Recently the Globe opined that President Biden should hold more press conferences to showcase the accomplishments of his administration (”Biden must hold more press conferences,” Opinion, Nov. 27). It would compensate for the often short attention span of the electorate and update the public well in advance of the election campaign period. Perhaps more frequent press events would help to close the disconnect between his record and popularity polls.
Strong leadership is not always congruent with ratings. Polls are skewed by single-issue voters, voters who vote only in presidential elections, and non-primary voters. Actually Biden, after only two years in office, already merits inclusion in a very exclusive club of one-term presidents with significant contributions: James K. Polk, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush.
Chatter in the political class urges that Biden should not run for a second term. Proponents of a new face in 2024 have a heavy burden. Where on the present political landscape do you see anybody with the foreign policy credentials of Joe Biden? Since foreign policy is 50 percent of a president’s job, the matter is crucial in deciding who should lead the country. The objection that most voters vote on domestic issues proves the point. That needs to change. So does the turnout, which is lower in the United States than in the other Western democracies. It isn’t sufficient to get interested one month before the election. One certitude is that the voters will get the president they deserve.
Richard P. Kane
Bridgewater
