Biden Seeks Reset as Second Year Begins
President Biden sought to reset the trajectory of his presidency as he officially started the second year of his term. This comes as the president suffered another setback when senate Democrats were unable to overcome a Republican filibuster and pass voting rights legislation.
Biden’s signature proposed legislation, called Build Back Better, is also in jeopardy and the president signaled it would be reintroduced as a series of smaller bills. The president still faces the imminent crises of inflation and Russian aggression toward Ukraine.
How does the president intend to reverse his declining approval rating?
INSTRUCTORS: click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.
Videos:
News Articles:
Biden’s first-year report card: Just like Trump’s
Politico
1/19/22
https://www.politico.com/news/2022/01/19/biden-first-year-report-card-trump-527320
Joe Biden enters the second year of his presidency looking for a reset after a tumultuous first 12 months
CNN
1/19/22
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/19/politics/joe-biden-first-year-in-office/index.html
White House plots public reset as Biden’s agenda flails
NBC News
1/18/22
Frustrated Democrats Call for ‘Reset’ Ahead of Midterm Elections
New York Times
1/14/22
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/14/us/politics/democratic-midterms.html
News Articles (Analyses):
Americans assess President Biden’s first year in office
BBC News
1/19/22
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-60000763
By the numbers: The first year of Joe Biden’s presidency
CBS News
1/20/22
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/biden-president-first-year-review/
One Year Into His Presidency, Biden Hits a Wall. Can He Recover?
Bloomberg News
1/20/22
What has Biden done wrong in his first year? Done well? Analysts assess inflation, COVID response and more
Market Watch
1/20/22
Assessment:
Writing: Explain why analysts pay such close attention to approval rating. Why is it incumbent for the Democratic Party that this president improve his approval rating well in advance of his reelection campaign?
Debate: Do presidents deserve as much credit or blame as they get for events that are often out of their control?
Poll: Do you approve of the job President Biden has done in his first year?
Short Answer: Describe how the current state of politics makes it difficult for presidents to have high approval ratings for long duration?
QUIZ:
How many senate votes are needed to overcome a filibuster?
- 23
- 56
- 60
- 75
The Biden administration’s response to the rising omicron cases did not include
- encouraging Americans to get booster shots.
- sending home COVID tests to American households.
- sending additional stimulus checks to American households.
- making N-95 masks available to American households.
What is the president’s ‘honeymoon period’?
- the period after inauguration in which the president’s popularity is at its highest
- the period following passage of major legislation
- the name for the praise presidents get for an effective state of the union speech
- the name given when presidents work with congressional leadership of the other party
President Biden has recorded the lowest recorded approval rating of any president since the beginning of the survey. (T/F)
The Biden administration unilaterally negotiated the Afghanistan withdrawal. (T/F)
Presidents with low approval rating never get reelected. (T/F)
