Originally posted November 30, 2021.
What does Biden not understand about “no”? Plummeting polls are usually an indication that things are not going well. But Joe Biden seems to be “deaf, dumb and blind” to it, suggests Charles Lipson in Spectator.World.
And it’s not just the polls. Take congressional retirements. Democrats who chair congressional committees, reading the grim poll numbers, figure life will be a lot more comfortable as highly paid lobbyists than as powerless minority members. They are retiring in droves. Historically, retirements by well-informed insiders are strong predictors of the next House majority.
Local elections are sending the same message. They tell Democrats they have moved too far left and that voters’ quality of life is suffering. Voters are especially troubled by inflation, Covid and crime. They are also concerned about illegal immigration, the flood tide of drugs crossing the border, and indoctrination in schools.
No postwar president has seen a sharper fall in approval ratings (Gallup poll comparison: first nine months in office)
Take the heavily Democratic city of Buffalo, for example. Democrats’ mayoral nominee is an avowed socialist who lost to a write-in candidate.
In Columbia, South Carolina, a Republican narrowly defeated the Democrat in a city Biden carried by 40 points only a year ago.
In New York City — the biggest prize of all —a former police officer has beaten Bill de Blasio, the far-left incumbent.
Voters there recoiled from pervasive violence on streets and subway platforms. They know “broken windows” policing once worked in the city and made it much more livable. What they see now is “please break our windows” policing, and they don’t feel safe.
Defund the Police
Crime, a major issue across America, is hurting Democrats. During the Democratic convention, top headliners were too frightened even to mention the riots breaking out in city after city. No acknowledgment. Only total silence. The “bail reform,” least anyone forget, is directly responsible for putting violent offenders back on the streets and, specifically, behind the wheel in Waukesha.
Criminal Gangs Taking Advantage
Disappointed, worried voters are responding., continues Mr. Lipson.
They are defeating proposals to defund or reimagine the police in even the most liberal cities, including Minneapolis, the epicenter of the defund movement. The recent spate of smash-and-grab robberies in Los Angeles, the Bay Area and Chicago have ratcheted up public outrage even further, much of it directed at “Justice Democrat” prosecutors who refuse to prosecute “property crimes.” Criminal gangs have taken notice and taken advantage.
Democratic Obstinacy
And it’s not just good ol’ Uncle Joe. Nancy Pelosi also seems flummoxed, deaf to voters’ messages. Joe and Nancy seem determined to cling to their unpopular policies, defending them as “social justice.”
Since they expect to lose next year’s congressional elections anyway, they see this fleeting moment as their last, best chance to pass major, progressive legislation. If the Republicans win the House, as seems likely, only bipartisan legislation can pass — and not much of that. It certainly won’t include the kind of transformational social programs Biden and Pelosi want. It’s uncertain whether those will pass this year, either, since the Senate is split 50-50 and some centrist Democrats are wary, but they definitely won’t pass next year. So, why not max out the credit card now, while they still can?
Expect Shock at Heating and Gas Bills
Build Back Better is inflationary, and those costs will fall on everyone, assures Mr. Lipson. The costs from the inflationary bill will fall on everyone. BBB allows huge tax savings to prosperous families in blue states. It allows them to deduct nearly all their tax bills for property and state-and-local taxes. “Those benefits are useless to poor families,” notes Mr. Lipson.
The fate of the social spending bill may be unclear, but the fate of the Biden administration and the Democrats is coming into focus. It is not a happy picture. They face a mountain of failures, growing public resistance and very few triumphs. Yes, they have passed some huge spending bills and implemented their preferred policies on immigration and carbon-based energy. But the infrastructure bill won’t produce tangible results for a while and the other policies are unpopular. Ask anyone at the gas pump. Expect more shock when the first heating bills arrive.
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