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Biden numbers are catastrophic … and no bottom yet?

Biden numbers are catastrophic … and no bottom yet?

With each succeeding round of polling, President Biden’s numbers get worse. According to the latest CNN poll, Biden’s favorable rating has dropped to 39 percent.  Almost two-thirds of the voting public think Biden is doing a bad job.

When viewed along partisan lines only 74 percent of Democrats approve of Biden’s performance – down from 80 percent in July.  Independents stayed steady at an abysmal 36 percent approval rating and Republicans dropped from 7 to 6 percent.  In terms of the direction of the country, 70 percent say things are going badly.  Similarly, more than 70 percent of the public do not – repeat do not – want Biden to run for a second term.

The Issues

While Democrats and team-Biden push his economic “accomplishments” as his strong suit, the people are not buying it.   Since he labeled his campaign strategy “Bidenomics”, his rating in handling the economy has been falling.  Fifty-eight percent of the folks back home say that Biden’s economic policies have WORSENED the situation.

In the recent FOX News poll, the story is the same.  For the first time a majority of Americans (52%) believe that Biden policies have made the economy WORSE.  That is up from 47 percent in June.  Only 25 percent believe Biden improved the economy – with 22 percent saying he has made no difference at all.

That means that 74 percent of the people do not think Biden’s economic policies were positive or beneficial.  That is an astounding number in view of Biden’s pounding on his economic “achievements” for the past year.  The more he pounds, the worse his numbers get.  That is because Biden is selling political propaganda and the folks back home are living the reality.

In terms of a successful marketing strategy, Biden’s Bidenomics theme is right up there with Edsel, New Coke, and Bud Lite.

Biden is underwater with the American people in almost every other category – immigration, crime, Ukraine.  His highest positive rating is job creation – and even that is hovering around an unimpressive 50 percent favorable.  In carrying out the responsibilities of the presidency in the best interest of the public, Biden is getting a big fat “F” from the American people.

Integrity

There are other factors to be considered.  What about the old working-class Ole Joe persona?  That common man with great American values — and all his probably apocryphal talks with his father around the kitchen table.

It appears that a growing number of voters are seeing him as a typical Washington establishment politician.  And how could they not?  That working-class Joe is a myth.  The real Joe has been on the public payroll all his adult life — and a major insider in Washington for 50 years. He is the quintessential creature of the swamp.

CNN poll shows that the majority of the public have significant concerns about his personal integrity.  They are not buying his Sergeant Schultz’ “I know nothing” defense regarding his son Hunter’s controversial – and possibly criminal – activities.

Almost two-thirds of the public do not believe that Biden was unaware of his son’s business activities.  Even worse for Biden is the fact that 48 percent of DEMOCRATS polled by CNN believe Biden has done things that are illegal — and another 18 percent believe he has acted unethically.  Only 38 percent believe Biden was not involved in any way.

The reports that Hunter is about to be indicted will not help the President’s image.  Biden’s “my son did nothing wrong” is sounding as hollow as his “I know nothing” defense.

While there is not yet enough evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Biden was involved in Hunter’s schemes – criminal or otherwise — there is enough hard evidence in the form of phone calls, text messages, emails and whatever else is in Hunter’s laptop to raise suspicions.

Biden still has some ‘splaing to do to the special counsel regarding his illegal possession of White Documents.

Age and vitality

As bad as Biden’s numbers are regarding the issues and his personal integrity, his political Achilles Heel may be his age and vitality – with emphasis on the latter.  The concern is usually expressed over his age, but it is the vitality concern that is the larger issue.  Old folks at the same age have very different health conditions – physical and mental.

Defenders of Biden often note that President Trump is only three years younger.  Come on, man!  Anyone can see the difference.  Despite being overweight, Trump is obviously in better physical condition than Biden – and has better mental acuity.  Trump can be on the hustings every day – speaking extemporaneously.  Biden is shuffled in and out of scripted and limited public appearances – and he avoids the press like they have Covid.  And then there are those “senior moments.”

Both Biden and Trump are at the “anything can happen” stage of life.  Frankly, I think they are both too old to take on the presidency for the next four years.  However, in terms of completing the term without a wheelchair — and with all the marbles still in place — the odds favor Trump.  That is not an endorsement, just a sense of observed reality.

The CNN poll placed the age issue as a major concern of the voters.

Seventy-Six percent say that Biden’s age is a serious issue.  When asked if Biden has the stamina and sharpness to serve four more years, 74 percent say “no.”  Biden attempted to address the age issue by falling on the old bromide that with age comes wisdom.  That can be true – but is also can bring strokes, heart attacks, cognitive decline and dementia.

Virtually every American has experience with friends and relatives over 80.  No occasional two-step or brief bike ride will assuage the public’s legitimate concerns.   It is quite simple.  Biden is too old, and he does not appear that he will retain sufficient mental and physical vitality to serve another four years.

Trump

If Biden cannot win on the issues, integrity or age, his only chance is the Trump issue.  He put it very well when he said, “Don’t compare me to the Almighty.  Compare me to the alternative.”  There is some value in that argument for Biden.  While 70 percent of Democrats do not want Biden to run, most Democrats will vote for him if the binary choice is him or Trump.  But even making Trump the issue is not giving Biden any obvious advantage at the moment.

The head-to-head contest

When matched against specific Republican candidates, there is more very bad news for Biden.  First of all, he loses to Trump 47 to 46 percent – essentially a tie within the margin-of-error.  Biden ties with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis at 47 to 47 percent.  He is in surprisingly tight races with most of the other GOP candidates – essentially tied within the margin of error.  Former Vice President Pence inches ahead in a 46 to 44 percent race.   Same with South Carolina Senator Tim Scott.  Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie leads with 44 to 42 percent.   Biden is a head of businessman Vivek Ramaswamy by a mere 46 to 45 percent.  Ponder that.  Half the voters will take almost any Republican over Biden.

One Republican candidate clearly beats Biden beyond the margin-of-error.  That is former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who topped Biden 49 to 43 percent – a comfortable six-point edge.  She gained my vote after seeing her debate.  Her problem, however, is securing the Republican nomination.

Summary

Biden is unlikely to improve his position on any of the issues – including the economy.  In terms of integrity, Hunter’s ongoing problems will get worse and reflect more on Biden, himself, as his son goes to trial.  Biden cannot beat the age issue.  He will not be as well and able in future months and years as he is today.  How much and how fast he will decline can be debated, but not the fact that he will.

His age problem also intersects with his choice of Vice President.  Even most Democrats do not want her to ever be President.  Voters fear that is exactly what would happen if Biden cannot make it through a second term.

Based on what we already know from the evidence, the Biden & Son issues will gain more gravitas. How much it will involve Biden is an unknown.  Despite the Democrats’ best effort to call the Hunter issue a nothing burger, it is taking on an ominous life of its own.  And most voters already believe Biden is culpable of something according to the CNN poll.

And then there is the enthusiasm factor – that intangible that gets people casting ballots, or not.  In June 62 percent of Democrats were highly motivated to the Republican’s 65 percent.  Since then, Democrat enthusiasm fell to 60 percent while GOP’s rose to 75 percent.  A three-point gap turned into a 15-point gap in just a couple of months.

Most pundits and observers agree that Biden will be the Democrat standard bearer in 2024 unless he has a serious health setback, or he sees the writing on the wall and steps down – as did Presidents Truman and Johnson.  Or … he can run and lose.  The three modern presidents with comparable poll numbers at this point were Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush and Donald Trump – and they all lost their bid for a second term.

It still looks like Biden will be the Democrat standard bearer in 2024.  However, if the polls do not improve, I would not bet the ranch on it.  There is at least one understudy in the wings.  Is that California Governor Gavin Newsom chaffing at the bit?

So, there ‘tis.

About The Author

Larry Horist

So, there ‘tis… The opinions, perspectives and analyses of businessman, conservative writer and political strategist Larry Horist. Larry has an extensive background in economics and public policy. For more than 40 years, he ran his own Chicago based consulting firm. His clients included such conservative icons as Steve Forbes and Milton Friedman. He has served as a consultant to the Nixon White House and travelled the country as a spokesman for President Reagan’s economic reforms. Larry professional emphasis has been on civil rights and education. He was consultant to both the Chicago and the Detroit boards of education, the Educational Choice Foundation, the Chicago Teachers Academy and the Chicago Academy for the Performing Arts. Larry has testified as an expert witness before numerous legislative bodies, including the U. S. Congress, and has lectured at colleges and universities, including Harvard, Northwestern and DePaul. He served as Executive Director of the City Club of Chicago, where he led a successful two-year campaign to save the historic Chicago Theatre from the wrecking ball. Larry has been a guest on hundreds of public affairs talk shows, and hosted his own program, “Chicago In Sight,” on WIND radio. An award-winning debater, his insightful and sometimes controversial commentaries have appeared on the editorial pages of newspapers across the nation. He is praised by audiences for his style, substance and sense of humor. Larry retired from his consulting business to devote his time to writing. His books include a humorous look at collecting, “The Acrapulators’ Guide”, and a more serious history of the Democratic Party’s role in de facto institutional racism, “Who Put Blacks in That PLACE? -- The Long Sad History of the Democratic Party’s Oppression of Black Americans ... to This Day”. Larry currently lives in Boca Raton, Florida.

8 Comments

  1. Dan tyree

    Don’t count the retard out. The cheaters are still around

    • Robert Atkinson, Jr.

      True. Whether it’s outright vote fraud, or the media spreading more lies to alter the outcome, or, more likely both, the fix is in! The only way we get rid of “Sleepy” Joe Biden and his comrades is to vote against him in such overwhelming numbers that electoral fraud is impossible! The closer the election, the easier it is to cheat, so let’s not make it close!

  2. Rusty Shamrock

    Don’t forget a majority of this misadministration’s “jobs created” have actually been just folks going back to jobs “lost” during the pandemic shutdowns caused by the government. A fact consistently ignored by the CYA professional politicians and the Lame Stream Media.

    • frank stetson

      Love to see folks discussing things versus baying at the moon, good to have an opinion, but Rusty — always look at basic facts before sticking that foot out there lest it ends up in mouth.

      Pretty sure most sources compute: “The economy added 12.6 million jobs under Biden, putting the total 3.2 million higher than before the pandemic” which is factcheck.org as of 4/23. Before you claim liberal-bias-org and I come back with a dozen more sources, if you come at that point with “MSMS fake news,” then it’s not a discussion. Good luck and good to talk.

      FYI: average wages are increasing at rates above inflation too. Basically, it means it’s a good time to look for a better job while keeping the one you have.

      • Jimmy Falcon

        Even if jobs were added, why do stats also show there is a substantial “participation” problem? I’m convinced that, most likely, the majority of the jobs added are in low-paying hospitality, food services, janitorial, and generally mundane part-time positions, and that could explain the UN-participation issue. Most families can’t earn a reasonable living without working two or three of those jobs. Immigrants oftentimes could fill the vacancies. But we have had an influx of largely unvetted and woefully unprepared immigrants that have language issues as well as legal issues. Most U.S. citizens prefer to attain careers and not jobs, and our negligent and indoctrinating public education systems have created two whole generations of snowflake children. These children are NOT prepared to take on high-paying white-collar or even top-notch blue-collar careers at a quick enough pace to help the economy grow at a steady pace. This can all change, but not if we allow the current DC Establishment NeoCon Globalist Cabal to remain in power. We have painstakingly witnessed the messes they have created over the past 60 years [since JFK], and arguably these great evils can be directly linked to the “magical unicorn” policies of radical race-baiting leftist-leaning Democrats. They and their Media shills have been endlessly shameless, unrepentant and verifiably America-hating, and have demonstrably never had any real desire to see the poor, POC, LGBTQIA, nor the Middle Class succeed. Even bad GOP policies have worked better than most of the mad-scientist policies of the Dems. The receipts are in. We have the video. They have tried vigorously and have failed to hide most of their sins, despite help from a satanically possessed Media Mob. We should demand that the Democrat Party rename itself to the Socialist-Progressive Party. These cabalists don’t deserve the title of “Democrat”. We need to rout them in 2024 and be done with them for the next 20 years. That oughta be enough time to systematically rid the majority of our Federal and State governments and their Media Mob of most, if not all, of the highly toxic woke viruses that have infected every facet of society by simple herd immunity!

        • frank stetson

          Mr Horist, now that’s a rant, that’s a screed, and I note how fast you are to condemn disinformation of which this is replete, with zero facts or sources to support —– just like a Horist tale of woe.

          Jimmy: except “Even if jobs were added, why do stats also show there is a substantial “participation” problem?” which is the same problem approximately as under Trump and before, according to FRED. This means your first statement is false.

          The second statement “I’m convinced that, most likely, the majority of the jobs added are in low-paying hospitality, food services, janitorial, and generally mundane part-time positions, and that could explain the UN-participation issue” may be true but is somewhat countermanded by the fact real wages are rising. “Pay is finally rising faster than consumer prices, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Average hourly pay has grown at an annual rate of 4.4% for the last three months, topping the Consumer Price Index, which rose at rate of 3% in June and 4% in May. ” NBC News

          As far as job types, BLS estimates that the second most available jobs are SW developers at over $100K a year, *https://www.bls.gov/ooh/most-new-jobs.htm* You didn’t have to guess wrong, you can look it up…..

          So, besides the foundation of your beliefs being factual wrong, I am sure you are doing swell. HAGD

          BUSTED

  3. Robert G. Atkinson, Jr.

    The scariest part of all this is that despite all of Joe Biden’s many failures, most of the alternatives from the Democratic Party, with the possible exception of RFK, Jr., are worse! Having “Cackling Kamala” Harris or Gavin “Gruesome” Newsom replace Biden would be an even bigger disaster! Imagine “Gruesome” Newsom doing to the rest of the country what he’s already done to California, for example! The biggest problem is, that despite all of his faults, almost all Democrats, and many independent voters, are so infected with Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) that if Trump is the Republican nominee, they’ll either hold their nose and vote for “Sleepy” Joe, or stay home and sit out the election completely! While Trump’s still the choice of a large majority of Republicans, I’m afraid that his nomination will be a disaster in November, 2024. The worst possible outcome would be for Biden to win a second term, then resign in favor of his VP, either Cackling Kamala or Hillary Clinton! Replacing Harris on the ticket is also a problem, since she checks too many boxes on the identity politics list (Female of Color). Replacing her could cost votes among those interest groups, votes which the Democrats will need to hold onto to have any chance of winning in 2024.

  4. frank stetson

    Mr Horist,

    Yes, the numbers are dismal, no country for old men, Blacks and Hispanics are leaving, younger set feels betrayed, pro-lifers hate him, already lost the rural vote, mixed economy with many feeling the pain, and Trump is strong, he’s his party’s choice by far, no one can touch him, not even a digital rape, sex abuse and 91 federal and state charges in four indictments, what could possibly bring him down?

    Except……maybe……haven’t we seen this movie before in 2019 leading to your dismal numbers in 2020? Biden then had no chance, old, senile, out of touch, losing the Black vote, etc. Then a year later Trump was tossing burgers at the wall, telling McCarthy what’s your problem and watching RTV (riot TV) and looking for more boxes for the documents….Soon he will be in court, very good possibility of conviction and jail time, and you can vote for him there. But not in the primary, cuz you be a man of honor, as is your party. Viva la Tuberville.