This blog may make you mad. It’s not my intention, but it is what it is. I say that because of the fundamental question I think we need to confront, especially given the mess we’re in as a country.
Is it possible that we Americans, including myself, are too spoiled to appreciate how good our individual lives are, and that our spoil-ness is playing a major role in the political conflicts and divisions we are experiencing as a nation?
One meaning of the word “spoiled” is “having a character that has been harmed by pampering.” The word “pampered” means to be overly indulged.
Put together, to be a spoiled person is to have been overly indulged to the point where we get upset when things don’t go our way or when things become harder than we want them to be.
I wonder if the way the majority of Americans view the job Joe Biden is doing is a sign that we have become a spoiled nation.
Here’s the reason I ask the question. After a little over two years in office, here are the accomplishments President Biden has racked up:
He has gotten passed the most significant economic legislation since FDR…
the most important infrastructure initiative since Eisenhower…
the most important health care work since LBJ, second only to Obamacare…
guided the nation to an economic recovery after the first pandemic in a century…
doing all of this while trying to deal with the first land war in Europe since Truman and facing the slimmest governing majority in Congress in a hundred years…
the deficit has been reduced by $1.7 trillion dollars, more than any president in history…
overall unemployment is at 3.4%, the lowest in 54 years and unemployment for black men is the lowest ever…
12 million jobs have been created, more in two years than any previous president has done in four.
Yet, in spite of these stunning achievements in a little over two years in office, more Americans disapprove than approve of the job he’s doing.
I’m not talking about how voters feel about Biden running for a second-term. I’m talking about their assessment of his presidency up to this point. According the FiveThirtyEight, 42% of the country approves of the job he’s done and 54% disapprove.
Only President Roosevelt who was facing a devastating world-wide depression achieved what Biden has done, and after one term FDR was rewarded with a second-term landslide re-election.
In his first term, Ronald Reagan did nothing for ordinary American families and had no major achievements in comparison to Biden’s first two years, yet when he ran for re-election in 1984 his poll numbers were the opposite of Joe Biden’s current numbers.
What is the difference between then and now?
What has changed? The first answer you might think of is that the presidents changed, and that is true. But is that the reason Biden’s poll numbers are down and the others were up?
I don’t think so. While who is president has changed, I suggest so have the American people, and those of us living now have become a bit soft, accustomed to an ease of life previous generations never enjoyed. Comfort is now the norm rather than the exception, as are exotic vacations, homes twice as large as they used to be, and income levels past Americans never dreamed were possible.
Perhaps the real difference between the job Biden is doing compared to Reagan or FDR, or any of his predecessors for that matter, is not Biden, but us, the American people.
Certainly, many Americans, too many, in fact, have not prospered since the Great Depression as the majority of us have, but, all things considered, life has become relatively easy for most of us, to the point where we look for someone to blame when life becomes the least bit hard or economically stressed.
I don’t think any of us can dispute that the facts say unequivocally that President Biden has done what he promised to do and provided the kind of stabilizing leadership the nation needed after the disastrous Trump years. What is more, he is a decent, honest man who believes reasonable compromise is the key to political effectiveness and who has raised America’s standing in the world with his international diplomacy.
Yet, more people disapprove of his leadership than approve.
Biden is not a perfect president, mainly because no such person exists. There may be reasons why you or I may not like him. But none of that is what matters. What does matter is evaluating how well President Biden is doing his job based on a fact-based standard that will yield a fair and accurate result.
If we rate him low, the question we should ask is if that assessment is about us or about him? At this point I would argue that the facts leave no doubt that the answer is the former rather than the latter.
In other words, what the majority of Americans say about Joe Biden as President says less about him and more about them than most of us have taken the time to consider.
That can’t be good for the country, especially in light of the possible alternatives. So maybe for the sake of the country, that ought to change.
linnposts.com 
Thank you for your article about President Biden, it was nice to read a list of his accomplishments. Biden is human like us all, but his experience has enabled him to do things to help the common man & our society. His advanced age may be considered as a positive and negative attribute and this is a certainty. In any case, I will choose, support and vote for a man of Biden’s character any day over his predecessor.
I am where you are, Mel. What Biden has accomplished cannot be separated from the man he is. Thanks for the comment.
Jan, I think the survey question is flawed. Approve/Disapprove is not a comprehensive option. Specifically, I disapprove of what Biden has done because he has not done enough! I know, I have high expectations. Some examples: How come DeJoy is still Postmaster? The Supreme Court should have been expanded. Don’t negotiate the debt ceiling. Use the 14th Amendment. Do more for Ukraine. Now I know the question is flawed, so I would answer Approve.
I’m sure you’re right, Roger, but FiveThirtyEight is usually more skilled in asking the right questions than most pollsters. That said, I hope the numbers are wrong, or at least will improve as the election draws closer.
excellent, when push comes to shove the people will rally around the true patriot, Biden.
I an hoping the same thing, Guy, but at this point with Trump even in the running makes me wonder what people could possibly be thinking.
Amen
Danke, Peggy.
Jan, my initial response to this blog is both significant concern and yes, anger! As you know, I have been perplexed and mystified as to why Biden’s numbers could be so low. But, if the title of this blog is the source of “our” problem, which I agree with you that it is, then “we” still have significant work to do prior to the November 2024 election (as we have said many times before).
So, I can only “hope” at this point that think tanks all over America are pondering this question. Because, if as his numbers suggest, the majority of Americans cannot see the results that we see, and if that will translate into a Biden defeat in 2024, we are doomed.
And to further prove your point, just yesterday Fareed Zakaria wrote an article in the Washington Post titled: “U.S.’S POLITICAL MADNESS IS TAKING PLACE AGAINST A BACKDROP OF ASTONISHING STRENGTH”.
https://fareedzakaria.com/columns/2023/5/26/uss-political-madness-is-taking-place-against-a-backdrop-of-astonishing-strength
To briefly summarize: a. The United States has recovered from the coronavirus pandemic faster than any major economy in the world and unemployment is stunningly low., b. Gross domestic product growth has grown at three times the average pace (as under President Donald Trump), real incomes are rising, manufacturing is booming, and inflation has eased for 10 straight months., c, Even the budget deficit, which was at 15.6 percent of GDP at the end of the Trump presidency, has dropped to 5.5 percent of GDP at the end of last year. d. The United States remains the world’s leader in business, especially in cutting-edge technology. (Chinese firms come first in shares of global profits in only 11 percent of sectors, but U.S. firms are ranked first in 74 percent of sectors.), e. Or look at artificial intelligence, which most agree is the bold new frontier of technology, likely to shape every industry. U.S. companies such as OpenAI, Microsoft and Google produce the best applications on the market, and a host of other new start-ups are surging forward. f. As Paul Scharre points out in a Foreign Affairs essay, “Of the top 15 institutions publishing deep learning research, 13 are American universities or corporate labs. Only one, Tsinghua University, is Chinese.”, g. In finance, despite the recent banking crisis, the biggest U.S. banks are now more dominant than they have ever been worldwide., h. Because of fracking and natural gas, the United States is now the world’s largest producer of liquid hydrocarbons. America’s ability to ship liquefied natural gas has made it an energy superpower, able to provide or cut off energy to countries around the world. Add to these traditional energy sources the dramatic ramp-up of green energy, thanks to the vast tax credits and incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act, and you have a picture of truly astonishing, comprehensive energy capacity. i, The U.S. military remains in a league of its own, far superior to those of its rivals in Russia or China., j. (I am adding my own thoughts on this one – Biden and the USofA have effectively responded to the world’s threat of anti-democratic tyrants and countries, to ignite a spark for the future of democracy).
What you and Zakaria are pointing out (actually shouting out), gives us reason to be perplexed and mystified!
So, I would like to dig a little deeper here with you and your readers to suggest, and solicit, reasons why his numbers have tanked:
1. You have offered that we are spoiled as a nation, and you ask “if our spoil-ness is playing a major role in the political conflicts and divisions we are experiencing as a nation”. I would answer an emphatic YES. And we are not just spoiled in our politics and our national divisiveness, we are spoiled in our white, male dominated, wealthy, privileged culture. And “they” now have the power to stymie any attempts to promote the common-good, and provide opportunities for the minority segment of our population. But this must mean that some/many minorities, and working-class people, and all outside the privileged white culture, must be either spoiled as well, or just plain ignorant. (The U. S. Census reports that whites will be the “minority class” of American citizens by the 2044 Census! – they are desperate, but they still have the power – this is why conservatives and Republicans will remain attached to Trump, unless …).
2. To me, a major factor that describes Biden’s dilemma is based around the concept of “identity politics”. The GOP has done a phenomenal job (with their massive right-wing medi outlets and powerful political donors) of spewing out lies and hate. This has spilled over to some, if not many liberals. Biden is viewed as “weak” and as “old”. He will have a much more difficult time of turning this around.
3. On the issue of Roosevelt and Reagan vs. Biden, and to answer further your question: “What is the difference between now and then?”, Americans were a homogeneous group back then, all rallying around the victory of WWII, prosperity overcoming the depression, and the success of “The New Deal”. This created a national pride that was more powerful than politics. Then Reagan capitalized on the new power of TV and the Movie industry, and won the great “popularity contest” to become America’s darling for the future. Today, with “The Great Divide” and conflict replacing success, there is no “darling” for us to turn to.
4. I think Roger’s responding points to you that Biden has not done enough, and there were high expectations, is a major contributor to Biden’s low approval rating. He was essentially elected president by amazingly strong black vote at the last minute. And, since then while talking a great game, he has for the most part, left his “wokeness” at the front door. He must re-establish a renewed trust with black voters to get to the finish line. And, with his wonderful desire to create bi-partisan legislation, and his move to a much stronger “center”, many liberals are sending him a strong signal – “you have gone too far right”.
5. The effect of the far-right, extremist philosophies and bizarre actions has created such a chaotic world for us to live in. “We” are just not used to all of this. And quite frankly, we have no idea what to do about it. The easiest one for “them” to blame, is Joe Biden. He has become “the culprit”. We either need quickly to create a new darling, or we must convince a majority of Americans that he is not the culprit that he is made out to be.
6. And finally, a few days ago, I read an opinion article by Daniel Allen titled: “We have hit rock bottom in civic education. Can we turn this around?” In it she references a January survey by Morning Consult that revealed generation-by-generation declines in a sense of pride in America”. It states: “about three-quarters of baby boomers say they’re proud to live in the United States, but only 54 percent of Gen Xers, 36 percent of millennials and 16 percent of Gen Z members do.” WOW. If this does not define for us where we must put our attention in the next 18 months, I don’t know what will define it for us!
Jan, I apologize for taking so much space in this blog. But, I would welcome from anyone within shouting distance, ideas on how we can turn this around.
John Hamerski
John, there is a lot here to think about. Your in-depth analysis of why Biden’s numbers are so low expand on what I said in a comprehensive way. On this weekend where we remember the few who sacrificed themselves for the many, I wonder how many of us today love this country enough to sacrifice anything at all. Thanks for taking this subject seriously as your response shows. I hope others will respond.