The polls for the Biden administration keep getting worse, even as former President Donald Trump continues to channel his inner Obi-Wan Kenobi and become stronger with everything the Democrats and their fellow travelers throw at him. 

Now vulnerable, mostly swing-state Democrats are starting to panic and to distance themselves from all things Biden.

Democrats in tough races are breaking with Biden over border security, liquified natural gas exports, the Israel-Hamas war and tariffs on Chinese goods.

They’re staying competitive in the polls despite Biden’s low approval ratings and lagging position relative to Trump, but they are worried the president’s political brand will start weighing them down as Election Day nears.

“If you go out there and do a focus group, the focus groups all say, ‘He’s 200 years old. You got to be kidding me.’ And the worst part about it is for unaffiliated voters or people that haven’t made up their mind, they look at this and say: ‘You have to be kidding us. These are our choices?’ And they indict us for not taking it seriously,” said a Democratic senator who requested anonymity to discuss the alarm sparked by Biden’s weak poll numbers in battleground states.

One of these is (for me) close to home, as even Alaska's sole Representative, Democrat Mary Peltola, has bucked the Biden administration on some (though not nearly enough) issues, including some key votes on the border, support for Israel, and energy extraction. Mrs. Peltola, we note, is seeking reelection in a presidential election year in a state that reliably votes Republican in presidential contests. It would be great if Mrs. Peltola made these votes purely out of reasoned concern for what is best for her constituents, and we cannot read her mind, but she is a politician, so...

Democrats have good reasons to be nervous. Polling is one reason, and they aren't looking good for old Joe. But the real problem Joe Biden has - and, by association, Democrats have - is Joe himself.

Here are five straight minutes that show exactly why the special counsel noted Biden's diminished mental fitness pic.twitter.com/u1ToosAKyz

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 11, 2024

Joe Biden's worst liability in this fall's election is Joe Biden. His second-worst liability is Kamala Harris. The Democratic Party's worst liabilities in this fall's elections are Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. This is the weakest presidential administration since, at least, that of Andrew Johnson - maybe in American history. Every speech by the sitting President is a tissue of whoppers; every time he tries to negotiate Air Force One's steps or even an ordinary doorway threshold causes the Secret Service to bite its nails.

It's therefore no surprise that Democrats across the land are backing slowly away from the Biden administration. The really amazing thing is that more of them aren't fleeing in abject panic, waving their hands and emitting high-pitched shrieks of terror.

See Related: Biden Descends Into Confusion, Denial of Reality and the Polls in Atlanta 

Biden Reveals He Has No Idea When He Was VP, and What He Called J6 People at NAACP Dinner Is Hilarious

The GOP is sounding some optimistic tones:

Republicans say efforts by Senate Democrats to flee Biden’s brand won’t save them in November.

“President Biden’s favorabilities are the lowest of any president in 70 years. It’s a big problem for the Democrats. They know it,” National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines (Mont.) said.

It's a big problem for Democrats, but it doesn't excuse the GOP from sprinting to the finish. Republicans and right-leaning independents, however, would do well to remember the classic advice of that most daring of space-faring lovable scoundrels, Han Solo: "Great, kid. Don’t get cocky!"