Let’s be honest, Democrats.
Joe Biden was elected — I will not relitigate the “stolen election” debate in this article — for one reason: to get rid of Donald Trump. Period. The Democrat Party could have nominated a blind, intellectually disabled squirrel, and the results of the 2020 election would not have changed.
But let’s be clear: No one loves Joe Biden.
Moreover, everyone from White House officials to members of Biden’s cabinet to Democrat lawmakers on Capitol Hill to the sock puppets of the so-called “mainstream” media is terrified every time Corn Pop’s pal opens his mouth — at which time he invariably mumbles something else stupid and/or incoherent.
In a Saturday article titled No One Loves Joe Biden, the UK’s The Economist — not exactly a left-wing outlet [/sarc] — illustrated the “no-love” reality perfectly, beginning with the Virginia gubernatorial race in which sleazy Democrat Terry McAuliffe is likely to get his a** handed to him by Republican Glenn Youngkin on Tuesday in what just weeks ago would have been a yuuge upset.
Biden showed up to stump for his old pal in what proved to be one of the most awkward appearances of the addled president in recent weeks — and awkward moments with this guy occur in abundance.
As The Economist noted, “only a tiny corner of a large Arlington park had been fenced off and floodlit to create the safest possible space in the most reliably Democratic city of a state that Biden won last year by ten points.” The “tiny corner” decision proved correct.
Only a modest Democratic crowd duly showed up. And its members seemed ambivalent about the president. Asked for their opinion of him, some said they were “indifferent”, others claimed to have “no view”. Several […] said they knew nobody who was enthusiastic about him. “That’s not really what he’s about,” said one woman, jiggling a “Terry for Virginia” sign.
“Nobody (I’m talking to you, Democrats) is enthusiastic about him” because no one loves Joe Biden.
As to stumping for McAuliffe, Biden barely mentioned his name. Instead? It was wall-to-wall fixation with Trump, which The Economist, in its humorous formal, British way, noted (emphasis, mine).
In Arlington, Mr. Biden focused, in his shouty way, on his predecessor. “Remember this: I ran against Donald Trump and Terry is running against an acolyte of Donald Trump!”
The limits of that message were exposed in the general election, not only by Mr Trump’s robust losing performance, but also by how little damage other Republican candidates suffered by association.
And the former president is even less of a bogie today. Most voters — especially independents, among whom Mr Biden’s slide has been steepest — appear to have put him from their minds. Moreover, it becomes increasingly hard to present yourself as a uniter, not a divider, when more than half the country thinks you’re doing badly.
If Mr Biden cannot reverse that impression, the outcome for his party will be grim. Mid-terms are a referendum on the president, not his predecessor. His dire ratings are therefore setting Democrats up for a hiding. History suggests they are consistent with their losing control of both chambers. It also shows how hard it will be for Mr. Biden to claw his way back.
Biden’s fixation with Trump, as is the case with Nancy Pelosi, CNN and MSNBC, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, and a host of other “afflicted” souls, is the result of stage 4 Trump Derangement Syndrome, remains alive and “well” in Biden’s acuity challenged head.
“Americans elected the president to get rid of his predecessor,” observed The Economist. “They’re not sure what else he can do.”
So what else can Biden do? More importantly, what has he done? What are Biden’s achievements? Here’s The Economist’s take:
Hardly any non-lobbyist in the Arlington crowd could name a significant thing the Biden administration had done. Most knew congressional Democrats were haggling over the cost of a spending package, but struggled to recall almost any of the climate and social policies it contained.
And this was in arguably the most educated, switched-on, centre-left place in the country. The chances of independent voters in Milwaukee or El Paso having half a clue as to what Mr. Biden is attempting would appear to be close to zero.
The Economist is right. Can you — in a genuinely objective manner — think of a single Biden accomplishment in his more than ten months in office? Me, neither. On the contrary, it’s as if the not-Trump president has tried to make everything he touches far worse than it was before he screwed with it.
As we reported on Friday, Biden’s upside-down approval ratings continue to swirl down the toilet at a breakneck speed that CNN — “The Most Trusted Name in News™” — can only dream (have nightmares) about. From the Biden Border Crisis™ to the Biden Afghanistan Crisis™ and beyond, Clueless Joe’s ratings have been in a veritable freefall and show zero signs of stopping, let alone improving.
The “quiet part that no one wants to say out loud” (I hate that phrase) is this: Democrats across the fruited plain are stuck with a level of buyer’s remorse that even the most TDS-riddled among them could not have seen coming, just mere months ago. Admit it, Trump haters: No one loves Joe Biden.
As The Economist noted, Bill Clinton was fond of saying “elections are about the future.”
That said, future elections can’t just be about Donald Trump.