Will Biden listen to the warning signs?
If history is to repeat itself, President Joe Biden’s polling means Democrats have little chance of maintaining their majority. His immediate predecessors, former Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, were underwater heading into their respective midterms where their parties lost control. Biden could face a similar fate unless he does something about it.
Biden’s approval rating has been on a steady decline since last summer. A Fox News national poll put the President’s approval rating at 45 percent and 54 percent disapproval. But polling data compiled by Real Clear Politics puts the President’s approval rating anywhere between 41 percent and 53 percent.
Biden’s only chance at improving these figures and ensuring Democrats retain their House and Senate majorities, according to Democratic pundits, is to go out there and sell.
With the midterm elections a little over seven months away, Democratic strategists and consultants are united in their belief that the President isn’t doing much to guarantee a win. They also agree that the only way to prevent Democrats from losing their tentative majority is to convey where his administration has made strides.
Bill Burton, a longtime Democratic consultant, noted that Biden “has been a transformative leader at a crucial time for our country, and almost no American knows it.”
He added that “Getting the word out there about what the President did to lift up the economy and get our country out of the depths of the coronavirus pandemic is really important.”
Chris Moyer, a veteran of several Democratic Presidential and state campaigns, highlighted that Biden “should get out to the places with the most important races and sell, sell, sell.”
Moyer also stressed the importance of action, saying, “the President should do everything he can to bring gas prices down, which could include a federal gas tax holiday.”
Last week jobless claims plunged to the lowest levels in fifty years, something Jesse Ferguson, a longtime Democratic consultant, said Biden should bring upon the campaign trail.
“There’s clear evidence that the economy’s getting back up off the mat, and Democrats have to be relentless in telling that story. When people can get jobs if they want and get paid more if they work, it’s clear we can tell the story of an economy that’s not yet fixed, but no longer floundering.”
