Joe Biden is currently in Delaware preparing for the first debate of the 2024 presidential campaign. After traveling there midweek, he canceled all public events in an attempt to create a turning point for his campaign.
SEE: More tips on Biden’s possible approach to the debate as his walk to Marine One raises questions
Why is this necessary? Because the president currently enjoys the lowest approval ratings of any president since polls began. His policies have been disastrous and Americans are increasingly dissatisfied with the direction the country is heading. But there is another massive problem: Joe Biden himself.
A democratic strategist is hit the alarm about what Really to leisurely down the president’s re-election, and it is not as basic as changing some messages and talking incessantly about January 6th.
The political divide between the president and fellow Democrats has become abundantly clear to party leaders, showing the extent to which Biden’s problems appear to be Biden-specific. Interviews with Democratic lawmakers, strategists and former party officials in Washington and the states showed that Democrats are increasingly willing to acknowledge that the president’s political difficulties are rooted in Biden’s personal weaknesses — including his age, inconsistent messaging and dismal support among teenage people.
“The Democrats are fully committed to winning the Senate and the House of Representatives,” said Neil Oxman, a Democratic strategist from Pennsylvania.
And they are “not enthusiastic about Biden’s re-election,” Oxman said. “Period.”
Niel Oxman’s criticism is based on current polls that show that Biden is significantly behind his Democratic colleagues in several states. While, for example, Democratic Senator Bob Casey is currently leading by Average of five points, Trump is ahead of Biden in the same state with a Average by two percentage points. There are similar results in Arizona, Ohio, Nevada and even North Carolina, where the Democrats are ahead nationwide while the president is far behind.
This suggests that Biden is Biden’s biggest problem, not just the Democratic Party’s platform, as abhorrent as I personally find that. Undoubtedly, his mental decline, as well as increasing concerns about his appearance (i.e., how he walks and treats others), are a driving force behind the president’s increasingly subpar re-election chances. Biden cannot get any younger, and the majority of Americans already believe he is simply too ancient and incapable of doing the job.
However, there is one thing that Democrats are clinging to and that gives them hope.
Democrats are cautious not to over-interpret the results of special elections – elections in which turnout is typically low and which are unlikely to result in a presidential election – but they are a confidence boost for Democrats who are worried about the top candidates.
“Almost every time Democrats have been on the ballot in a special election since the 2022 election, we have outperformed,” said Mike Tate, former chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party. “I don’t think there’s any reason to believe this won’t be on the ballot.”
I would love to refute what Mike Tate says above, but I can’t. He is right that Democrats have generally overperformed in the 2022 election, especially in special elections. That should give Republicans pause. All the polls in the world are meaningless. Republican turnout does not outperform Democrats, and trying to judge that based on the primaries is a futile exercise.
Still, Biden remains a burden that cannot be easily shaken off. Another strategist quoted by Politico said the president just needs to present a powerful image and sell his policies better. That, too, is simply not possible. Biden is who he is. He will not suddenly turn into a smooth-talking salesman who can convince people of his competence. Unless the president voluntarily resigns, perhaps citing health problems, Democrats are in a bind. Maybe it will be enough in November, maybe not, but right now they cannot be comfortable with their position.
