Joe Biden's presidency continues to slide towards oblivion, and it seems as though the First Lady even understands how badly things are going. With progressives seething at Joe Manchin for again refusing to sign on to a tax hike and spending bill, some observers are declaring the Biden administration -- and the Democratic majorities -- a failure. Indeed, it's hard to argue that this isn't a failure. Which may be why Jill Biden is reportedly talking about her husband's agenda in the past tense:
Jill Biden has said her husband 'had so many hopes' when he got into office, but there were 'problems of the moment' that needed to be addressed first. The First Lady, 71, spoke at a fundraising event for the Democratic National Committee in Nantucket, Massachusetts, on Saturday. '[The President] had so many hopes and plans for things he wanted to do, but every time you turned around, he had to address the problems of the moment,' she told donors at the event. 'He's just had so many things thrown his way,' she added. During his presidency, Biden has faced Russia's war in Ukraine, the pullout of troops from Afghanistan, rising inflation and the overturning of Roe v Wade. The remarks come after a New York Times poll recently found 64 percent of Democratic voters would prefer a candidate other than Biden in 2024.
Every president has unexpected challenges thrown his way. Ask President Bush about 9/11. Ask President Trump about COVID. Whining about outside events is loser talk, especially in this fatalistic, 'it's over' tone. Are people close to the president starting to view him as something of a lame duck? In mid-2022? That seems a bit premature, to say the least; Biden supposedly wants to run for re-election and is upset that many in his party are already treating him like old news. He's now demanding that people read the polls, citing cherry-picked data points that massively understate the problem he has on his hands. Not long ago he was saying that he doesn't read polls at all, or that he doesn't believe them. It seems incoherent and flailing because it is. Does the president also want us to read this poll, 'Jack'?
Underwater: 40% approve 59% disapprove = net negative of 19 points for Biden’s approval rating
— Wyatt Dobrovich (@WyattDobrovich) July 17, 2022
-14 in June
-8 in May https://t.co/66S3PJkpPh
The Vice President, Biden's heir apparent, is in similarly dire straits:
?? Kamala Harris job approval
— Nathan Brand (@NathanBrandWA) July 17, 2022
39% - Approve
58% - Disapprove
4/4
Fox's nonpartisan survey shows Republicans with a steady lead on the generic 2022 ballot, a metric on which Democrats historically lead:
FOX NEWS POLL: GOP Candidates still hold a 3 point lead over Democratic candidates. #FoxNewsSunday pic.twitter.com/qTfpcd9hdE
— Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) July 17, 2022
The polling average shows the GOP +2 nationally. The White House has taken to boasting about gas prices falling, in order to deflect from the horrendously bad inflation numbers published last week. Two problems with that. First, average gas prices remain brutally high, at roughly $4.50 on average. Second, the downward trajectory may not continue:
The midterm calendar:
— Josh Kraushaar (@JoshKraushaar) July 17, 2022
WaPo: "Drivers relieved by the recent dip in gas prices may be in for a shock when the summer winds down, with energy analysts warning a fresh round of price surges could emerge as soon as October."https://t.co/iOCXGgIABZ
October, you say? Meanwhile, here's another flashing red light on recession, which top experts are warning may be an inevitability:
Copper suffered its worst weekly plunge since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, flashing the latest warning sign that a recession could be looming on the horizon. The metal — a major component in electronics and motors that is often used as a bellwether of economic well-being — fell as low as $6,953 a ton of the London Metal Exchange on Friday. The commodity recovered later in the day as part of a broader market rally, with the three-month price rising above $7,170. Still, copper posted its largest one-week percentage decline since late March 2020, at the height of pandemic-related shutdowns in the economy. The metal has fallen about 35% over the past four months, wiping out gains earned in the wake of the Russian war in Ukraine. Year-to-date, copper is down about 28%. Copper officially entered a bear market at the end of June — an occurrence that has preceded each and every recession over the past 30 years.
I'll leave you with this:
Finally, Democrats found an election slogan that fits on a bumper sticker pic.twitter.com/jvTGhLSLiP
— Bill Scher (@billscher) July 15, 2022
Hmmm:
Many of these people do seem to sincerely believe carbon dioxide emissions are a threat to all life on Earth.
— Phil Kerpen (@kerpen) July 17, 2022
But I'm not sure how their obsessive focus on reducing already falling *United States* emissions is supposed to address the issue? https://t.co/FrjZOoAxwu pic.twitter.com/hvuUhJ4pNa
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