Not a driving force in congressional elections
Biden is doing well, but hardly anyone notices
By Volker Petersen
10/30/2022, 1:38 p.m
On television, US President Biden sometimes looks old and confused. He inspires confidence in only a few Americans. His poll numbers are bad. Biden has a lot to show for that. Not only that gives the Democrats hope for the congressional election.
Joe Biden has always had a penchant for making blunders – in Washington he has been famous for decades for not missing a single one. And from this point of view, the US President remains true to himself. In the last few weeks and months he has also made mistakes. Like the thing about the congresswoman he called by name at an event, even though she had died a few weeks earlier. Or how he tried to leave a stage and then stood there without orientation, like a grandpa who has to be picked up from senior afternoon.
Not good conditions in the television country USA. And thus also not for an electoral success in the congressional elections on November 8th. Then the House of Representatives and part of the Senate will be re-elected. Biden’s majority in both chambers is at stake. Even if his Democrats manage to defend the Senate, they probably won’t in the House of Representatives. This threatens to turn Biden into a “lame duck” from whom nothing is expected domestically.
Biden’s popularity is in the basement. Even if he was able to pull himself out of the catastrophic lows in the polls, only around 42 percent of voters say they like their president. That’s better than a few months ago, when it was 10 percentage points down – but the value is really not good. The truth is, Biden is just as unpopular as his predecessor, Donald Trump. He has not yet succeeded in his major goal of reconciling the country with itself.
One problem is his age of almost 80 years, which he finds difficult to hide despite his actually good fitness. Accordingly, many are critical of Biden’s possible renewed candidacy in 2024. He has not yet officially commented on this. But at least it looks like he’s seriously considering competing again. Just like Donald Trump, by the way.
Biden does not polarize like his predecessor. The tenor is more: He’s definitely a nice guy, but he’s too old and can’t assert himself. Exactly that is not true. Biden’s record is impressive. If Trump had had so much to show for it, he probably wouldn’t have stopped bragging. But that’s not Biden’s thing. And so his now numerous successes almost echo in the country. Here are the most important:
- That infrastructure package, which went through Congress last November with hanging and choking. This provides for measures amounting to a trillion dollars that are to flow into roads, bridges, rails, water pipes and the Internet – with a good half of the funds being new expenditure. Biden’s Democrats also got 19 votes from Republican senators. In this way, the President managed to keep his promise to work more closely with the other side and to strengthen non-partisanship.
- That CHIPS package, which aims to strengthen the production of microprocessors and semiconductors in the USA. In the coming years, 200 billion dollars in subsidies are to be distributed in order to become more independent of producers in East Asia, especially China. As a result, corporations such as Intel and Micron have already announced the construction of new factories in the United States. Again, the Democrats got approval from the Republicans. After all, Trump had always railed against China. It would not have been credible to prevent such a funding program.
- That Inflation Reduction Law, which is above all the largest investment by the US government in climate protection ever – 391 billion dollars are earmarked for this in the coming years. In addition, medicines should become cheaper and companies should pay a minimum tax. That this large package passed Congress in August was a sensation. Because for a long time the resistance in their own ranks seemed too great to get it through the Senate.
- The resolute Response to the Ukraine War. Without the arms deliveries from the United States, Ukraine would have been in Russian hands for a long time. It’s systems like the HIMARS missile launcher from the US arsenal that make life difficult for Russia. Biden is a committed transatlanticist and has known Putin personally for years. He didn’t have to be taught what to do for a long time. He knew his stuff and kept NATO together. Nothing to be taken for granted, especially when you think of its predecessor.
In addition, there is a large Corona aid package from the first year in office (“American Rescue Plan”), the strictest weapons restriction law in decades and improved health insurance for veterans. Little noticed was that Biden personally worked successfully to prevent a rail strike that would have dramatically worsened supply chain problems.
Still, the US is in a difficult position – because of inflation. Although petrol prices have recovered somewhat, groceries are still very expensive. The booming labor market, of all things, is responsible for this, actually a plus point for Biden. Since skilled workers are in demand almost everywhere, companies pay better wages but subsequently raise their prices to recoup the costs. Biden is also accused of the high prices, even if fighting them is actually the job of the central bank.
For many of his opponents, Biden is already a socialist or a puppet controlled by left-wing extremists. Republicans blame him for inflation because his administration spends so much money. They also accuse him of doing too little against illegal immigration and crime. They also attack him over his son Hunter, who was addicted to alcohol and drugs and worked for an energy company in Ukraine when Biden was vice president – which at least had a “flavour”. However, no wrongdoing was proven for Biden.
If the Democrats want to avoid a serious defeat in the “Midterms,” they have to mobilize their own voters. They should take note of Biden’s past achievements – but elections are primarily about the future. That’s where the issue of abortion comes in. When the US Supreme Court removed the right to do so from the Constitution, there was an outcry across the country. The outrage could drive the Democrats in particular to the polls. Likewise, the prospect that a Republican victory would also be seen as a Trump victory. Enthusiasm for their president will not be.