President Biden’s Ratings

REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Many of us have read the statistics related to President Biden’s low approval rating. This article in particular laid out some facts and figures. A couple of the issues mentioned:

• Ukraine: 47% of respondents disapprove of how it is being handled.
• Economic matters: Three-quarters of respondents rated the US economy negatively.
• Handling of the coronavirus pandemic, 44% approve; 50% disapprove.
• Strong leadership: 59% say no; 36% say yes.

The poll also reported on two Republican attack lines: that Biden is not tough enough to stand up to Putin and that at 79 he is not mentally sharp enough to meet the demands of the job — with partisan divides evident.

Overall, 55% of respondents disapproved of Biden’s overall performance, with 44% strongly disapproving.

What is YOUR personal opinion on the job that Biden is doing?

• Are the factors affecting his approval ratings justified?
• What is he currently doing that he could do better?
• What does he need to do between now and the 2024 election to raise his approval rating?

And a final question — unrelated to the article — would you vote for Biden in 2024? If not, do you have someone in mind that you would like to see in the running? I realize it’s early, but we know the Republicans are already pushing certain individuals so perhaps it’s time for Democrats to do the same.

A Former Ukrainian Speaks

On the front page of our newspaper was an article about a local woman who was born in Lviv (western Ukraine) and who has a son still living there with his family. She talked about how she watched in horror as Russia started their advance … and that she is terrified for her loved ones.

But she is also angry.

Watching Putin give his speech made her furious. She says he is “sick” and is like a “monkey with a grenade.” She sees him as worse than Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Ladin put together. “Every sentence is a lie.”

She’s also unhappy with Biden and places some of the blame on him. Although he announced new sanctions and that he would send troops to nearby NATO countries, in her opinion, that’s not enough.

She believes the U.S. should stop buying oil from Russia every day. “We can use our own oil. We don’t need to spend even one dollar for Russian oil and gas. We have plenty of resources here.”

She also says that the U.S. should block Russian communications and cut off Putin’s intelligence.

Of course there was more in the article, but I wondered what readers think about her suggestions. Is she speaking strictly from emotion … or is there some validity to her suggestions?

As I mentioned in my last post on this subject, I’m a neophyte when it comes to “world affairs,” so I’m depending on those of you who are knowledgeable in such matters to provide information, studied opinions, and valid evidence.

Fear?

In my early reading of the news today — above and beyond the Ukraine situation — this headline caught my eye …

2 Prosecutors Leading N.Y. Trump Inquiry Resign

According to the news article, they “quit the proceedings amid signs that the move on Trump is stalling as it reaches a make-or-break moment.”

I immediately thought to myself … Hmmm. So the investigation is reaching a “make-or-break moment.” Does this mean things are getting too close for Trump’s comfort?

And as far as “stalling” … isn’t this what Trump has been doing since the beginning of these investigations?

Further, the article I was reading added the following:

Anonymous sources told the Times that Bragg, who took over the investigation when he began as DA in January, had indicated that he was uncertain about taking the case to the next level.

Uncertain? Or SCARED?

The article goes on to say that it was always going to be a “tough call” whether or not to pursue Trump all the way to court because, as a criminal proceeding, the standard of proof is high.

This may be true. I’m certainly not versed in Law. But I can’t help but wonder if there’s more to this “resignation” than meets the eye. 

Like maybe Trump has put his goonies GOONS to work?

What do you think? 

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Here is a link to the article I read.

The Ukraine Crisis

In her latest newsletter, Heather asks a question related to the Ukraine crisis that I thought would be interesting to ask as a standalone to see how my readers would respond.

Prior to her question, she wrote about how in 2019, Trump tried to skew the 2020 election by withholding congressionally appropriated funding for Ukraine to support its defense against Russia — and how Republican senators declined to convict him of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

With this background in mind, she mused about how the Republican Party will respond to the Ukraine crisis.

She then went on to ask this question …

And how will America as a whole respond?

What are your thoughts? IF Putin does carry forward his plans to invade Ukraine, what do you think America should do? Biden talks about sanctions, but will this be enough? Many feel it will be. Or should the U.S. demonstrate its military power?

Let me add that I’m a neophyte when it comes to world crises … and can only sit back and watch what happens. Sure, I might have an opinion (like I tend to agree with some others that Russia is bluffing), but I definitely have no background, knowledge, education, or training to offer an informed opinion.

But I think some of YOU can. I think some of you have followed this crisis from the start and have some strong opinions on how it will play out.

So here’s your chance. Share your thoughts.

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Image by Amber Clay from Pixabay

Logical Inconsistency?

Just for the “halibut,” I submitted my post (slightly edited) on “The Virus and Abortion” to the reader’s viewpoint section of our local newspaper.

I knew without a doubt I would receive kickback.

And I did.

Most were simply anti-abortion rights defenders, but the most recent contributor claimed my viewpoint suffered from “logical inconsistency” … ??

See what you think.

The [local newspaper] published a letter on Feb. 15 (“Is this correlation as tragically real as it feels?”). *Note: this is the title provided by the newspaper* The letter suggested that people who are COVID anti-vaxx and anti-abortion are suffering from a logical inconsistency.

There is no logical inconsistency between those views whatsoever.

Both views hold to the principle that it is morally wrong to force a medical procedure on an unconsenting person. Where is the inconsistency? Anti-vaxxers insist that it is wrong to force a vaccine on an unconsenting person.  The two positions are perfectly consistent. Both say that nobody has a lawful right to compel another person to undergo an invasive medical procedure involuntarily.

Of course, the pro-life and “pro-choice” movements disagree whether a fetus is a “person”. But nobody disagrees that a fetus never consents to the procedure. The fetus has no-choice.

In any case, to suggest that the pro-life and anti-vaxx positions are somehow inconsistent with each other is a falsehood and a straw man intended to distract from the real issues.

From my perspective, the writer digressed from the point of my letter (a woman’s right vs. an anti-vaxxer’s right) to interject his point: the “choice” (right) of the unborn. (“Pro-lifers insist that it is wrong to force a life-terminating abortion on an unconsenting (unborn) person.”)

And he accuses me of “logical inconsistency”??!!? Am I missing something?