From a morning newsletter in the inbox: According to the new NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll, as provided to us by NPR: Biden’s approval with all adults is 46% and with registered voters, it’s 49%. The last time he was at 46% was in March of 2022. He hasn’t been at 49% since the Afghanistan withdrawal in August 2021.
I've been thinking about Churchill since reading Biden's latest speeches... Biden has found his voice in this campaign against Putin, against autocracy, just as Churchill finally found his stride in addressing the horrors of Hitler. I believe Biden is calling out in a way that we've not heard from an American leader since Martin Luther King. I believe we're witnessing a legend in the making, one that can turn the tides that have been threatening our democracy at home.
Jeff, I have been thinking about Biden along the same lines. Churchill was unexpectedly the right man for his moment, and I believe he, too, was considered old and washed up. When I was little I listened to recordings of Churchill’s speeches rallying the English. Biden is no Churchill in tone and cadence. But, lately, he has spoken with a similar conviction and certainty that the forces of good will triumph over evil that echo that rhetorical master. The SOTU performance and trip to Ukraine - both came at me like quick 1-2 punches. Both were unexpected and astonishing in their own ways. And have given me hope that Biden just may have what it takes to be the leader - at home and abroad - we need in this perilous moment.❤️🤍💙
Churchill was indeed "old and washed-up" and considered something of a "crank" on the topic of Hitler, who he had been railing against from the back benches of Parliament since 1935. He was 65 when he became Prime Minister, and was not wanted by the Tory Establishment or George VI (who had been as much a toady to Hitler as was his older brother, until - events).
William Manchester's "The Last Lion" is a good history of Churchill-in-exile.
"Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years," a 1981 miniseries, is worth checking out.
"Darkest Hour" with Gary Oldman unrecognizable in makeup as Churchill, tells the story of the month between his taking the PM and giving the "Blood Toil Tears and Sweat" speech. Also very good.
And yes, there are "men for their time," - Churchill, FDR, and now Biden, whose previous "weaknesses" that kept them from power were the exact strengths they needed when they came to office.
Thanks for a summary of the awakening of somnolent Democrats. Yes, the trip to Kiyv is one for the history books. That is what heros are made of----a man who walks openly down the street in Kyiv with Pres. Zelensky, past the gleaming golden domes of the Cathedral in a war-torn, suffering land that is painfully resisting Evil.
Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act
State of the Union address
staff comes from the party’s younger, more liberal wing.
agenda that reflects today’s Democratic Party
the largest infrastructure, climate, science and technology investments in a generation. Unemployment is 3.4 percent — its lowest level since 1969. Inflation is coming down.
rallied a steady coalition against Russia and helped Ukraine keep its resistance alive
policies to make America and its allies less dependent on Chinese manufacturing and to actively slow China’s technological progress.
TWO STRONGEST YEARS OF JOB GROWTH IN HISTORY
MORE THAN 40 MILLION BORROWERS STAND TO BENEFIT FROM STUDENT DEBT RELIEF
NEARLY 11 MILLION JOBS CREATED SINCE 2021
TAKEN OVER 100 ACTIONS TO LOWER HOUSEHOLD ENERGY COSTS BY $100 PER YEAR
HELPED BRING GAS PRICES DOWN MORE THAN $1.60 FROM THEIR SUMMER 2022 PEAK
SIGNED THE MOST SIGNIFICANT GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION LEGISLATION IN NEARLY 30 YEARS
INCREASED THE MAXIMUM VALUE OF PELL GRANTS BY $900
3.5% UNEMPLOYMENT RATE — THE LOWEST IN 50 YEARS
750,000 NEW MANUFACTURING JOBS
NEAR A RECORD LOW UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR HISPANICS
NEAR A RECORD LOW UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS
RECORD LOW UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS ARE SAVING $800 PER YEAR ON HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE
$15 MINIMUM WAGE FOR FEDERAL WORKERS AND CONTRACTORS
FULLY VACCINATED 79% OF AMERICAN ADULTS AGAINST COVID-19
LED THE WORLD IN A HISTORIC RELEASE OF STRATEGIC RESERVES
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS IN ALL 50 STATES, D.C., TERRITORIES, AND THROUGHOUT TRIBAL NATIONS
OVER 16 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS RECEIVING LOWER COST OR FREE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET THROUGH THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM (WH.GOV)
'And I am absolutely certain that (Biden's wartime trip to Ukraine) yesterday - the most momentous Presidential trip since August 9-10, 1941, when FDR who had secretly boarded the cruiser Augusta and departed to meet Churchill aboard the Prince of Wales in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, to sign the Atlantic Charter that set forth the Anglo-American goals for why they would fight World War II...' (TC)
Tom, knowing of your great loss, I have to share this with you (all). Written by our greatest local poet, our present Governor - friend and poet herself - Janet Mills shared this with a few of us here this morning. We are holding you in the Light.
Dirge Without Music BY EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY
I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.
So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind:
Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned
With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.
Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.
Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.
A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew,
A formula, a phrase remains,—but the best is lost.
The answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love,—
They are gone. They are gone to feed the roses. Elegant and curled
Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not approve.
More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world.
Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.
Very good news, thanks for reporting it. His political enemies should be afraid of what he is made of but are too ignorant to fully understand the power behind doing what is right.
Biden turned out to be the person we needed at this moment.
I haven't been this happy with a president since JFK. (And I was all of 7 when he was elected.)
Funny, our two oldest leaders have been our best over the last few years, the other being Nancy Pelosi (but everyone reading this knew that). It's so nice to be getting such good news.
Yay— personally I love Biden. He is a decent man doing a great job because of his wealth of experience and I like to give his wonderful wife Jill credit too. We need him.
I keep reminding myself that Mr Biden is doing the job of President, everyday as well as conditions permit him to do, neither fomenting at rallies to boost his ego or to raise his war chest. I remind others that doing government, like science, is not done in full face of every clown in the audience that knows the answer before the job is done or all the data has been collected an analyzed.
Full transparency is now the big thing otherwise someone is hiding something. A huge mistake. If you don't have all of the relevant and available facts, sit down until there is an adult in the room with the experience, context, and ability to present what is known and ask good questions after you understand their explanation. Any JaBob who has ever taken a researh class can tell your that the answer or thing you are trying to figure out is never found on page 1 or after you ask your first really best question. Mr Biden's administration I find doing the work, not leading conversations with every hypothesis MSM or some aide might want to raise. Some of us really aren't equipped to deal with real-time data, plucked from in the midst of a Q/A, and thinking the response is an informed and complete answer.
The right wing will continue to be impervious to Biden's success. Their hold card is their preference for Putin over Joe simply because he's Joe's and our adversary. It's a new height in collective spite.
Biden’s instincts and his experience both domestically and abroad make him a formidable leader. He can feel in his gut, the plight of the average guy, cuz thats we he came from and where he worked yo remain connected. Trump and his Ruffians cannot buy that, nor can their backers steal it
Geez where did the time go? I usually read you first thing upon posting. Oh yeah, had to walk the dog, argue with a dishonest roofer, go to my shrink. All the while, I want to shout out, Damn, I sure love Biden!
I've been thinking about Churchill since reading Biden's latest speeches... Biden has found his voice in this campaign against Putin, against autocracy, just as Churchill finally found his stride in addressing the horrors of Hitler. I believe Biden is calling out in a way that we've not heard from an American leader since Martin Luther King. I believe we're witnessing a legend in the making, one that can turn the tides that have been threatening our democracy at home.
If only Rupert were on our side, and the MAGAts, of course.
Biden, deceptively cunning politician that he has become, seems to have taken just the right steps to force Rupert to be his megaphone.
Jeff, I have been thinking about Biden along the same lines. Churchill was unexpectedly the right man for his moment, and I believe he, too, was considered old and washed up. When I was little I listened to recordings of Churchill’s speeches rallying the English. Biden is no Churchill in tone and cadence. But, lately, he has spoken with a similar conviction and certainty that the forces of good will triumph over evil that echo that rhetorical master. The SOTU performance and trip to Ukraine - both came at me like quick 1-2 punches. Both were unexpected and astonishing in their own ways. And have given me hope that Biden just may have what it takes to be the leader - at home and abroad - we need in this perilous moment.❤️🤍💙
Churchill was indeed "old and washed-up" and considered something of a "crank" on the topic of Hitler, who he had been railing against from the back benches of Parliament since 1935. He was 65 when he became Prime Minister, and was not wanted by the Tory Establishment or George VI (who had been as much a toady to Hitler as was his older brother, until - events).
William Manchester's "The Last Lion" is a good history of Churchill-in-exile.
"Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years," a 1981 miniseries, is worth checking out.
"Darkest Hour" with Gary Oldman unrecognizable in makeup as Churchill, tells the story of the month between his taking the PM and giving the "Blood Toil Tears and Sweat" speech. Also very good.
And yes, there are "men for their time," - Churchill, FDR, and now Biden, whose previous "weaknesses" that kept them from power were the exact strengths they needed when they came to office.
Thanks; I didn't know about the 1981 miniseries. Looking forward to seeing it.
Brava, oh, gilded one!
Thanks for a summary of the awakening of somnolent Democrats. Yes, the trip to Kiyv is one for the history books. That is what heros are made of----a man who walks openly down the street in Kyiv with Pres. Zelensky, past the gleaming golden domes of the Cathedral in a war-torn, suffering land that is painfully resisting Evil.
Age, Vigor, Message, Accomplishments: His Record
He won the Democratic primary,
He won the general election
governing is a marathon.
fumbles words and phrases
bipartisanship
stuck in the past
Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act
State of the Union address
staff comes from the party’s younger, more liberal wing.
agenda that reflects today’s Democratic Party
the largest infrastructure, climate, science and technology investments in a generation. Unemployment is 3.4 percent — its lowest level since 1969. Inflation is coming down.
rallied a steady coalition against Russia and helped Ukraine keep its resistance alive
policies to make America and its allies less dependent on Chinese manufacturing and to actively slow China’s technological progress.
TWO STRONGEST YEARS OF JOB GROWTH IN HISTORY
MORE THAN 40 MILLION BORROWERS STAND TO BENEFIT FROM STUDENT DEBT RELIEF
NEARLY 11 MILLION JOBS CREATED SINCE 2021
TAKEN OVER 100 ACTIONS TO LOWER HOUSEHOLD ENERGY COSTS BY $100 PER YEAR
HELPED BRING GAS PRICES DOWN MORE THAN $1.60 FROM THEIR SUMMER 2022 PEAK
SIGNED THE MOST SIGNIFICANT GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION LEGISLATION IN NEARLY 30 YEARS
INCREASED THE MAXIMUM VALUE OF PELL GRANTS BY $900
3.5% UNEMPLOYMENT RATE — THE LOWEST IN 50 YEARS
750,000 NEW MANUFACTURING JOBS
NEAR A RECORD LOW UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR HISPANICS
NEAR A RECORD LOW UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS
RECORD LOW UNEMPLOYMENT RATE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
MILLIONS OF AMERICANS ARE SAVING $800 PER YEAR ON HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE
$15 MINIMUM WAGE FOR FEDERAL WORKERS AND CONTRACTORS
FULLY VACCINATED 79% OF AMERICAN ADULTS AGAINST COVID-19
LED THE WORLD IN A HISTORIC RELEASE OF STRATEGIC RESERVES
INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS IN ALL 50 STATES, D.C., TERRITORIES, AND THROUGHOUT TRIBAL NATIONS
OVER 16 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS RECEIVING LOWER COST OR FREE HIGH-SPEED INTERNET THROUGH THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM (WH.GOV)
HTTPS://WWW.WHITEHOUSE.GOV/
There you go again girl detailing capital- zing his well deserved accomplishments.
Brava. And, at last his approval numbers are finally climbing; for me it’s been like watching a car drive with its brakes on for too long.
Yes, Samm, isn't it a gas that some engines among us work better with age!
Yes indeed for some: Wit and Wisdom come together in wonderful ways.
'And I am absolutely certain that (Biden's wartime trip to Ukraine) yesterday - the most momentous Presidential trip since August 9-10, 1941, when FDR who had secretly boarded the cruiser Augusta and departed to meet Churchill aboard the Prince of Wales in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, to sign the Atlantic Charter that set forth the Anglo-American goals for why they would fight World War II...' (TC)
EXACTLY! (Fern)
Thank You Fern! Joe is out present day FDR!
I wish I could post this on my FB page!
go ahead
Use the share button
Brava, Fran.
Joe Biden will be remembered as one of the most competent and accomplished Presidents in modern history.
Thanks for sharing good news! I’m not a fan of polls, but I’m thrilled if the numbers get the media out of the tar pit of negativity about Biden!
Yes, that trip was most historic, but I think it was lost on most people.
You, TC, should try and get some of your pieces published to a greater audience.
Sure, you would have to scrub through the language, but your analysis and historical background of events would be new to most readers.
Besides, it is about time that NYT, WaPol, and LAT start writing and covering the real news and not just the sound bites that make the money.
Tom, knowing of your great loss, I have to share this with you (all). Written by our greatest local poet, our present Governor - friend and poet herself - Janet Mills shared this with a few of us here this morning. We are holding you in the Light.
Dirge Without Music BY EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY
I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.
So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind:
Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned
With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.
Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.
Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.
A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew,
A formula, a phrase remains,—but the best is lost.
The answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love,—
They are gone. They are gone to feed the roses. Elegant and curled
Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not approve.
More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world.
Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.
Love and hate this
An over used term applies here. Biden is a rock star.
Very good news, thanks for reporting it. His political enemies should be afraid of what he is made of but are too ignorant to fully understand the power behind doing what is right.
Biden turned out to be the person we needed at this moment.
That last sentence! I don't know when else that's happened in my lifetime.
I haven't been this happy with a president since JFK. (And I was all of 7 when he was elected.)
Funny, our two oldest leaders have been our best over the last few years, the other being Nancy Pelosi (but everyone reading this knew that). It's so nice to be getting such good news.
Yay— personally I love Biden. He is a decent man doing a great job because of his wealth of experience and I like to give his wonderful wife Jill credit too. We need him.
I keep reminding myself that Mr Biden is doing the job of President, everyday as well as conditions permit him to do, neither fomenting at rallies to boost his ego or to raise his war chest. I remind others that doing government, like science, is not done in full face of every clown in the audience that knows the answer before the job is done or all the data has been collected an analyzed.
Full transparency is now the big thing otherwise someone is hiding something. A huge mistake. If you don't have all of the relevant and available facts, sit down until there is an adult in the room with the experience, context, and ability to present what is known and ask good questions after you understand their explanation. Any JaBob who has ever taken a researh class can tell your that the answer or thing you are trying to figure out is never found on page 1 or after you ask your first really best question. Mr Biden's administration I find doing the work, not leading conversations with every hypothesis MSM or some aide might want to raise. Some of us really aren't equipped to deal with real-time data, plucked from in the midst of a Q/A, and thinking the response is an informed and complete answer.
Great point, who is first step out of the door.
The right wing will continue to be impervious to Biden's success. Their hold card is their preference for Putin over Joe simply because he's Joe's and our adversary. It's a new height in collective spite.
Biden’s instincts and his experience both domestically and abroad make him a formidable leader. He can feel in his gut, the plight of the average guy, cuz thats we he came from and where he worked yo remain connected. Trump and his Ruffians cannot buy that, nor can their backers steal it
Geez where did the time go? I usually read you first thing upon posting. Oh yeah, had to walk the dog, argue with a dishonest roofer, go to my shrink. All the while, I want to shout out, Damn, I sure love Biden!
This is really good news TC. Thanks for staying on top of things.