State of the Union to be held on Mar. 1

[MATTROSE94]

I fully expect for this address to resemble the one Biden gave last year. All members of Congress, and all others in attendance, will be masked and distanced. It will be a dystopian picture, and a reminder that we still haven't gotten out of the pandemic situation.

Dystopia is when mask

It is a dystopian picture. The sight would be stunning to anyone before the pandemic started, including you.

Anyway, what achievements does Biden really have to tout? His first year has been a disappointment, even if you are one of his foremost supporters or don't regret your vote for him.

Maybe his plan to send everyone N95s and place a renewed emphasis on masking is his main achievement so far.

I'm not sure about this. Probably the most substantive policy accomplishment of this administration was the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and that has already been forgotten by the majority of the electorate and by the media. And Biden "placing a renewed emphasis on masking" isn't going to win over those who are tiring of restrictions, who are opposed to mask mandates, or who have moved on. That comprises an increasingly larger section of the electorate.

This is a commonly held belief on this forum, but I'm not convinced this is how the public actually is thinking. At the CDC/FDA hearing last week multiple Republican senators criticized the administration's COVID response, citing the confusing messaging and the scarcity of testing. It's true logical soundness is not required for the opposition party to criticize the incumbent, but the logical conclusion of this criticism is not that the pandemic is over and COVID is not a threat. Also multiple Democratic senators sent the administration a letter calling for better testing resources. So there is bipartisan agreement that the administration needs to do something to effectively address Omicron. If on March 1, the test kits and masks have been sent out, and Omicron is in retreat (big if, but a reasonable bet right now), Biden could say that he took decisive action to effectively address Omicron without causing economic damage and gain points that way.

I agree that framing the battle against Omicron in this way could help Joe Biden’s approval ratings rebound, though only in certain areas of the country.

[The Undefeatable Debbie Stabenow]

I fully expect for this address to resemble the one Biden gave last year. All members of Congress, and all others in attendance, will be masked and distanced. It will be a dystopian picture, and a reminder that we still haven't gotten out of the pandemic situation.

Dystopia is when mask

It is a dystopian picture. The sight would be stunning to anyone before the pandemic started, including you.

Anyway, what achievements does Biden really have to tout? His first year has been a disappointment, even if you are one of his foremost supporters or don't regret your vote for him.

To any American, sure. It's worth repeating that other cultures have had a much, much easier time swallowing the whole universal mask-wearing idea. And just becaues it's a new custom does not innately make it a dystopian one.

[ElectionsGuy]

It would be pretty difficult to hold it in early February with how much of a dumpster fire these last few weeks have been for Biden. If his approval doesn't dip to an all-time low in the next few days, then I think we can say low 40's is his floor.