Senate Democrats say President Biden\u2019s\u2002moribund poll numbers are \u201cconcerning\u201d and \u201cfrustrating,\u201d but they are doubtful any messaging shift by the White House will change how voters view him before the 2024 election.
They acknowledge the 80-year-old president\u2019s biggest problem is his age, which negatively influences how many voters view his presidency and contributes to a lack of enthusiasm for his 2024 reelection campaign.
\u201cYou got to be concerned about those poll numbers, you just do,\u201d Sen. Jon Tester\u2002(D-Mont.) said. \u201cThere\u2019s plenty of time to get them back up. Whether he can or not, I just don\u2019t know but you got to be concerned.\u201d
One Democratic senator who requested anonymity said voters at home expressed deep apathy about Biden\u2019s prospective reelection during constituent meetings over the August recess.
The senator said the polling data \u201creflect all the miscellaneous encounters I\u2019m having all the time.\u201d
\u201cThere\u2019s just no enthusiasm,\u201d the senator said. \u201cIt does pretty much come down to \u2018Well, he\u2019s done a pretty good job, but he\u2019s just too old.\u2019\u201d
Democratic senators dismiss the possibility Biden will face any real competition for his party\u2019s presidential nomination, even though many of their constituents \u2014 especially younger voters \u2014 are hungry for new faces in leadership.
Instead, Democratic lawmakers, who expect a tough fight to keep their Senate majority, are counting on Republicans nominating former President Trump for the top of their ticket, whom they view as a candidate Biden has a good chance of beating next year, despite his weak poll numbers.
A CNN\/SSRS poll of 1,503 adults nationwide conducted Aug. 25-31 shows Biden\u2019s job approval rating stands at 39 percent, and 67 percent of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters say the Democratic Party should nominate someone other than Biden for president next year.
The poll showed 58 percent of Americans have an unfavorable impression of Biden, and nearly three-quarters of respondents say they are concerned about his age.
Deep frustration
Sen. John Hickenlooper\u2002(D-Colo.) said he\u2019s frustrated that Biden\u2019s poll numbers are so bad despite the strength of the economy and the president\u2019s legislative accomplishments, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, which gave Medicare broad authority to negotiate lower prescription drug prices and provided $370 billion to combat climate change.
\u201cIt\u2019s frustrating,\u201d he said, citing a disconnect between voters\u2019 view of the economy and inflation and the latest data.
\u201cThey think inflation is still running away. Inflation has come from 9 percent to 3, now 3.5 percent,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s, relatively speaking, under control. Now we\u2019re not at 2 percent, but we\u2019re darn close,\u201d referring to the Federal Reserve\u2019s 2 percent inflation target.
\u201cWhat can you do? You have to continue to try and find fresh ways of talking about this,\u201d he said. \u201cI think we have to find some fresh ways of letting people know that the reality of what we\u2019re seeing is little short of a miracle.\u201d
Hickenlooper acknowledged that, \u201csure,\u201d Biden\u2019s age is hurting how voters view his job performance but argued it\u2019s not fair.
\u201cThe age factor shouldn\u2019t sour anyone unless they are seeing results that are not up to what their expectations are,\u201d he said. \u201cMy point is the results are pretty darn good.\u201d
A second Democratic senator who requested anonymity to discuss doubts about Biden\u2019s political viability acknowledged \u201ceverybody is so obsessed about his age or having somebody else\u201d as the Democratic nominee but argued the bottom line politically is \u201cthis is a guy that\u2019s gotten more done than anybody half his age.\u201d
The senator predicted as the presidential race \u201cmoves forward,\u201d Biden\u2019s numbers will improve because he won\u2019t be judged in a political \u201cvacuum\u201d against an ideal alternative but instead will be viewed in comparison to Trump, whom Democrats view as the likely GOP nominee.
Some Democrats are expressing frustration with the White House\u2019s economic messaging because an effort to tout the results of \u201cBidenomics\u201d shows little sign of succeeding.
\u201cThere\u2019s work to be done, stronger messaging, more aggressive campaigning but we\u2019re still very, very early,\u201d said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) of Biden\u2019s weak poll numbers.
A new Wall Street Journal poll of 1,500 registered voters found that 24 percent of Americans rate the economy as their top issue \u2014 well ahead of immigration, abortion rights, inflation or climate change \u2014 and only 37 percent rate the economy as \u201cexcellent\u201d or \u201cgood,\u201d while 27 percent rate it \u201cnot so good\u201d and 36 percent rate it \u201cpoor.\u201d
Only 37 percent of registered voters strongly approve or somewhat approve of Biden\u2019s handling of the economy, while 48 percent strongly disapprove of his economic performance.
The poll also found that 73 percent of voters think Biden is too old to seek a second term.
Not breaking through
Steve Jarding, a Democratic strategist who served as an adviser to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said Biden\u2019s message on the economy isn\u2019t breaking through \u201cbecause Americans are just not paying attention.\u201d
\u201cThey are so burned out on politics,\u201d he explained. \u201cOnly one out of two eligible voters in America even register to vote.\u201d
Jarding pointed to a statement of the 13 presidential libraries dating to former President Hoover warning about the present state of American democracy as a troubling sign of Americans\u2019 distrust of national politics and institutions. He thinks that disengagement is a major factor behind Biden\u2019s weak numbers.
Blumenthal acknowledged Biden\u2019s numbers are worrisome but argued the 2024 election will likely be a choice between the president and Trump, who is far ahead in Republican presidential primary polls.
\u201cThe fundamental here is elections are about choices,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen voters \u2014 when we are six months before the election before a year and a half \u2014 are looking at both Trump and Biden, even the people who like Trump\u2019s results don\u2019t want four more years of Trump.
\u201cHe produces chaos,\u201d Blumenthal said, predicting Trump will turn off independent and even many Republican-leaning voters if he is the GOP nominee.
Tester, who is one of the Senate\u2019s most vulnerable incumbents, acknowledged the presidential race will be \u201ca factor\u201d in his reelection campaign but said he would stick to his game plan of running as a third-generation Montana farmer who has delivered wins for veterans and other constituents in his state.
\u201cThe president is always a factor but I don\u2019t think it\u2019s a factor that\u2019s going to make much of a difference for me. We tend to do our own thing,\u201d he said, indicating that he will likely keep his distance from Biden in next year\u2019s election.
Asked how worried he is about Biden\u2019s poll numbers, Blumenthal said: \u201cThis election is going to be a fight. No question, it\u2019s going to be a fight and we need to be prepared.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n