day to see what new horror he has released upon society, like they did in his first term.

Broadcast media has too much vested in a trump win to ever give biden appropriate coverage.

Its why all teh coverage of the debate was "BIDEN OLD, MUST QUIT" and almost nothing about trumps lies or the CNN moderator just letting trump go.

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[–] Objection@lemmy.ml 6 points 4 months ago (13 children)

Just curious, what percentage of Americans do you think are under the influence of Russian bots? Because roughly a third voted for Trump and roughly a third didn't vote, add in third party voters and I'm pretty sure that would mean a supermajority of Americans are Russian assets, which is a fascinating perspective.

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[–] enbyecho@lemmy.world 6 points 4 months ago (2 children)

He’s only unpopular because of bots, trolls, and the likes of fox “news”.

And a years-long campaign by Republicans to tap into people's prejudices against old people. Never mind they'd struggle to name one actual policy position they'd disagree and haven't bothered to learn of all the things they'd wholeheartedly support if they were just aware of them.

[–] alcoholicorn@lemmy.ml 8 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

There is some irony in that every time I talk to conservative friends/family about the things I loath Biden for, they're reasons they should love him, if only the media reported on it.

He's weak on the border? The one he tried to close, but was blocked by republicans, so he went around congress to illegally kick out refugees?

There's too many brown people? He's deported more people than Trump did.

He's left Israel out to dry? He sent everything that was allocated to them, and more, and even bombed Yemen to support the genocide of Gaza.

Abortion? Who exactly is letting Roe lie dead?

Welfare? He ended covid protections, child poverty skyrocketed.

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[–] Sightline@lemmy.ml 7 points 4 months ago (3 children)
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[–] demizerone@lemmy.world 22 points 4 months ago (12 children)

America wants socialism, but our two parties and their donors rather have fascism.

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[–] retrospectology@lemmy.world 20 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

I support the policies he took from the Sanders campaign to appear more progressive than he is, but he dropped most of those as soon as he got elected.

Almost like we should've elected someone who actually had an established history of fighting for those policies, and not someone who adapted them in a stunted form to win an election.

Corporations love his pork barrel spending though, yeah.

[–] Milk_Sheikh@lemm.ee 17 points 4 months ago (4 children)

The reporters sensed it instantly. Even though the 90-minute debate was only seconds old, they felt it was already over... He had not been warm. He had not been likable. He had not shown emotion. He had merely shown principle.

In 1988 Michael Dukakis had his campaign torpedoed by poor debate performance when ~~asked~~ ambushed with a hard gotcha question.

Another candidate might have survived that first question and answer. But not Dukakis. It devastated him because his coldness was already an issue.

And it is the same with Biden. The biggest anxiety of both his supporters and haters was demonstrated on national television. How do I defend that when arguing with people about who to vote for in the election?

[–] TempermentalAnomaly@lemmy.world 10 points 4 months ago

This quote from the article really hits home:

Afterward, his aides would try to explain that he had been sick. He had seen two doctors before the debate. He had a fever, a virus. He wasn't himself.

But while he may have been sick, he was himself. That was the problem.

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[–] NevermindNoMind@lemmy.world 15 points 4 months ago (1 children)

President is two jobs. One is policy driven. One is being a leader. All president's have to do both, but arguably the latter is more important as president's can leave policy to aides and congress (and formerly the federal agencies, but that's gone now). The president is a communicator. Yes most voters like Biden policies, but they don't know they are Biden policies because Biden does not communicate that. In fact, in many congressional districts the Dem candidates are outperforming Biden while running on the same policies. You can't blame voters already burdened with living in this capitalist hell hole for not devoting hours into researching candidate policies.

In presidential politics, at the end of the day the buck stops with the candidate. Campaign aids and paid advertising and surrogates on TV can only do so much. You need the candidate to deliver, to speak directly to the voters, to make the case for why voters should choose them and their policies over the alternative. Biden is incapable of that.

It's Bidens fault.

[–] simplejack@lemmy.world 19 points 4 months ago

Biden is a solid administrator, but a terrible campaigner / salesman. And the older he gets, the worse he gets at the latter. He’s always been bad at it, but these days he’s extra bad at it.

[–] Psycoder@lemmy.world 12 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Is this a joke? Doesn't he need to be popular to win "most important election of our life time"?

I knew there was going to be damage control from DNC. I just didn't guess their damage control would be insane.

[–] MutilationWave@lemmy.world 7 points 4 months ago

I don't think this is damage control. I mean maybe the timing of the article is but we've known for a long time that progressive policies are favored by a majority of Americans but progressive politicians aren't.

Not that Biden is progressive. But next to conservative regression anything will look progressive.

[–] TankovayaDiviziya@lemmy.world 10 points 4 months ago

Doesn't matter if you have zero charisma and really bad PR. Obama and FDR were popular because they have both.

[–] mlg@lemmy.world 10 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Mmm yes his policy on Israel has been a real acceptable one.

No complaints from the public whatsoever.

None at all.

[–] flying_gel@lemmy.world 13 points 4 months ago (1 children)

It might not but since you effectively have a binary choice, which Israeli policy do you prefer, Bidens or Trump.

if it's really a tie, then start looking at the other policies to see which is the lesser of the two evils.

[–] Zaktor@sopuli.xyz 14 points 4 months ago

This whole goddamned news cycle is about how we don't have a binary choice. Or more accurately we could have a different binary choice. Biden isn't locked in. If the primary argument to vote is "Trump is worse", then it's not important that Biden be the candidate on the other side.

[–] blazera@lemmy.world 9 points 4 months ago (2 children)

The problem is the proposals are either dropped, or poisoned. Like he campaigned hard on unions, then he butchered rail workers bargaining power. He campaigned on renewable energy, then signed into law mandated sales of federal land for oil and gas extraction. The affordable care act has an unintended flaw making millions of Americans too poor to qualify for any kind of assistance getting health insurance, he campaigned on fixing that gap. Instead he raised how wealthy you can be and still qualify for assistance. He's raised defense spending, dumped a half trillion more on the US highway system, and deported way more immigrants and shutdown asylum.

[–] MegaUltraChicken@lemmy.world 33 points 4 months ago (6 children)

Like he campaigned hard on unions, then he butchered rail workers bargaining power

It should be mentioned that the people he appointed to the NLRB have been hugely positive for union activity and power. Even with the railroad thing (which they did end up getting concessions on) Biden is still the most pro union president in our lifetimes.

He campaigned on renewable energy, then signed into law mandated sales of federal land for oil and gas extraction.

They also passed the largest climate bill ever.

affordable care act has an unintended flaw making millions of Americans too poor to qualify for any kind of assistance getting health insurance, he campaigned on fixing that gap

The GOP has blocked every single attempt at improving the ACA and has tried to repeal it dozens of times.

He's raised defense spending

Can you point to a someone who hasn't? Congress routinely increases military spending without the military even requesting more funding.

I get that half measures don't feel like wins, but when half the government is controlled by people who want to destroy it, they are. If we want sweeping legislation that fixes more issues, we have to strip enough power from the GOP to make it possible. Until we do that, half measures are really all we can hope for. We elect people because of their platform, and then we don't give them enough votes to pass legislation. I'm not saying the Democrats/Biden are flawless here, but we have to live in reality.

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