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Originally Posted by sebastian_dangerfield
Did he really fuck up the optics? Or are these criticisms those of people paying way more attention to weedy details than Biden's targeted audience?
I think Biden suffered no loss, and enjoyed possible gain, from his approach.
It was designed to satisfy the most progressive wing of his party, which it did. It also provided a reprieve to tons of poor people in Trumpland, who may now feel a bit more love for Joe and the Democratic Party generally. The fact that conservative media attacked the extension as unconstitutional also makes Biden look like a hero who stuck his neck out for the little guy.
The crowd of people hand-wringing over Joe allegedly ignoring the rule of law is tiny in comparison to the voters who benefited from the delay.
What he did may be cynical, arguably an elevation of politics over duty. But in a moment where the rule of law seems increasingly malleable and more voluntary than compulsory, doesn't Joe have a solid argument he's just doing as one does when one is in Rome?
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Yeah, Biden is increasingly looking like just a good ordinary Joe to most Americans. It's a pretty good look.
The smartest thing he does is manage to piss off and please everyone in roughly equal quantities. If you're a progressive, you have a few things where he's pissed you off and a few things where he's pleased you; same if you're middle of the road. Even conservatives like some of what he does, especially the fact that he pisses off people they don't like regularly.
