They aren’t happy with him.
President Joe Biden has found himself in a precarious position going into this year’s midterms: powerless to defend against an onslaught of setbacks in recent weeks.
This has sparked alarm among Democrats, who fear the worst regarding the state of the country.
In this month alone, Biden has had to face the overturning of Roe V. Wade by the Supreme Court and a mass shooting after his much-touted bipartisan gun bill was signed into law. These events are only exacerbated by an undercurrent of despair fueled by rising gas prices and out-of-control inflation. By any accord, the nation is spiraling.
Yet to solve these problems, Biden is largely powerless to lift a finger, a disposition that has frustrated Democrats and adds to the political malaise.
Even the action Biden has taken doesn’t seem to be working.
So far, the President has signed executive action and a bipartisan bill addressing gun violence; he took action on gas prices by releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and he has called on Senate — again — to alter the filibuster to codify Roe v. Wade.
All of these steps have done little to solve the problems they should be targeting.
One Democratic strategist venting frustrations about Biden and his administration said, “It’s infuriating,” adding, “Our house is on fire, and it seems like they’re doing nothing to put the fire out. They’re just watching it with the rest of us.”
This sentiment seems to be shared in recent polling on Biden, with a Gallup survey published on Tuesday (July 5) showing only 23 percent of Americans have confidence in the institution of the Presidency.
Joel Payne, another Democratic strategist, provided clarity on what Biden could do to resolve his dismal polling.
“There’s the administrative part of the job and the political part of the job, and it seems like this president is leaning more in the administrative role at a time when his coalition is thirsty for political clarity and leadership.”
