Ted Rall for January 14, 2022

You, Mr. Rall, had made every attempt to not have Biden elected when the choice was one or the other. Your dislike for Biden is obvious. Yes, you can criticize Biden. No, you cannot say he’s just as bad as the Rump.

I’ve yet to see you point out how anti-democratic the republicans are.

Eh. I’d rather have Anybody But Trump® and then get to criticize whoever it is for doing less than very well. Biden’s got that role right now, and I’m w/ the guy: Biden COULD do better. But I’m not sure anybody else could have both won the election AND done better.

I think the current criticism of Biden by Republicans goes beyond harsh. It is denunciation, vilification, and condemnation. It is an effort not necessarily to bring back Trump himself (the man himself is increasingly erratic) but to take advantage of and tame Trumpism. Well, that beast won’t go into a Havahart trap without a struggle.

Even Moderate Democrat criticism at this point is playing a disadvantageous political game of Giant Jenga, gradually pulling out blocks of legislation, as the tower of their ideals totters toward collapse. And Manchin stomps around to make them fall.

Ted is pointing out a point of frustration from progressives who dare to criticize the status quo DNC backed policies and their representatives in Washington such as Banker Joe. Anyone who criticizes these center-right democrats is first assumed to be a Trumpster and/or from the looney-land known as the Repubba Party or somehow supporting these individuals by these democrats. Many conservative democrats think that as they are not Repubbas, then they should not be called to task when their efforts turn out to be below average and if they are, then the criticism is backing the far right somehow. (That idiotic mindset got Hillary the nomination in 2016 and look how that worked out).

Its like they view politics as simply a 2-sided affair: blue vs red but that is not true. A lot of progressives wish Biden could do better, of course, everyone should be thinking this. We feared this paradox of empty promises would come about when Biden promised the moon to get himself elected and most of these promises are going unfulfilled. Is this all his fault? No, but it does not mean that people like AOC, Bernie, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, Liz Warren, Rashida Tlaib and other logically thinking elected officials can’t be critical of the establishment DNC based politics. They are the voice of the left and they have the right to be heard as do the citizens they represent even if it hurts some centrist’s feelings.

One thing that the DNC backed politicians and the far-right repubbas have in common (besides some things like pro-1%er banking reform, foreign policy and NAFTA but that is another story) is being very thin skinned concerning any criticism. Progressive have to voice their displeasure about the current regime, if people sit on their hands and do nothing than apathy sets in and the party shifts even further to the right. So Ted is right, Joe can do better even though he is a heck of a lot better than the tyrant who preceded him.

Ted does have a point. Do I miss LBJ. Get those bills passed. The other point is Democrats should NOT run against Drumpf in 2022. Show the voters they can get things done. Don’t expect an internecine war among Republicans to help.

Binary thinking at its American best.

Can’t beat that logic.. basis of all republican thinking

That’s hilarious Mr. Rall. You have definitely shown the responses that the DNC has been putting out whenever the Biden administration screws something up. Whatever will they do if Trump doesn’t run in 2024?

I don’t see how Sen. Sanders could have done better. In fact, I don’t think it matters anymore who is in the Oval Office. Republicans no longer believe in democracy. They don’t believe in norms, they don’t believe that anyone other than them can run the country. Jesus himself could be president and he’d probably end up on a cross.

Exactly! Dems gotta keep Trump alive.

My main complaint about Trump is that he made everyone, republican, democrat, american….less. He is contagious entropy personified in human form. No one, regardless of supporting or opposing him, wasn’t corrupted and made less.

During ‘normal’ times, criticizing a sitting president is not only OK, it is required in order to make “…a more perfect Union”. But today we have tRump and his supporters. Any criticism of Biden becomes the ammunition for tRump and his fascism. I suggest we prioritize. First rid ourselves of tRump, tRump followers and the threat of fascism. Then, if Biden has no opposition left and still can’t get important things done, criticize. We have a short 10 months to work with.

This comic is exactly what happens when I try to criticize Nancy Pelosi from the left on social media. “You’re a Russian bot” or my personal “favorite” so well-encapsulated here “You just want trump”. No, I want her to stop pretending she cares and actually ACT like she cares.

She trumpeted the benefits of the Build Back Better Act for months and now that it’s never going to pass (which she knew would happen by forcing it to be removed from the infrastructure deal) it’s nothing but crickets. Somehow wanting the things in the BBB Act to be enshrined as law makes me a trump fan, but liberals aren’t exactly known for their logic when someone they “stan” is being criticized.

Both parties are a disappointment to me.

In business, when drafting a proposal, all the serious objections are considered and either rejected — with objective factual evidence of why they’re unviable — or incorporated to improve the final draft so that consensus is easily arrived at and positive changes and growth can proceed. I expected the Biden administration to do the same in their proposals … such that voting against them would be perceived by all as the wrong/counter-productive choice. If this can be done regularly in business, then why is it so hard in Congress?

Are we electing the wrong [wannabe/multi-]millionaires?

I’m so tired of hearing pundits (including editorial cartoonists) say “Biden could have done better with X”, X being Afghanistan, Covid, inflation, etc. Not a single time when I’ve read this plaintive cry was it followed up with any concrete suggestions for how Biden could have done better. Criticize, sure, but in the absence of ideas it’s just whining.

Thank You Ted, for 5 years now ANY issue mentioned that fails to paint progressives/democrats as saviors is met with “well you’re a Nazi” here in the comments. Now the bloom is off the Biden everything is failing, and they can only blame Trump & his voters. While I watch them starting to eat each other, it is fascinating to watch. The stakes couldn’t be bigger I though Trump and his antics would keep Republicans down for decades not 2 years. Every stinking day Brandon divides America more not grasping the damage he is doing. Just going to sit here waiting for my [free?] box of N-95’s and test kits to arrive while Nero fiddles.

I didn’t vote FOR Biden, I voted AGAINST Trump

Progressives just don’t have the numbers to make this happen, and Biden is simply not the decider on these matters.

In the first frame a real person would respond " Yes let’s take the house and Senate in 2022. Then he will do better.

I would rather have President TRUMP.