A fitting follow-up to this morning's post, which examined and dismantled some of the false, misleading, or flawed Democratic flailing on inflation and gas prices. At the end of the post, we quoted Politico and CBS News pointing out the pesky reality that prices started to rise steadily roughly a year before Putin invaded Ukraine -- a trend that aligned, not coincidentally, with the onset of the Biden presidency and unified Democratic control of Washington.
We also cited public opinion polling showing the president hitting brutal lows on his handling of economic issues, as well as widespread rejection of his go-to blame-shifting excuses. Right on cue, another piece of public opinion data comes our way -- via Ed Morrissey:
Of those responding, 64% said Biden was “responsible,” choosing either “very responsible” (38%) or “somewhat responsible” (26%). Just 25% answered “not responsible”, with 17% saying “not very responsible” but a far-smaller 8% saying “not at all responsible.” “Not sure” was 10%. But most surprising of all, Democrats have thrown in the towel on Biden’s economic leadership, with 53% blaming Biden’s policies for inflation vs. 39% saying they weren’t responsible. Indeed, of all the major demographic groupings followed by the I&I/TIPP Poll, just one was below 50% overall: self-described “liberals.” All the other groups, including blacks (61%), Hispanics (61%), men (68%), women (61%), along with every income group, every age group, and every education group, all felt Biden’s policies caused the current inflation mess.
They are stomping their feet, inveighing against Putin, the greedy oil companies, and Republicans. And virtually no one believes them. No wonder those failing talking points are so popular on Twitter, which is one of the thickest and most insular bubbles in modern American politics. The flop-sweating, historically-unpopular guy in charge is getting cranky:
Biden snaps at reporter asking about economists forecasting a recession: “The majority aren’t saying that. Don’t make things up, OK. Now you sound like a Republican politician. I’m joking, that was a joke, that was a joke.” pic.twitter.com/95DjBfdn0y
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) June 20, 2022
As a loose rule, whenever Joe Biden says that something is "not a joke," be on the lookout for some dubious nonsense. When he says "that was a joke," consider that he recognizes that he was overly ornery or hostile in blurting something out that he actually believes. The number of economists forecasting a recession is growing, including former Obama Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, who was conspicuously correct about the inflation problem that Biden & Co. blew off for the better part of a year:
Former Obama economic advisor Larry Summers: “My best guess is that a recession is ahead” pic.twitter.com/7cX5QXWgfN
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 19, 2022
Do Summers, and the last 75 years of US economic history, also "sound like a Republican politician" bent on 'making things up'? How sideways have things gone for Biden, who soared into office as a self-described moderate, post-Trump, cooperation-minded healer, sporting a +20 approval rating in the early days? Very sideways:
Recommended
The survey of 1,541 U.S. adults, which was conducted from June 10-13, found that if another presidential election were held today, more registered voters say they would cast ballots for Donald Trump (44%) than for Biden (42%) — even though the House Jan. 6 committee has spent the last week linking Trump to what it called a “seditious conspiracy” to overturn the 2020 election and laying the groundwork for possible criminal prosecution…Among all Americans, Trump (43%) now has a higher personal favorability rating than Biden (40%) as well. Meanwhile, nearly two-thirds of independents (64%) have an unfavorable opinion of Biden, and just 28% say they would vote for him over Trump.
Allahpundit offers additional context and color commentary:
At a moment when the country is drowning in inflation and Hispanics seem to be shifting rightward at remarkable rates, the presumptive GOP nominee shouldn’t be a *narrow* favorite. Trump is the weakest hand Republicans could play, blowing a golden opportunity to win the popular vote for the first time in 20 years... How bad is it? Many more independents say Biden shouldn’t run again (76 percent) than say Trump shouldn’t (57 percent). Among Biden’s own voters in 2020, more say he shouldn’t run again than say he should, 40/37. The YouGov poll isn’t an outlier either. The latest from Fox News also finds Trump viewed marginally more favorably (44/55) than Biden (42/57)...Biden doesn’t even have the excuse that Capitol riot has faded from the public’s memory over the past 17 months, as these surveys were conducted at a moment when the January 6 committee is holding televised hearings, reminding them of the danger Trump poses.
And yet...is Biden actually, truly gearing up to run for re-election? "No joke," in the non-Biden sense?
A person familiar with the president’s advisers’ thinking said they are planning on him running and that the private conversations have matched the public statements. The current discussion is that an announcement would happen after the midterm elections, likely sometime in the spring of 2023, this person said. Rep. Jim Clyburn (D., S.C.), who paved the way for Mr. Biden to secure the Democratic nomination in 2020, suggested he would back her if Mr. Biden isn’t on the 2024 ticket.
The "her" there is the Vice President, who is seen by many as unelectable nationwide by many observers, right, left and center. Perhaps if Biden falters further, the Newsom buzz will grow, potentially allowing the GOP to run on a 'California model' referendum. I can think of a few Republicans who would welcome that argument. "Let's make America California" doesn't quite fit with the zeitgeist of the moment, when people are -- for the first time -- exiting that state, for various reasons.
