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We Keep Hearing This Line of Defense for Biden

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  September 27, 2023 5:00 PM

It's become common practice for members of President Joe Biden's administration and his reelection campaign to tout his supposed successes, just about every time they're confronted with the uncomfortable truth of bad poll numbers. Biden's certainly seen a lot of those lately, to do with his mental capabilities, how he fares in a hypothetical rematch against former and potentially future President Donald Trump, and his overall approval rating.

That remained the case, even with the particularly problematic poll from The Washington Post/ABC News. Regardless as to if it's an "outlier" poll, it doesn't bode well for the president, so long as Trump and fellow Republicans don't get too complacent. An NBC News poll shows them tied at 46 percent each. 

Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE), who serves as a co-chair for Biden's reelection, acknowledged concerns about the polls when speaking with CNN's Manu Raju. He was wise to do so. "But I would so much rather be in this position, of having an incredible record for our president to run on," he also added. 

Raju also spoke with Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), asking him "what do you think accounts for the lack of enthusiasm among many voters, Democratic voters in particular?" Shaking his head and expressing he "can't explain it," Durbin claimed that voters "don't seem to be attentive to many of the changes that have taken place, which are dramatic." 

While Durbin no doubt meant what the administration and campaign sees as wins, the country has seen "dramatic" changes, and to the far-left. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), who could very well become an Independent, warned that "you can't push people to the extremes," as he also expressed he thinks Biden "has gone too far to the left," especially compared to how he voted as a senator from Delaware, a position he held from 1973 until 2009.

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Coons and Durbin are not the only ones who have gone with those talking points, far from it. And Coons has depended on them before, as has fellow co-chair Cedric Richmond.

It seemed to be a bit of a theme during the Sunday shows earlier this week, right when that poll from The Washington Post/ABC News was released. 

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who appeared on multiple shows, was pressed about some of the findings while on ABC News' "This Week." 

Host Martha Raddatz had begun the program by pointing to how "alarming new poll results spell trouble for President Biden’s reelection campaign." 

Rick Klein, the poll director, spoke to how "these numbers are simply staggering for the sitting president," citing 44 percent of people in the poll, a plurality, who "say they are not as well off as they were at the start of the Biden administration two and a half years ago." Just 15 percent said they were better off. As Klein noted, "those are the worst numbers that we've seen in" the polls, with that question going back to the Reagan administration. 

When asked about that 44 percent figure by Raddatz, Buttigieg promoted Biden's handling of the economy, repeating a fact-checked point that Biden himself and others in the administration has made countless times. 

"Well, look, we all know the economic pressure that Americans have felt. When the president took office, the economy was flat on its back. But we’re also getting extraordinary results, more than 13 million jobs created," Buttigieg claimed, adding "that’s more than any presidential term in American history." Those jobs were not "created," though, as Mia has fact-checked multiple times. People returned to jobs that they couldn't hold during the pandemic, when the government locked down the economy. 

Buttigieg's response didn't get any more encouraging from there, as he urged for people to give it time, noting "it takes a while for people to feel the full benefits of those results, just like it’s going to take a while to build all of the infrastructure that we’re now underway on with the president’s generational infrastructure build."

Claiming the Biden "got the bill [on infrastructure] done, Buttigieg also offered "we’re getting the results on the economy."

It cannot be stressed enough that poll after poll--not just this potential "outlier" poll--show Biden faring poorly on the economy. The American people are not buying Bidenomics, no matter how much the president and those in his administration or campaign try to sell it as an alternative to "MAGAnomics."

RealClearPolitics currently shows Biden with an overall approval rating of just 36.6 percent on the economy, while 60.3 percent disagree. That 32 percent approval/63 percent disapproval figure from The Washington Post/ABC News poll is included. 

When it comes to Buttigieg trying to connect to the American people in his response, an CNN poll released earlier this month that showed a majority of Americans at 55 percent, don't believe Biden actually cares about people like them. 

Buttigieg also appeared on NBC News' "Meet the Press," where he was asked by host Kristen Welker about an op-ed published earlier this month in The Washington Post, in which David Ignatius called for Democrats selecting another nominee.

The secretary once more spoke glowingly about Biden's record in his response. "Winning the election was the beginning, not the end, of President Biden's achievements. And since then, we have seen more jobs created than under any presidential term in American history," he said, once more repeating that fact-checked claim. "We've seen an infrastructure bill that so many other presidents and Congresses promised and failed to deliver. The achievements are being stacked one on top of another, and that work needs to continue in the administration." Although he acknowledged he can't speak to the campaign side, he did stress "we've got a lot to be proud of," adding "and I'm proud to serve under President Biden and Vice President Harris."

Welker also spoke to Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC), who currently serves as the assistant Democratic leader, and who had served as the majority whip in the previous Congress. He also played an essential role in Biden winning the South Carolina primary in 2024, which played a role in him to winning the nomination. In this segment, that NBC News poll came up, as Welker asked why Trump and Biden were tied.

Clyburn spoke to the supposed "substance" that Biden brings," also going on to claim "he believes in the democracy. He believes in the American dream. And he does what he possibly can to help people fulfill that dream and maintain this democracy," which is "not the kind of stuff that you poll very well."

As Welker pushed Clyburn further on whether Biden was the right candidate, Clyburn insisted that he was, offering a warning to not underestimate him. He even compared Biden to former President Barack Obama.

"I think he is the strongest candidate. And I believe very strongly that the American people believe that as well," Clyburn said about Biden, despite multiple polls and op-eds showing otherwise. "When you are out this far, I remember back, what was it 2010, 2012? We got shellacked in 2010. And in 2012, all the polls I saw said Obama had no chance of getting reelected, that Democrats wanted an alternative to Obama. What happened in 2012 is now history. He won very comfortably. And I think the same thing will happen here."

When assuring Welker that nonwhite voters will not stay home, despite how their support for Biden has decreased, Clyburn portrayed himself as someone who "spend[s] too much time studying history," as he went on to compare January 6 to the 1876 elections. Despite claiming to be a student of history, Clyburn has repeatedly made comparisons to the Holocaust.

Clyburn was also asked about and spoke to Vice President Kamala Harris, suggesting her race and sex had to do with her low approval ratings. A previous NBC News poll actually found her to be the most unpopular vice president since they started polling. "When you compare the first woman of color and first woman to be vice president of the United States, and compare that to all of the history before, you will get that," Clyburn offered, as he continued to speak positively about Harris, just as he had done throughout the segment. 

The Sunday shows could have and likely should have discussed the poll more at length, though many programs wished to focus on the likelihood of a government shutdown as well as the UAW strike and the indictment against Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ).