We are only weeks away from the midterm elections, and while President Joe Biden isn’t officially on the ballot, his policies are. While Democrats are happy to be in control of the White House and Congress, they are reluctant to run on their record. Whether they are running for local, state, or federal offices, they are trying to distance themselves from their party’s policies.
President Biden is leading the campaign to divert voters’ attention away from the catastrophes that have defined his short time in office, attempting instead to offer Americans shiny objects to distract them from the chaos he has created.
Just recently, Biden traveled to Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, to deliver a speech in which he denounced Trump supporters and described them as “semi-fascists.” As if to reinforce the gravity of his accusations, he stood in front of a backdrop that resembled the underworld, where, I suppose, all Trump supporters will go when they die.
My memory of American presidents stretches back for several decades, and I do not ever recall any of them, no matter how angry or stressed they might have been, using such derogatory language to describe half of America. Biden’s condemnation of millions of people he has sworn to serve only shows his desperation and fear regarding the upcoming elections. Rather than inspire voters to support his party, he has likely alienated many of them.
In case Biden’s rant at Independence Hall didn’t do enough harm, the great thinkers at the White House decided what Americans really needed was a lawn party to celebrate the Inflation Reduction Act, a piece of legislation that will create even more debt and strike another blow to the fossil fuel industry. Ironically, the event took place on a day when the stock market suffered one of its biggest losses ever, something even the Biden administration couldn’t conceal.
When the president emerged to deliver what he thought was an inspirational speech, he adopted his usual tone — that of an angry old man who yells a lot, grimaces, and repeats himself. While he offered an ambiguous assurance that “the promise of America is real”, he didn’t express his concern that inflation, a consequence of his administration’s out-of-control spending, has created extreme hardship for many American families or that he has a sensible plan to solve the problem.
Instead, he congratulated himself on a bill that will likely make inflation even worse.
Democrats are not just trying to distance themselves from Biden’s policies but also from Biden himself. Several candidates have refused to appear with him at campaign events. Stacey Abrams of Georgia and Tim Ryan of Ohio, both running for Senate seats, refused Biden’s offer of help. Abrams claimed she had a “scheduling conflict,” and Ryan announced that he wanted to be “the face of his campaign.” They clearly did not want Biden anywhere near them.
Some Democrats have even refused to debate their Republican opponents, trying to avoid being questioned about their policies. Dr. Mehmet Oz, running for the Senate seat from Pennsylvania, cannot get John Fetterman, his opponent, to debate him. Fetterman cites his continuing recovery from a recent stroke as his excuse, but he might also want to prevent voters from discovering just how radical his politics are. He wants to decriminalize all drugs, including heroin, and ban fracking, two policies that many voters oppose.
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul refuses to debate her opponent, U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin. During her time in office, she has presided over soaring crime rates, extreme cost of living increases, and draconian Covid policies, issues she doesn’t want to discuss with voters.
Americans aren’t stupid. No matter what Democrats do to distract voters from their party’s catastrophic policies, a visit to the grocery store or the gas station reminds us of the state of our economy. Calling us names because we don’t agree with you isn’t going to help either.
