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Editorial: Biden's slipping approval rating…
Editorial: Biden's slipping approval rating hits home
In this July 19, 2021 photo, President Joe Biden speaks about the economy and his infrastructure agenda in the State Dining Room of the White House, in Washington. A new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 54% of Americans judge the economy to be in poor shape. That's compared with 45% who say conditions are good. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
By Boston Herald editorial staff |
PUBLISHED: July 27, 2021 at 6:01 p.m. | UPDATED: July 27, 2021 at 7:48 p.m.
President Biden has hit a new low.
We're not talking about his worrisome failing memory but his approval rating. At 50%, the Democrats should begin to fret about the midterms and the 2024 presidential election.
Americans are already struggling with inflation. The International Monetary Fund warned Tuesday that high prices could be here to stay. "Uncertainty remains high," the fund added and that's not good for Wall Street.
Biden seems to be drifting as the country crawls out of the pandemic. Mask advisories are all over the map and the focus on defeating the coronavirus seems to be uneven. Biden entered into office as the so-called man for the middle class, but he's not leading that way.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi seems to be running the show. If Biden doesn't watch out, she'll run the party right into the ground. Vice President Kamala Harris seems confused about what her role is and others — from Elizabeth Warren to Bernie Sanders — are just sticking to their progressive talking points.
Basically, D.C. is a hot mess.
That's why the latest Gallup Poll places Biden at 50% for his approval rating. It has dropped 6 percentage points from June. The honeymoon is officially over. It appears Biden can't keep up with the rigors of the job.
Even the Associated Press — among the members of the media cheering for the administration at every turn — is pointing out the cracks.
Many Americans are not feeling all that confident about the economy, according to a new AP poll. The wire service adds fewer than half, 45%, judge the economy to be in good shape, while 54% say it's in poor shape. That comes as vaccinations increase along with the flow of aid from Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package.
But now it's time to dig in and show some energy. That's where Biden is falling short. He's being managed by his staff, instead of giving them the marching orders.
Meanwhile, Americans continue to pay for eggs, gasoline, cars, trucks and lumber at higher prices. Consumer prices jumped 5.4% for the year ended in June. Stripping out volatile food and energy costs, they're up 4.5%, the biggest increase since 1991, the AP reports.
The supply chain remains squeezed and it appears we will be, too, for the remainder of the Biden term.
A new AP-NORC poll finds Americans continue to have middling views of the U.S. economy. About 6 in 10 Democrats say economic conditions are good, compared with just a quarter of Republicans.
Boston Herald editorial staff
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