Americans are pessimistic. With 2024 looming, Biden can't afford to squander the State of the Union.
J. Scott Applewhite-Pool/Getty Images
- Biden will have his biggest opportunity of the year to speak directly to the American people.
- His State of the Union address will likely highlight his administration's wins thus far.
- But the reality, as polling shows, is that Americans aren't in a celebratory mood.
Joe Biden is feeling it.
The president was almost beaming last week as he tweaked "the critics and cynics" who doubted his economic plan on the heels of a surprisingly strong job report.
But when it comes to what Americans are feeling, recent polls show the nation largely only agrees on three things: the US is headed in the wrong direction, the economy is still the most important issue, and few want 2024 to a rematch of Biden versus Trump.
In Gallup's Mood of the Nation tracking poll, there are only two topics a majority of Americans view positively: overall quality of life (65% are very or somewhat satisfied) and "the opportunity for a person to get ahead by working hard" (61% are very or somewhat satisfied).
Gallup
Of the 22 issue areas the poll asked about, just four generated a majority satisfaction response:
- The nation's military strength and preparedness, 64% (up 3 percentage points from 2021).
- The position of women in the nation, 62% (up two percentage points).
- The acceptance of gays and lesbians in the nation, 55% (down 7 percentage points, one of the largest drops).
- The nation's security from terrorism, 55%, (up 8 percentage points, the largest increase).
Polling shows dissatisfaction consistently. A pre-State of the Union CBS News/YouGov poll found that 62% of Americans say the state of the nation is "divided," "declining" and "weak" were the second and third most popular responses. A NBC News poll found that 71% of Americans believe the nation is on the wrong track, continuing the longest " sustained pessimism in the 30-year-plus history of the poll."
CBS asked respondents about Biden specifically and their reviews of his presidency were, in a word, harsh: 57% of respondents said Biden's policies have made "inflation" worse, 55% said they have made "gas prices" worse, and 53% said that they have made the "economy" worse.
When matched against almost every other modern president, Biden's overall approval rating remains significantly more underwater. According to FiveThirtyEight's tracker, only Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan, and Jimmy Carter had the worse approval ratings at this point of their respective presidencies. Reagan's rating quickly rebounded along with the US economy, he went on one of the most dominating reelection campaigns in modern history.
Biden has some real wins to tout — but he's running out of time
Tonight, Biden will have the best opportunity of the year to bridge this divide. True, fewer Americans are watching State of the Union addresses than in the past. But for better or worse, the speech remains one of the most-watched live TV events of the year. If this really is the beginning of his reelection campaign, he can't afford to pass it up.
Biden has notched some real wins. Unemployment hasn't been this low since 1969, the year of the moon landing. After months of squabbling, Democrats muscled through a landmark investment in green technology. Amid hyperpartisan times, he also signed into laws with bipartisan support, including a $1 trillion infrastructure investment, a significant infusion into the US semiconductor industry, the most sweeping gun control changes in decades, and a long sought-after expansion for veterans' health benefits.
Faced with the midterm curse, Biden watched as his party defied expectations. Democrats did lose the House, which is why McCarthy will be seated behind him tonight. But the president's party also expanded its Senate majority.
While abroad, the president helped lead a coalition that has buttressed Ukraine amid Europe's largest land war since the end of WWII.
The split-screen will undoubtedly be a theme tonight. Presidents are supposed to say the state of the union is strong, while the opposition party casts a more dour outlook. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy previewed this on Monday night when he talked about eggs going "from a cheap source of protein to a luxury good" as a way to drive home the cost of inflation. (McCarthy is correct that inflation jacked up the prices of staples like eggs, though the cost is beginning to drop.)
But at heart, the problem remains the same. Even as Americans are largely satisfied with their quality of life, they're still pessimistic about the general direction of the country. How Biden bridges the gap will be closely watched tonight.
No malarkey, this will be his best chance for a while.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/t3vrxIB
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