Dem Strategists Warn Of 'Biblical Disaster' At Midterms After Doing 'F**king Horrible Job'
Zero Hedge
Between the botched Afghanistan withdrawal, hobbling domestic energy production, rampant inflation following a tsunami of stimmies, politicized pandemic 'science,' and dismal approval ratings that reflect the entire quagmire, left-wing strategists are predicting doom for Democrats come midterms.
As of Tuesday, Biden's approval rating was dragging along at 40.6%, according to RealClear Politics.
"I think this is going to be a biblical disaster," one Democratic staffer told The Hill on condition of anonymity. "This is the reality we are in as Democrats and no one wants to face it."
Democrats know the bitter taste of bad midterm results. The party fared dismally during the first midterm elections of President Clinton and President Obama. In 1994, with Clinton in the White House, Democrats lost a net 54 House seats. In 2010, under Obama, they lost 63 seats.
An increasingly gerrymandered Congress makes that kind of wipeout hard to see this year.
But around Washington, virtually no one expects Democrats to retain their slim House majority. One useful point of comparison is 1982, when inflation was rampant as it is now and Republicans lost a net 26 House seats with President Reagan in the White House. -The Hill
Another issue plaguing Democrats is a flood of immigrants crossing the southern US border - with as many as 18,000 per day anticipated by the Department of Homeland Security after the Biden administration abandons the use of Title 42 in late May - a Trump-era measure which was used to deny entry to migrants during the pandemic.
Meanwhile, Biden's aggressive stance against the Russian invasion of Ukraine hasn't translated to a significant polling boost - suggesting Americans aren't looking forward to a long war of attrition.
"We are in a very chaotic moment right now," said Democratic strategist Joel Payne. "There’s COVID, Afghanistan was just last year, now there’s the war in Ukraine, and the economy is up or down depending on who you are. There is this general instability that sunk Donald Trump a mere 18 or 20 months ago, and it is now Joe Biden’s problem, Joe Biden’s challenge."
Inside the DNC, Democrats are blaming 'bad messaging' for their abysmal polling.
"Look, I’m not going to BS. We’ve done a f—ing horrible job and sometimes I think we deserve to lose big in November," said another anonymous Democratic strategist to The Hill. "Democrats can say whatever they want but it’s not honest."
"The narrative here doesn’t exist," they added. "We need to wake up fast."
Strategists aren’t the only ones giving Democrats poor marks. Earlier this month, Hillary Clinton, the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee, said Democrats need to do a better job touting their achievements.
“I’m not quite sure what the disconnect is between the accomplishments of the administration, and this Congress, and the understanding of what’s been done, and the impact it will have on the American public, and some of the polling and the ongoing hand-wringing,” Clinton said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
She said the party has “a good case to make if we get our focus in the right place to do it,” arguing Democrats have “a lot of good accomplishments to be putting up on the board. And the Democrats in office and out need to be doing a better job of making the case.” -The Hill
Former President Barack Obama also criticized his party for bad messaging.
"We got a story to tell, just got to tell it," he said - as if it will solve the slow-motion train-wreck we're witnessing.
It's all about inflation
According to former Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Steve Israel, "The problem is that voters would rather feel that the economy is improving than read about it. And in this hyperpartisan environment even if the statistics tell you you’re doing better, you’re not going to give Joe Biden credit for that. Which means Democrats have a message marathon, not a sprint. They’ll be forcing votes on core economic issues that force a contrast and that contrast will be drawn in potent thirty second ads in the midterm election this fall."
Former Obama White House aide and Democratic strategist Ben LaBolt suggested that with the pandemic and supply chain woes causing a surge in prices, "it’s a challenging time for leaders around the world."
"Their approval ratings have been impacted," he added.
Not all strategists agree on 'messaging' right now.
Former Harry Reid (D-NV) strategist Rodell Mollineau said Democratic consultants are "tone deaf" to suggest boasting about accomplishments during a crisis.
Instead, he says Dems need to "start rallying around the president because if his numbers are soft, then that’s going to affect the midterms as well," adding "And for once, row in the same direction."