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Majority of Democrats Believe Biden Should Retire in 2024

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Majority of Democrats Believe Biden Should Retire

Despite his assertion that he will run for reelection in 2024, a majority of Democrats, 63% now believe President Joe Biden should serve only one term. According to a recent poll from The Associated Press, only 37% of Democrats want him to run for a second term, down from 52% in the weeks leading up to last year’s midterm elections.

While Biden has touted his legislative accomplishments and ability to rule, the poll indicates that few U.S. adults rate him highly in either area. According to follow-up poll answers, many believe the 80-year-old’s age is a problem, with many focusing on his coughing, stride, gaffes, and the likelihood that the world’s most stressful job would be better suited for someone younger.

“I honestly believe he would be too old,” said Sarah Overman, a 37-year-old Democrat working in education in Raleigh, North Carolina. “We could use someone younger in the office.”

As the president delivers his State of the Union speech on Tuesday, he will have an opportunity to confront basic misgivings about his ability to govern. Biden has previously relied largely on his track record to assert that he is more than capable of handling the job. When questioned if he can handle the obligations of the job at his age, the president has frequently responded as if accepting a dare: “Watch me.”

Democratic candidates outperformed expectations in the 2022 midterm elections, proving Biden’s agenda of safeguarding democracy and uplifting the middle class. Despite the fact that history predicted a Republican tsunami, Democrats increased their Senate majority by one member and barely lost their House majority.

When asked about the survey’s conclusions at a news briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the results of last year’s election were more important than polling numbers.

“The way we should look at this is what we saw in the midterms,” Jean-Pierre remarked, noting that the Democrats’ relative success was due to “the president going out there and speaking directly to the American people.”

According to the study, 41% approve of how Biden is handling his job as president, which is similar to scores at the end of last year. Despite the fact that a majority of Democrats approve of Biden’s performance as president, their enthusiasm for a reelection campaign has waned. Only 22% of all U.S. people believe he should run again, down from 29% before last year’s midterm elections.

Biden

The fall in Democrats suggesting Biden should run for president again appears to be centred among younger Democrats. Among Democrats 45 and older, 49% believe Biden should run for reelection, nearly as many as 58% did in October. However, among those under 45, 23% now believe he should run for reelection, up from 45% before the midterms.

Linda Lockwood, a Democrat and retired Kansas City resident, said she isn’t concerned about Biden’s age.

“He seems to be in pretty good condition in my opinion, and that’s coming from a 76-year-old woman,” Lockwood remarked. “You might be a little more cautious going down the steps as you get older, but the important thing is that your brain is still working.”

Already the oldest president in U.S. history, Biden has been dogged by age-related questions, as he will be 86 if he spends the whole eight years. He frequently works long days, standing for hours at a time, recalling the names of folks he encounters while travelling who want to tell him about their life.

Nonetheless, he has been a national political figure for more than a half-century, having been elected to the Senate from Delaware in 1972, and the occasions when he appears disoriented on stage or stumbles through speeches often receive more attention than his programmes.

Voters like Ross Truckey, 35, have been keeping a close eye on the president. Truckey, a lawyer from Michigan, did not vote for Biden or Republican Donald Trump in 2020. He believes Biden is the latest in a long line of “subpar” presidents.

“His age and possibly mental acuity are not where I would want the leader of the country to be,” Truckey added. “At times, he appears to be an old man past his prime.” Sometimes I feel sorry for the individual who is being pushed out in front of crowds.”

Biden has consistently stated in speeches that it is critical for the public to understand the entirety of what his administration is doing. With coronavirus relief, the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the CHIPS and Science Act, and tax and budget provisions that help address climate change and improve the IRS’s ability to enforce the tax code and assist taxpayers, it has scored four major legislative successes.

However, only 13% had high confidence in Biden’s ability to achieve significant policy goals, which could be due to the fact that he now has to deal with a Republican majority in the House that wants to cut spending in exchange for boosting the government’s legal borrowing authority.

According to the poll, only 23% of US citizens had “a great deal” of confidence in Biden to effectively govern the White House. This is down from 28% a year ago and is much lower than 44% when Biden took office two years ago.

Only 21% have high confidence in Biden’s ability to handle a crisis, down from 26% in March.

In terms of dealing with congressional Republicans and managing government spending, approximately half of U.S. adults have little confidence in the president, and only about one in ten has strong confidence.

Republican voters are unwilling to give Biden the benefit of the doubt, undermining his popularity.

John Rodriguez, 76, endorsed Trump and believes Biden is simply doing his aides’ bidding. This presents a dilemma for a president who campaigned on uniting the country.

“I don’t think he’s the one making the decisions,” said Rodriguez, who lives in Cutler Bay, Florida. “He’s a puppet, told where to go and what to say.”

However, voters like Vikram Joglekar, 46, who works in the computer business in Austin, Texas, could be a major challenge for Biden. He supported the president in 2020, only to sum up his sentiments on Biden’s tenure as “meh.”

“It is not up to me to decide whether or not someone should run,” Joglekar remarked. “I’m not sure who will be on the ballot, but I’m hoping for someone better from his party.”
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The poll of 1,068 individuals was conducted from January 26 to 30, using a sample taken from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is supposed to be representative of the United States population. For all respondents, the margin of sampling error is 4.2 percentage points.

Democrats Fear an Impeachment Inquiry May End Biden’s Presidency

Democrats Fear an Impeachment Inquiry May End Joe Biden’s Presidency

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Millennials in Canada Have Turned their Backs on Justin Trudeau

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Millennials are increasingly distancing themselves from Trudeau
Millennials are increasingly distancing themselves from Trudeau - CBC Image

Justine Trudeau and his Liberal Party are currently engaged in a fierce battle for second place against Jagmeet Singh’s socialist NDP, as both parties find themselves trailing by 20 points behind Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives.

A recent poll indicates that 38% of Canadians consider Trudeau to be the most ineffective leader the nation has encountered in over fifty years. An impressive 47% of Canadian Millennials indicated they would support Poilievre if an election were to take place today, while nearly half of all Canadians express a desire for an election to be called this year.

Pierre Poilievre’s strong appeal among young voters can be attributed primarily to economic factors: soaring inflation, a pressing cost-of-living crisis, and the challenge of housing affordability are pushing many away from the Liberals, who have held power for nearly nine years.

According to UnHeard, Millennials are increasingly distancing themselves from Trudeau due to his stringent measures aimed at controlling the internet to combat alleged disinformation, as well as his climate change initiatives, notably the carbon tax.

protest in downtown Toronto against mass immigration took place on Canada Day

Protest in downtown Toronto against mass immigration on Canada Day – TNC Image

An increasing number of Canadians are becoming aware of Trudeau’s ineffective policies and his approach to mass immigration. This past summer, there was significant outrage among parents of teenagers and young adults as they observed their children remaining at home without jobs.

The primary concern stemmed from the fact that most low-skilled and entry-level positions were being filled by unskilled, temporary foreign workers, predominantly from India.

There has been a notable rise in criminal activities linked to international students and unvetted temporary residents who are becoming involved with Punjabi gangs in Canada, contributing to a surge in auto thefts nationwide.

Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives are actively seeking to alter Trudeau’s approach to mass immigration and prioritize the construction of more housing should they come into power.

Significantly, Pierre Poilievre is perceived as more trustworthy than Trudeau, with over half of Canadians characterizing Poilievre as “open and honest about his actions, decisions, and intentions,” while only 39% share that sentiment regarding Trudeau.

The characteristics in question may shed light on Poilievre’s favorable polling, particularly among younger voters and women, who have historically leaned towards the Liberals or the NDP rather than the Conservatives.

The Liberal Party’s support has dwindled to an estimated 7% of Canadians, revealing a significant number of disillusioned voters eager for transformation. Poilievre is emerging as the type of leader that resonates with the desires of many Canadians.

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U.N. Special Rapporteur Calls on Thailand’s Banks to Cut-Off Myanmar Junta

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UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Tom Andrews speaks during a press conference after a meeting with Thailand's Parliamentary Committee

The U.N special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar has said the Bank of Thailand, commercial banks, and the anti-money laundering office are working on measures to stop the Myanmar Junta from acquiring weapons through Thailand’s banking system.

Tom Andrews the U.N. special rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, said that some banks commercial in Thailand had aided Myanmar Junta’s by facilitating transactions that supplied military equipment to the Junta through the international banking system.

He called on the Bank of Thailand and financial institutions to do more to stop Myanmar’s junta acquiring weapons which they use on civilians to maintain power.

The special rapporteur was in Bangkok to address a parliamentary committee on security, he called on the Thai government to stop financial transactions that help supply weapons to Myanmar’s junta in line with a plan promoted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that sets out an end to violence as a first step toward peace.

In his 2023 report “The Billion Dollar Death Trade,” Andrews noted that Singapore had implemented a clear policy opposing the transfer of weapons to Myanmar.

Thailand's Banks

Thai Baht – File Image

Thailand’s Banks Lacked Clear Policy

As a result, exports of weapons and related materials from Singapore-registered entities using the formal banking system dropped from almost U.S. $120 million in fiscal year 2022 to just over $10 million over the next 12 months.

However, he said Thailand had no explicit policy position opposing weapons transfer to the Myanmar Junta, which saw exports from Thai-registered entities more than double in 2023, from just over $60 million to nearly $130 million.

He called on Thai Government to conduct a thorough investigation into transfers as Singapore had done into its companies’ dealings.

Andrews told the the committee that five Thai commercial banks and Thai-based companies were assisting Myanmar’s junta obtain weapons, dual-technology items and jet fuel, enabling Military Junta to conduct atrocities against the people.

But said he had found no evidence that the Thai government was involved or was aware of the transactions or that Thai commercial banks had knowledge.

Thailand's Banks

Photo courtesy of The Nation

Banks Condemn Myanmar Junta Violence

Meanwhile representatives from Thailand’s central bank, anti-money laundering office and the commercial banks named in the report were also present at the parliamentary meeting at government house in Bangkok.

A representative of the Bank of Thailand said officials were working with the commercial banks and the anti-money laundering office to make sure that enhanced oversight was properly practiced.

The Thai Bankers Association that was also at the parliamentary meeting said it did not have the means to investigate and monitor such irregularities beyond Thailand’s borders.

Mr. Pongsit Chaichatpornsuk, a Thai Bankers Association representative told the committee that If government security agencies tell us, we will stop transactions. We don’t support arms procurement by Myanmar Junta or any military government to violate human rights.

Thailand, which shares a long border with Myanmar and hosts many thousands of refugees fleeing conflict there, has tried to promote dialogue between Myanmar’s military rulers and opposition forces but no progress has been made.

This Article was first published in RFA

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People Rushing Sign Online Petition to Impeach South Korea’s President Crash Site

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South Korea's President

The Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea said in a statement that an online petition calling for South Korea’s President Mr. Yoon Suk-yeol’s impeachment crashed due to the enormous number of individuals attempting to sign the petition. Saying the National Assembly would resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

Since the petition was launch on the National Assembly’s website on June 20, more than 811,000 people have signed it. The petition urges Parliament to introduce legislation to impeach President Yoon on the grounds that he is unfit for office.

Late on June 30, National Assembly Speaker Mr. Woo Won-shik issued an apology for the disturbance and stated that Parliament would take action to protect the public’s fundamental rights.

People attempting to access the petition on July 1 experienced delays of up to four hours. At one point, an error message indicated that more than 30,000 individuals were waiting to access the site.

South Korea’s Parliament Hesitant

The online petition accuses Yoon of corruption, escalating the risk of conflict with North Korea, and endangering South Koreans’ health by failing to prevent Japan from leaking treated radioactive water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear power plant.

By law, Parliament must assign every petition signed by more than 50,000 people to a committee, which will then decide whether to put it to a vote in the assembly.

However, the opposition Democratic Party, which has a majority in Parliament, is hesitant to turn the petition into an impeachment bill, according to media reports, with a spokesperson stating that the party has yet to address the topic.

The Parliament can impeach a president with a two-thirds majority. The Constitutional Court then deliberates the motion and decides whether to remove or reinstall the president.

Meanwhile, on Monday Reuters reported North Korea criticized a joint military exercise performed this month by South Korea, Japan, and the United States, according to official media, saying such drills demonstrate the three nations’ alliance has evolved into “the Asian version of NATO”.

On Thursday, the three countries began large-scale combined military drills named “Freedom Edge” featuring navy destroyers, fighter fighters, and the nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, with the goal of strengthening defenses against missiles, submarines, and air strikes.

The drill was designed at a three-way meeting at Camp David last year to boost military cooperation amid concerns on the Korean peninsula caused by North Korea’s weapons testing.

Pyongyang will not overlook the strengthening of a military bloc led by the United States and its allies, and it would respond aggressively and decisively to defend regional peace, according to North Korea’s foreign ministry, as reported by KCNA.

 

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