I never thought I would ever write these words, but here goes: The Democrats have a serious messaging problem. Yes, I know, it might sound weird because if you have been a conservative for any amount of time, you know that the Republican Party typically does an abysmal job at putting forth a coherent and persuasive message when compared to the Democrats.
But now, even the left is realizing that the party is struggling to craft a compelling message that could help dig themselves out of the craterous hole in which they find themselves. Indeed, at this point, this is yet another indicator portending their eventual defeat in the 2022 midterms.
The Hill reported:
For the last part of 2021, as multiple crises emerged, the White House has struggled to offer up a consistent message that could unite not only the country, as Biden pledged during the 2020 presidential campaign, but his party. Democrats have been unable to beat back Republican criticisms about rising inflation.
They have’t (sic) offered a narrative that would persuade a pessimistic American public about the direction of the economy and the coronavirus pandemic. And headlines have been dominated by Democratic infighting over Biden’s massive social policy and climate legislative proposal — most recently with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) giving it a possibly fatal blow on Sunday.
Polls seem to back up what the author of the piece said. RedState’s Bonchie noted:
As mentioned, Republicans lead on the issues that also happen to be leading the news, day in and day out. Obviously, that’s the economy as a whole, but the inflation crisis is also a big subset of that, with middle-class families feeling the pinch. And while I don’t have the numbers yet, rumor has it that Friday’s inflation report is going to be the worst yet, likely only exacerbating Biden’s decline, so stay tuned.
Bill Galston, a senior fellow of governance studies at the Brookings Institution, said the “White House should go back to the drawing board” and figure out “what they want to say between now and next November.”
Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons told The Hill that President Joe Biden’s vision has been lost as his administration has dealt with a myriad of crises. “I don’t think America fully understands where Democrats want us to go,” he said.
Simmons indicated that Democrats should go on the offensive and paint Republicans as the obstacles to progress. “The broader challenge is that Republicans have a narrative about the country and they’ve identified liberals and Democrats as the villains. The Democrats need to be more about the villains,” he explained.
Another strategist suggested the White House “needs to completely reprioritize their priorities” and that “they need a wholesale revamp of their entire communications, political and strategy team.”
Public perspectives on the administration are not positive, with many blaming him for inflation, the supply chain issue, migrant crisis, and other problems the president has mishandled. A CNN poll recently showed that 70 percent of Americans believe the White House is not doing enough to deal with economic issues.
“Democrats say the internal party fighting about the legislation has hurt Biden and the party, playing into a Republican narrative of Democrats being unable to deliver,” according to The Hill. There seems to be some truth to this, given that the infighting has hampered efforts to pass Biden’s Build Back Better legislation. This particular failure can’t be playing well with their base and with the rest of the country.
Messaging is one of many issues facing the Democrats, and it appears they finally understand the chances of keeping the House and Senate are not in their favor. Their failures to pass meaningful legislation and the president’s tendency to botch every issue with which he was faced have placed them in a precarious position.
Moreover, the fact that Biden has brazenly flouted his own promise to unite the country isn’t doing him any favors. Indeed, it is now apparent that he never meant to bring about unity in the first place and his treatment of the unvaccinated is a clear indicator that he doesn’t care about political division.
Can the Democrats get their messaging together? It is difficult to tell. They have already made so many mistakes it could make one wonder if they will get their mojo back anytime soon. Even now, they are attempting to make the midterm elections about former President Donald Trump and the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol. They have not yet learned from Virginia’s gubernatorial election and are doubling down on stupid. Either way, even if they do get it together, it is likely too late.
