Now that Joe Biden has announced his plans to run for reelection, the question that must be weighing on the minds of Democratic Party officials is “Can he possibly win without COVID?”
They must know that without the pandemic, Biden had no chance of defeating Donald Trump in 2020. When he announced his candidacy exactly four years ago, the economy was booming and optimism was rising. Trump’s approval rating was edging upward. The only reason he had for running, he said, was because Trump was a racist.
Then COVID happened. And it let the already enfeebled Biden avoid a grueling national campaign. It let him pin every death on Trump. It gave him the chance to promise something bold.
Now, four years later, Biden is far more mentally and physically incapacitated and he can’t hide out in his basement. His reason for being reelected – “to finish the job” – sounds more like a threat than a promise.
Biden’s record is so unimpressive that the White House website manages to scrape together only a handful of “accomplishments” – the first of which is a flat-out lie: “Lowering the costs of families’ everyday expenses.”
An honest accounting of Biden’s first term in office would include this list of “accomplishments”:
- Added $3 trillion to the national debt … so far.
- Boosted long-term deficits by $5.45 trillion.
- Set off an inflationary spiral.
- Caused real wages to fall.
- Encouraged 4.4 million to drop out of the labor force.
- Left Americans and weapons behind after a disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan.
- Evacuated four U.S. embassies.
- Sparked a U.S. military recruiting crisis.
- Weakened U.S. standing abroad.
- Created a self-imposed energy crisis.
- Repeatedly exceeded executive authority.
- Massively increased government dependency.
- Unleashed an unprecedented illegal immigration crisis.
There’s more: A recent AP poll found that 74% of the public thinks the country is headed in the wrong direction, which is higher than it was during most of the COVID lockdowns in 2020. Just 30% think the economy is doing well, down from 46% a year ago, and down from 67% just before COVID.
Biden is so unpopular that 73% of the public doesn’t want him to run again – including 52% of Democrats! Even the leftist corporate media seems less willing to cover for his many failings these days.
So how does Biden campaign for reelection? He has little to brag about that the public will believe. Every time he is out in public on the campaign trail, he risks exposing just how frail he’s become. Every time he answers a reporter’s question he increases the odds that he will say something catastrophically stupid.
Perhaps Biden thinks he can hide out in his basement again and keep shouting “MAGA extremists!” Maybe he figures that the press will do his campaigning for him (which is a safe bet). Perhaps he and his inner circle hope another pandemic will come along to rescue him.
Biden’s best chance, in our view, is that Republicans do what they do best: blow a golden opportunity. Just like they did in the 2022 midterms.
— Written by the I&I Editorial Board
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