We political “insiders” often turn to the RealClearPolitics polling average as the barometer gauging the mood of the electorate. A little over a year removed from the 2020 election, the RCP average has been far less than kind to President Joe Biden, who saw a 30 point drop in favorability in 2021.
As The Hill’s Joe Concha noted, ”No president since World War II – not even Donald Trump – has seen such a massive slide.”
It’s certainly amazing to have witnessed how a president who garnered the most votes of any candidate ever in American history could have sustained such a precipitous fall.
Biden’s first year has seen the rise of inflation, the fall of Afghanistan, lawlessness at both our southern border and in our urban communities. and a growing frustration with Biden’s over-promising on controlling COVID-19 and underdelivering on reviving the economy. Really, I’m hard pressed to think of something that Biden didn’t bungle.
So, what’s left for an unpopular buffoon of a president to do after painting himself into a corner with failure after stupid failure? His options are limited.
Like past besieged leaders, Biden may seek to draw attention away from domestic problems and turn to international turmoil to pivot his image to that of a forceful leader.
Legacy media may sense this pivot, as their focus has recently turned toward Ukraine as Russian forces mount on the border. But even here, Biden fumbled the ball with his permissive tone in addressing a possible “minor incursion” into Ukraine by Russia and subsequent mop-up.
However, the national mood can be problematic. Voters in the throes of economic turmoil may not have the stomach for international conflict. We’ve already heard grumblings against Vice President Harris’ sojourn to Ukraine to address its border crisis while her job on our southern border remains neglected.
Biden taking military force off the table further indicates his proclivity for weakness on the world stage, making this option more problematic. Still, it’s one way to go.
The other option at play is already underway in the form of the January 6th commission in Congress. If Biden cannot take credit for success, he must find a scapegoat for blame. Who better to blame than Trump and the Republicans?
Easier said than done. Trump, the reputed ringleader of the so-called “insurrection,” currently holds a five-point lead over President Biden in a head-to-head 2024 re-match. So it would be fair to say that the “insurrection” does not play as well as Biden and the Democrats think it will with voters.
That said, polling on the “insurrection” issue itself remains divided heavily on partisan lines. Media on the left continues to stoke the fires of insurrection, while the right does not treat it as even a footnote in its recent coverage.
It also doesn’t help that independents seem to be leaning to the right on the “insurrection” and join in their disinterest.
And therein lies a further conundrum for Biden. His base demands their pound of partisan flesh from the “insurrectionists,” while the more moderate independents which Biden must win over again are more interested in moving on rather than looking backward.
Historically, the midterm election is a referendum on the sitting president, not the previous president. So, while Biden and Democrats are putting a whole lot of eggs in the insurrection basket, the return on investment may not provide enough of a bump for Biden.
Yes, the options are dwindling for the buffoon-in-chief. For now, there doesn’t appear to be a clean strategy ahead for 2022.
Gene Berardelli is a street-smart trial attorney who, through his time as the Law Chair of the Republican Party in Brooklyn, New York, has developed a solid reputation as an election attorney successfully representing conservative candidates. To read more of his reports — Click Here Now.
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