Not only are President Biden’s American voters tapering off, but his fellow Democrat supporters are falling away as well.
A substantial number of Biden allies have spoken out about their disappointment in his handling of issues like the border crisis, Afghanistan, and the Democratic-controlled Congress (where two major pieces of legislation furthering his domestic agenda remain stalled due to party infighting).
The latest faltering party became evident on Sunday when Virginia’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe said, “I’m frustrated with the President and Democrats in Congress.”
“We have got frustration with Washington,” McAuliffe said passionately. ”Why haven’t we passed this infrastructure bill? It passed the U.S. Senate with 69 votes two months ago. I have been very straight on television. We’re tired of the chit-chat up in Washington. Get in a room and get this figured out. They’re paid to get up in Washington, get this done.”
Sarah Longwell, a moderate Republican strategist who became a vocal supporter of Biden in 2020, simply stated, “There is a “malaise” among Democratic voters who don’t feel their lives have improved under Biden, and a very few are blaming Republicans for the mess in Washington, where Democratic Party infighting has stalled a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill and $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package.”
Many are stating that it just looks like a cluster as Biden and Democrats are fighting amongst each other.
Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif., also was very critical of Biden over his pitch to Congress for infrastructure, calling it “disappointing” and saying he spent most of his time talking about the $3.5 trillion reconciliation package. Costa said, “Well, if it’s not a priority for him, then maybe it’s just not a priority period.” He shook his head and continued, “It’s a priority for me.”
Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., criticized Biden’s lack of involvement early on in the negotiation process and said he was disappointed in his lack of communication with moderates.
“We’re kind of late to the party, a little disappointed,” Schrader said last month. ‘They needed to be more vigorous earlier on, that hopefully it’ll make up for here down the final stretch.”
Another point of huge discrepancy in the party is Biden’s handling of the southern border, which has seen massive influx of migrants in recent months.
“I will be very honest with you and tell you I am a little bit disappointed. I know that the President assigned responsibility for the border crisis to the Vice President,” Rep. Susan Wild, D-Penn., said during a telephone town hall on Tuesday. “I’m a little bit disappointed I haven’t seen much in the way of results.”
Former Democratic Rep. Beto O’Rourke, a likely Texas gubernatorial candidate, slammed Biden for not anticipating the migrant surge in a scathing op-ed last month for El Paso Matters.
“None of this should have been a surprise to our government,” O’Rourke wrote.
Meanwhile, Biden’s average approval rating among voters has been on a downward slide since June, teetering at about 38%, the lowest of his presidency. He’s seen the steepest drop among independent voters, which could have major electoral implications.
As President Biden stays hopeful that he will keep his followers and regain those who have left him, many are saying he is a lost cause, just like many of his failed promises.
