Democrats have become even more worried about President Joe Biden’s image and its potential impact on the upcoming congressional elections. America’s view of the president plummeted during the botched Afghanistan withdrawal and has shown no signs of rebounding.
Last year, it became apparent that the prospects for a Democratic victory in the upcoming elections are looking rather bleak. But with Biden’s approval rating taking up residence in the sewer, the left has far more to worry about. “It’s bad,” one Democratic strategist told The Hill. “You have an energy crisis that’s paralyzing and inflation is at a 40-year high and we’re heading into a recession. The problem is simple. The American people have lost confidence in him.”
Of course, it isn’t just the Democrats’ abysmal performance over the past year that spells trouble for their congressional candidates – they also have history to consider. Jim Kessler, executive vice president for policy at Democratic think tank Third Way told The Hill that the president’s numbers are not surprising.
“I’m not shocked at all by the numbers because they look exactly what normal looks like,” he pointed out. “The question is, given a lot of the good news in the country – the jobs numbers, businesses opening, the masks are off, the Russians are in full panic, America is astride the top of the world – can we do better? Can we do better than normal? And I think the disappointment right now is we’re not.”
Of course, this isn’t to say Democrats have not made valiant efforts to rehabilitate Biden’s image. When gas prices shot up shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, they attempted to blame Russian President Vladimir Putin even though prices had already been steadily climbing long before the confrontation. Indeed, they continually refer to it as “Putin’s price hike.”
Unfortunately for them, the messaging strategy has failed miserably, and even members of the administration realize it. “For whatever reason, the messaging hasn’t gotten through,” a White House official told The Hill. “At times it feels like we’re spinning our wheels.”
The White House is also trying to moderate its approach, focusing more on reducing the deficit. The president during his State of the Union speech even vowed to provide more funding for law enforcement in an attempt to distance himself from the “Defund the Police” crowd.
Nevertheless, it appears the president simply has too much baggage at the moment and Democrats in Congress are not faring much better. The situation could even get worse if the president’s son, Hunter Biden, finds himself under indictment for his international business dealings.
Still, Democrats are plodding forward, hoping for a miracle. But if polling is any indication, there will be none forthcoming. Several surveys show the public still isn’t too fond of ol’ Uncle Joe. A recent Marist poll put his approval ratings at a paltry 39 percent, which is eight points lower than it was shortly after his State of the Union address. But it gets even worse according to Marist:
A majority of Americans (54%) currently disapprove of the president’s job performance. The decline in Biden’s approval rating is due largely to his Democratic base. More than one in five Democrats (21%) now say they disapprove of how Biden is doing, more than twice the proportion of Democrats (9%) who had this view in early March after the State of the Union.
The president’s approval rating is not a welcome sign for Democratic lawmakers who wish to keep their seats in Congress. I spoke with pollster Richard Baris a few weeks ago and he noted that Biden’s approval will redound negatively on left-leaning politicians – especially those in vulnerable seats. He also pointed out that things might even be worse for Democrats than the polls suggest.
Republicans stand to win big this year. Indeed, it wouldn’t be out of bounds to predict a red wave. But Biden’s poor performance won’t just harm Democrats in the upcoming congressional elections. If he continues to make a mess of things, it will also ensure that Republicans retake the White House in 2024. As long as they don’t make any monumental mistakes, the GOP stands to win big in the next few years.
