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OPINION | The cure for Biden's low approval problems

2021-11-09T21:14:30.806Z


Joe Biden's approval ratings have been plummeting for months, but his administration is not yet finished.


Poll: 48% approve of Biden's management as president 1:23

Editor's Note:

Frida Ghitis, (@fridaghitis) a former CNN correspondent and producer, is a columnist for world affairs.

She is a regular contributor to CNN, a columnist for The Washington Post, and a columnist for the World Politics Review.

The opinions expressed in this comment are yours.

(CNN) -

President Joe Biden's approval ratings have been sinking for months, and last week's election results were like a slap in the face for Democrats.

Listening to some of the analysis, you would think that Biden's presidency is over.

Do not believe it.

Of course some of the problems are real.

But things are not as bad as they seem;

neither for the president nor for the country.

There is time to make the kinds of adjustments that could quickly improve Biden's prospects.

  • ANALYSIS |

    Biden looks to bounce back while enjoying major political victory

In the latest CNN poll, Biden's approval stands at 48%.

That is far from dire, although the trend is in the wrong direction for the president.

But the poll shows a significant weakening among those who say they "strongly approve" of his performance, with 58% saying that Biden is not paying attention to the most important issues.

The drop in support is real and requires a course correction.

Biden has to correct misperceptions - especially about the economy - and has to adjust his stance on some key issues.

He has lost some of the connection he established with the voters who welcomed him as a leader of the center who would not only restore a sense of normalcy and decency in the country, but improve the lives of middle-class Americans of all political persuasions. working with referents from both parties.

And even if you don't believe CNN's poll on Biden's approval and think that other inquiries that offer more negative results paint a more accurate picture, remember that first-year opinion polls can be outliers.

I remember the first months of Bill Clinton's presidency.

It seemed destined for disaster.

His approval plummeted from 59% in February 1993 to just 37% four months later, in Gallup polls.

Clinton won reelection and finished her second term with an average approval rating of 61%.

The importance of the infrastructure law in the passage of Biden

Biden hasn't finished his first year, and his prospects for approval already look better today than they did a few days ago, since Congress passed a major infrastructure law.

In fact, if the law had been passed earlier, today's conversation would sound completely different. All Americans have known for years that the country is in dire need of a large-scale infrastructure upgrade. Trump tried and failed. Now Biden has. And it will benefit everyone, Republicans and Democrats.

Infrastructure is not an attractive subject. But, as then-Vice President Joe Biden told former President Obama when he signed the Obamacare Act, this is a "f ****** great plan." The administration should emphasize the content: roads, bridges, parks, the Internet. Better and safer roads, modernized transit systems, electric and hybrid buses, intercity rail service, and more. This will make life easier, better, and it will also create a large number of jobs and make America more competitive. It will greatly boost the economy.

Biden needs to become a better salesperson.

As CNN's Jim Acosta pointed out, "If Trump had gotten an infrastructure bill after all those negotiations, he would have been flying stealth bombers over the Lincoln Memorial and naming a bridge after him in every undecided borough in America. . "

Congress approves Biden's infrastructure plan 2:57

Trump, of course, is an accomplished marketing man.

Biden needs to improve his game in that department.

The problem of the economy and how it relates to Biden's approval

And nowhere is this more evident than in impressions of the economy.

CNN's poll on Biden's approval found that 38% of Americans say the economy is the most pressing problem facing the country. It is the number one concern for Republicans and the second among Democrats, who are most concerned about the pandemic.

If Americans viewed the economy as doing well, they would not rate it as one of the most pressing problems in the country. But the idea that the United States is going through a serious economic crisis is simply false. The Biden administration has allowed Republicans and their spokespersons in the right-wing media - with some help from the rest of the mainstream media - to create the wrong impression that the economy is not doing well. Talking about "brutal" economic data is absurd hyperbole. And reports that focus exclusively on supply chain issues, without taking into account that the overall economy is growing, don't take trees into account.

It is true that there are problems.

Inflation is on the rise and there are serious disruptions in supply chains.

These are serious issues that must be addressed to prevent them from derailing recovery.

But they are largely the result of unprecedented rates of economic activity following the severe disruptions caused by the pandemic.

The unemployment rate is falling faster than ever.

Just look at this chart.

Last week's 4.6% unemployment report is excellent by historical standards, and the US economy has reached that point much faster than anticipated.

China's real estate sector could hit the US 0:47

If Biden and the Democrats want to improve their prospects for 2022 and 2024, they have to make sure people know that things are, in fact, better for most Americans.

The stock market is at all-time highs, and the average current account balance is 50% higher today than before the pandemic.

It's no wonder people were disappointed in Biden when he went to the polls last week.

Biden vowed to unite the country after four years of bitter acrimony under the previous president.

Until 11:30 p.m. last Friday, it seemed like he couldn't even unite the Democrats.

The months of fights between the Democrats were an ugly and pernicious sight.

But now Biden has, in fact, produced a major bipartisan bill.

Democrats and Republicans have supported it.

In the House, six of the most left-wing Democrats voted against it.

In doing so, they may have drawn a useful line for Biden.

The end of American democracy

Members of the so-called "Squad" advocate many policies that Biden and millions of Americans support, but their inflexibility, their unwillingness to line up behind the president, are hurting Biden.

Doing so reveals a staggering disregard for the cost of derailing Biden's agenda.

If Biden fails, the 2024 elections could well put an end to American democracy.

The president needs to be sold back to the country.

He has to remind the American middle class that the policies he pursues are not radical, even if his opponents paint them that way.

Its goal is to improve the standard of living for all Americans.

You have to talk more about the content, and when you are forced to talk about costs, make sure people understand that they are part of a fiscally responsible package that will not increase debt, unlike policies (even pre-pandemic). ) of the previous administration.

What do Biden and the Pope have in common as leaders?

2:57

And you must erase the impression that you are indebted to the most intransigent and extreme members of your party.

Democrats can only win if they work together and convince others that they work for everyone.

Most Republicans would not support a Democrat today, but independents and less partisan conservatives are open-minded.

Biden has had a rough few months, but he has a good chance of strengthening his position.

In stark contrast to his predecessor, Biden is uncomfortable showing off, but he needs people to understand the magnitude of what he has accomplished.

The economy is doing mostly very well.

He has achieved important victories, and he is not a radical.

If you do, your approval ratings will go up as fast as they went down.

Joe biden

Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2021-11-09

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