Hey, Team Biden, the problem isn't your political messaging. It's reality
In five months, 13 Democratic senators and 191 Democratic representatives face their angry constituents at the ballot box. Some of them likely wonder why they didn’t join the 32 Dems opting for retirement instead.
The midterms are looking rough for Team Donkey. Very rough. And most of the troubles come straight from the top. While President Biden isn’t up for reelection this year, he’ll likely be responsible for ending a lot of careers this November.
Inflation is soaring, economists are warning of a recession, and moms still can’t find baby formula. Meanwhile, Biden is baffled about why voters are so upset with him.
His polling numbers have hit their lowest point in his presidency, with just 40% of voters approving of his performance, according to the RealClearPolitics average. And it could get worse; the Reuters/Ipsos poll has him at 36%.
An anonymous tipster compared Biden’s polls to the last guy. “He’s now lower than Trump, and he’s really twisted about it,” the person close to the White House said.
This tidbit and many others were shared in a Tuesday NBC News report about a “White House adrift.” The story casts Biden as a victim of bad circumstances but, reading between the lines, it shows that the president brought most of this on himself.
Biden is 'mystified' why voters are upset?
Apparently, Biden is unhappy that whenever he wanders off script and blurts out an odd statement, his staff issues a press release insisting he meant the exact opposite. One White House official retorted, “We don’t say anything that the president doesn’t want us to say.”
I can’t help but sympathize with staffers expected to clean up the gaffes that have haunted Biden his entire career.
Biden also vents that he’s “not getting credit from Americans” and “doesn’t think enough Democrats go on television to defend him.” And he’s “mystified” that his polls numbers are stuck at or below Trump levels.
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An average gas price of $4.67 per gallon will do that. And that’s 30 cents lower than the average price in Arizona.
Spokesperson Jen Psaki isn’t the only Democrat jumping ship. Now there’s an exodus of Black staffers because of “little support from their superiors and fewer chances for promotion.” Chief of Staff Ron Klain is also said to be eyeing the exits.
Biden set aside June as the month he’ll declare how great the economy is doing. Hey, at least unemployment is headed in the right direction. But it didn’t help that his Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, admitted on Tuesday that she failed last year when she claimed inflation was “a small risk,” “manageable” and “not a problem.”
If Democrats don't change their product, they'll lose
Capitol Hill Democrats are right to be nervous. Some have started lashing out at their party’s leader in public.
“If I sound frustrated, it’s because I hear from my constituents,” Rep. Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., said. “They’re struggling. This is not a time for political games. It’s not the time for finding bogeymen.”
Part of the struggle consists in Biden’s analysis of why he’s sinking so far, so fast. His administration repeatedly claims that it’s all just a messaging problem. It’s not messaging; it’s reality.
The president’s latest great idea was calling the GOP the “Ultra MAGA” party … only to have laughing Republicans print and buy T-shirts bearing the awkward phrase.
If dogs won’t eat the dog food you’re selling, a new slogan won’t fix the problem. You need to change your product.
In politics, good policy results are always the best messaging. If Democrats can’t deliver a better product in the next five months, get ready to spend the next two years in the minority.
Jon Gabriel, a Mesa resident, is editor-in-chief of Ricochet.com and a contributor to The Republic and azcentral.com. Follow him on Twitter at @exjon.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Joe Biden's problem isn't poor messaging. It's everything else
