During the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, the Democrats were the party of the future. They were the party of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, who were sworn in as presidents at the ages of 46 and 47, respectively.
Today, that seems like a very long time ago.
Consider the new CNN poll. Three-quarters fear Biden’s age could affect his ability to finish another term. Nearly half of registered voters say any Republican presidential nominee would be a better option than Joe Biden in 2024.
If Donald Trump becomes the Republican nominee, 47% of voters would vote for him, and 46% would vote for Biden. While this difference is within the margin of error, CNN noted that they did not have a single poll in 2020 that showed Trump leading against Biden.
Democrats were quick to defend Biden’s record. “He’s not getting credit for what I think is a fairly substantial list of achievements,” said David Axelrod, former senior advisor to President Barack Obama.
Yet no matter how much Democrats try to convince the public that “Bidenomics” are working, 58% of Americans still believe that Biden’s policies have worsened economic conditions. Only 30% of Americans say things are going well in the country.
It may be true that, on paper, Biden revived the economy, but the reality most voters experience is different. Prices are up 16.9% since Biden took office, real wages are down 3%, mortgage rates are at their highest in 22 years, and credit card debt has reached a new peak.
It’s likely that the constant flow of money to Ukraine only worsens Americans’ fears that the president is mishandling the economy. With hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars going overseas, 500,000 Russian and Ukrainian troops killed or wounded, and no end in sight, the conflict has become the kind of nightmarish “forever war” that voters once associated with Republicans.
For many years, Democrats insisted that they were the party of diplomatic solutions; today, they are eagerly sending depleted uranium rounds and internationally banned cluster munitions to Ukraine.
Biden’s poor approval ratings are likely also influenced by the brewing scandal around his son. Over half of voters believe that the president’s actions related to the Hunter Biden probe are inappropriate, and 61% say they think the president was involved in his son’s business dealings.
Indeed, there is mounting evidence that Biden’s Department of Justice is criminalizing the political activity of his enemies while shielding his son from real prosecution.
When Biden took office, he vowed that his administration would put an end to the division of the Trump years and would restore unity. Yet, on several occasions, Biden has made highly charged and antagonistic remarks about ordinary American citizens. Despite the media’s efforts to portray him as a wise and grandfatherly figure, Biden often appears to be angry and confused, lashing out at us unpredictably.
Due to the president’s age and obvious cognitive decline, it is unclear who is actually running the country and calling the shots. Biden, a corrupt and disoriented old man controlled by shadowy figures behind the scenes, is emblematic of what the Democratic Party has become.
The old vibrancy and inspiring messages of “hope” and “change” are gone, and all that remains is a cynical and desperate thirst for power.
Like its figurehead, the Democratic Party operates through secrecy and can barely conceal its contempt for large swathes of the country. It has become a party of censorship, war, elitism, and dishonesty.
There is only so long that Democrats can keep pretending Biden is a competent leader, and the latest CNN poll has provided a chance for many to finally state the obvious. Said Van Jones on CNN, “A lot of Democrats look at these numbers and say, ‘The whispers are finally showing up in this data’... People are scared to come out and say anything about it, but I think it’s important for us to have this conversation now.”
And yet Biden has shown no sign of throwing in the towel. Rumors periodically fly that he is about to announce he won’t run for a second term. Many thought it would happen in August.
The problem for Democrats is that they might have no one who can replace him. Kamala Harris is even less popular than Biden, and San Francisco is Gavin Newsom’s albatross.
This is perhaps what is most damning about the current state of the Democrats: Biden may really be the best they have to offer.
