The other week in a focus group, Pennsylvania liberals (one by one) asked the question that has puzzled top White House staffers, Virginia party operatives, and Georgia’s electorate: why aren’t President Biden’s dwindling approval numbers rebounding?
His Ratings Are at Rock Bottom
Biden received C- or lower scores from all nine participants in Tuesday’s session. Their responses all came back to the same point; the pandemic (and the numerous ways in which it continues to obstruct normal life) has soured people’s opinions of Biden.
One woman expressed her desire to purchase a vehicle, yet noted new shipments to the dealership were delayed, due to supply chain concerns. A customer likewise expressed his dissatisfaction with restaurants that are understaffed.
"How can Biden's approval rating be only 38%?!?"
um… pic.twitter.com/UdAeiIMBPR
— Gritty is the Way (@Gritty20202) October 8, 2021
“There’s a malaise,” said Sarah Longwell, a moderate conservative consultant who became a prominent advocate of Biden in 2020 and conducted the Democrat voter focus group. “People don’t believe their lives have gotten any better. They have the impression commitments were not kept.”
Biden and his staff claim (after nine months since taking office) the pandemic’s effects are beginning to fade as a result of his initiatives. They refer to polls showing huge backing for his political plan.
This plan includes expenditure on physical infrastructure, social programs, and climate change. They point out how uncommon it is for Democrat politicians to break ranks, especially during this trying time.
Biden’s popularity among Americans, on the other hand, has plunged, with his average approval numbers dropping roughly 15 points from late June. He’s seen a reduction among liberals and more among Republicans; however, the loss among swing voters has been particularly significant.
During this time, the president has been scrambling to save his domestic programs amid Democrat infighting about their magnitude and sequencing. He oversaw a bloody and chaotic departure from Kabul; Biden was also chastised for his reaction to the harsh treatment of Haitian immigrants at the US-Mexico frontier.
Biden approval rating continues to plummet: 'Battered on trust, leadership, competency' in poll https://t.co/AuDBDZk52h pic.twitter.com/UWNdcdG66k
— New York Post (@nypost) October 6, 2021
Democrats Are Clueless
The outbreak, though, hovers over everything, making it even more difficult for the White House to reverse the trend. Longwell was startled by how comparable Democrats’ worries sounded to conservatives’.
Longwell was additionally taken aback by how little Democrats blame Republicans for impeding Biden’s agenda. Nearly a dozen analysts who prepared or evaluated evidence into Biden’s dramatic drop have shared this sentiment.
Longwell noted that Biden and liberals in Washington are “in a swamp of fighting with one other over proposals where nobody understands what’s in them. It just appears to be a clump.”
Biden’s political future has always been linked to his management of the COVID-19 debate, according to the White House. It’s why, soon after taking office, they moved rapidly to approve a $1.9 trillion rescue program and placed such a high priority on vaccinations.
Identifying a stumbling block is not the same as overcoming it. The notion they could improve vaccination rates through persuasion, access, and teaching proved to be naive, as were early, bullish declarations about the country recovering.
