After months of disappointments with no signs of stopping, the Biden administration may have had a rare chance to reset after January.
Presidency failures, massive inflation, the southern border problem, and other issues will be shifted away from President Joe Biden’s account. At the same time, early Friday’s economic disaster allowed him to build the case for one of his largest successes in 2022.
“This has been a rough three months for Biden. This is a lifesaver he desperately needed,” said GOP strategist Doug Heye. “It allows him to speak directly to his disillusioned base, particularly African American supporters.”
Dwindling Black Support, Black Woman Nomination
Despite voting for him, just 60% of black Americans now approve of Biden, as per the Pew Research Center. His vow to choose a black female for the Supreme Court might energize this voting group in the year’s midterms.
@JoeBiden struggles to turn the Titanic- nothing workshttps://t.co/rurbstRRxq
— Liz Peek (@lizpeek) January 31, 2022
The Breyer retirement came as the Biden administration was focused on the Build Back Better Act, which previously failed in Congress. In a good way, it fulfilled Biden’s campaign pledge to appoint the first black female Supreme Court justice.
This not only distracted from the administration’s problems, but Democrats hope it will generate momentum heading into what might be a harsh midterm election year.
According to Democracy for America CEO Yvette Simpson, “let’s hope he makes it simple for us all and wins here.”
On the new election law and Build Back Better, among other issues, Biden has poor approval ratings of up to 33% in certain polls. According to RealClearPolitics, Biden has a 40.8 percent approval rating versus a 53.3 percent disapproval rating.
Then, as Biden prepared to travel to Pittsburgh to discuss the bipartisan infrastructure plan, a bridge fell, injuring many, but not killing anybody.
Exploiting Bridge Collapse
Biden exploited the bridge’s fall to promote his $1.2 trillion infrastructure program enacted last year.
In a statement, the United Steelworkers union said the bridge disaster in their town is a “fatal signal we need to reinvest in our nation’s infrastructure.”
Biden said the package includes $1.6 billion for bridges in Pennsylvania alone, during his visit and address that afternoon.
“A bridge in this condition may endanger lives,” he stated. “We’ll rebuild that bridge, and hundreds of others in Pennsylvania and around the country, for our safety and to create commerce in ways we can’t do today.”
Even in Pittsburgh, Biden’s problems persisted.
Biden lost it in Pennsylvania. Sad!https://t.co/r3pgAoslYG
— George Papadopoulos (@GeorgePapa19) January 29, 2022
Per the Associated Press, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman and Attorney General Josh Shapiro missed Biden’s steel city rally extolling his administration’s successes.
Just like Stacey Abrams’ campaign when she missed his Atlanta address earlier this month, both Democrats’ camps blamed scheduling issues. Many observers blame Biden’s declining poll numbers.
“Democrats in Pennsylvania avoid him,” Heye remarked. “There’s an explanation.”
The forthcoming Supreme Court choice and the promise of infrastructure spending will help Biden, but only temporarily. The government hopes to use them to gain momentum throughout the year.
According to Heye, a midterm game-changer is unlikely. “Will he still have a 53% approval rating? No.”
One thing is clear to the average, reasoning American; the red wave is here, and the midterms this year will show it.
