November 2, 2021 - 1:20pm
Joe Biden was a popular President. Not anymore. In the jargon his approval ratings are now “underwater” — meaning that more people disapprove than approve of his performance.
After the chaos in Afghanistan, the supply chain crisis and his own visible frailty, it’s not surprising that his numbers have taken a hit. However, what does stand out from recent polling is that the biggest fall in support is among the youngest voters. As recently as June, 18-to-24-year-olds gave Biden the highest ratings of any group, but now it’s the lowest.
It’s not that younger voters are showing any signs of voting Republican. Rather, the big threat to the Dems is turnout. In a report for NCBLX, Noah Pransky looks at the evidence that this is already affecting actual election — in particular the recent recall election in California:
Of course, the result of the California vote wasn’t even close. However, in the crucial mid-term elections next year a lot of the contests will be much tighter. The Democrats could lose control of both Houses of Congress.
If that happens, the Biden Presidency will be dead in the water. Unless his personal ratings stage a miraculous recovery, the pressure on him not to run again in 2024 will become irresistible. Or at least it would do if it wasn’t for the unpopularity of his obvious successor — Vice President Kamala Harris.
She was unpopular when her boss was still popular, and she’s still unpopular now. According to The Times, she’s now rarely seen at his side. Whether she’s avoiding him or he’s avoiding her, I don’t know. What is clear is that the voters don’t like either of them.
If the Democrats want to be re-elected in 2024, then it’s increasingly likely that they’ll need someone other than Biden or Harris. However, that would break with precedent. The last time that either the Democrats or the Republicans retained the White House without a sitting President or Vice President was 1928.
Whether or not the Democrats stick with one or both halves of their existing ticket, the Republicans have got to fancy their chances. So who’s the fresh face they’re most likely to put up in 2024? Let’s take a quick look at the field… oh.
Peter Franklin is Associate Editor of UnHerd. He was previously a policy advisor and speechwriter on environmental and social issues.
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SubscribeThis is what happens when you vote with your emotions instead of your head. Trump is a crass, loudmouthed, overbearing vulgarian. But if you use your actual brain, if you get past the visceral reaction he engenders in you, you realize he’s not actually a stupid man, he is not without a vision and his policies were working. Biden, on the other hand, is merely the anti-Trump. His entire campaign was “I’m not him”, and it worked because there were enough soy and pyjama boys and girls out there so traumatized by the nasty man who went shrieking to the Democrat “safe space” to drag the demented old crook over the line.
Yes, but you conveniently omit the fact that Biden has the energy of a 25 year old and hit the campaign trail hard, displaying his wry wit at every turn. He faced down the toughest, HARD TALK type questions with alacrity, such as Hey, Joe, what flavor ice cream is that? Oops, my bad….
Sleepy Joe was able to–quite literally–hide in the basement during almost the entire campaign. Not being Trump was enough, apparently, and the cabal of woke morons ALL stepped aside one day to allow him to seize the mantle? What was up with that? The fix was in–no one can really think Biden is in charge–even Biden! He seems to start most interaction with the press by saying “Well, they tell me I’m supposed to call on CNN, or I’ve been told to not answer questions….
Finally, to address your first point, Biden is a really, really nasty guy. This is starting to come out. He only seemed like a warm and lovable uncle (utter tosh) in comparison to Trump and by hiding…..
VA crucial today. Let’s go Brandon!
What tosh! Sleepy Joe (literally) was a popular president? Really? Come on, mate! A bit of a honeymoon for not being Trump, but that’s long over.
Biden is a nasty, irritable, corrupt (See, Biden, Inc., Hunter Biden, CFO, Sleepy Joe–The Big Guy[10%]), duplicitous moron, and not being Trump only gets you so far. 18-24 year olds, often the dumbest of the dumb, like free stuff, but they don’t understand that there’s no free lunch.
The article is also factually wrong on two points: first, it implies that Biden is actually in charge (hah), and second it also implies that Biden will last through 2024 (hah, hah). Biden is lucky to live out the week, let alone make it until 2024. Remember, this dude had a serious stroke as a much younger man–almost killed him–and the blood flow to his brain, never enough, has been severely restricted.
Re-elect this demented, doddering dotard–Blimey, mate! Severe cognitive decline is on display now, as Sleepy Joe can’t hide in the WH basement this week.
Let’s go Brandon!
I know politicians are basically corrupted to a great degree. Climbing the greasy pole of office means selling yourself to the political Donors, and they are Absolutely in it to corrupt, to own the one who will take their shilling. Then the climb up requires walking over the ones you displace – there is no winning unless you force another to lose, and there is no mercy.
The Political Party owns you – there is no office as an Independent – so you prostitute yourself to the Donors, the Party (who are owned by the Elite Donors and Lobbyists). Each lever requires greater submission to the Elites, the lobbyists, and so to the Corporations, the Military, Pharma, Education, Corporate, Financial, MSM, Tech, Social Media, INDUSTRIAL COMPLEXES. Till finally the top few Politicians become one of them, and so are your oppressor.
Some rise as populists out of the blue – but 95% rise by selling their soul a bit more at each level, till they are their creatures of their owners. Biden is at the pinnacle of this. He is high enough he has become one of them, he is one of the Plutocracy, the Oligarchy, and has no more wish for your well being than he does for an ant’s. He is sold to the real powers, and he is as Orwell said
““The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.”
― George Orwell, Animal Farm”