Unpopular Biden

Biden's popularity has decreased in the past year with a recent poll this week showing that a favorable opinion of Biden has dropped by 42% and 40% of Americans view him unfavorably; this has been his worst evaluation since the national convention. Pollsters and experts wonder what the decrease in these numbers reveal about the public's feelings on Biden and his expanding role in the government as vice president or if it's simply exaggerated by Obama's high popularity and the state of the economy. Gallup Poll Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport thinks this is a "fascinating and important question" because he hasn't been in the news with any sort of highly negative coverage since he was first sworn in and there hasn't been any type of scandal that he's been involved in. When comparing Biden with other vice presidents like Al Gore and Dick Cheney, Joe Biden is far less popular than both of them were in the first year they took office. But many observers believe that Biden's decrease in popularity is just a reflection of Obama's decline in the polls, something that was expected and even though Biden’s press coverage has been for the most part favorable he can't avoid being "playing second fiddle" to the president leaving him with a very little amount of opportunity to boost his ratings. If the people are unhappy and the government isn't doing so well, they tend to blame both the president and the vice president and as a result the president and vice president become less popular. With the economy in terrible shape this year, pollster Scott Rasmussen believes that people should focus more on important issues instead of focusing on ratings. Instead of caring more about who is more popular people should instead be more interested in what exactly the president and vice president are doing to help the nation.

New Regulations

More than 70 million Americans who have health insurance through their jobs could experience higher costs or denials of certain coverages under a plan that is making its way through Congress because large employers that assume the cost and risk of health coverage for their workers wouldn't have to follow the same rules and restrictions that would be imposed on health insurers in a measure that has already been approved by the Senate Finance Committee. Large companies who already offer their workers coverage are really trying to keep the status quo and protect themselves from the new regulations and requirements in the health measure that is still being negotiated by the Obama administration and Democrats. Despite President Obama's promise that people will no longer experience being denied insurance because of a health condition or facing limits or high costs for simple services and treatments, a large number of workers wouldn't enjoy the same guarantees as others. Several big business groups have already joined together as the National Coalition on Benefits to maintain their special status that take on the risks and costs associated with insuring their own workers. They want to continue extending health insurance to their workers without insurance regulations like governing what services must be covered and regulations that decide when a person can be denied coverage. Firms that already offer coverage provide generous benefits and are already subject to certain federal requirements, most of them cover anyone regardless of their medical history or health status. But many lawmakers still believe they should follow the same strict requirements that health insurance companies would have to follow under the new system. They believe many workers would actually end up with really high health expenses if the companies don't follow these new rules.

Never Ending War

President Obama's war council is planning a new role for Pakistan in the 8 year war against al-Qaida, after concluding that there is no way the US can win in Afghanistan or succeed in the war against al-Qaida without the cooperation of Pakistan. President Obama planned many meetings with Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to discuss the "unpopular" war in Afghanistan, including a meeting on Friday where they might finally decide how many more troops would be needed to fight in this war after many more troops were requested by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the number isn't exactly known, but it is estimated to range from 10,000 to 40,000 combat troops. A senior pentagon believes that the Obama administration's delay in deciding on a strategy for the war has caused European allies to postpone deciding how much more money should be provided for the war. Obama's national security team marked the 8th year anniversary with a three-hour session in the White House basement. Obama and his aides are proud of recent successes against al-Qaida through targeted missile strikes and raids in Pakistan and elsewhere; he believes that as a result, al-Qaida has "lost operational capacity." The Pakistani government has demonstrated a new willingness to fight extremists, but these operations are causing problems and controversy throughout Pakistan. Gen. McChrystal's request for additional troops will determine what the Obama administration decides and what happens next.

I'm a Liberal!

According to the typology test, I am a liberal. Liberals are opposed to assertive foreign policy, secular and have very liberal views when it comes to homosexuality, abortion and censorship. They are different from other Democratic groups because they are pro-environment and pro-immigration. Liberals also have a strong preference for diplomacy rather than military force and favor environmental protection. They're sympathetic to any group of immigrants and labor unions and are opposed to the anti-terrorism Patriot Act.  

I agree with my results because I support gay marriage, I think everyone should have the right to marry anyone they love regardless if they're the same gender or not.  When it comes to foreign affairs, I think that war isn't always the answer because it isn't necessary to spend an enormous amount of money when there are other solutions available.