Recent NBC polls show increasing dissatisfaction with President Joe Biden, indicating he could be in serious danger of not being reelected in the November 2024 presidential elections. According to the polls, his approval rating has declined to 37 percent, the lowest in his presidency.
This, at face value, is mind-boggling. The polls are particularly hard on Biden’s handling of the US economy, indicating he has a 20-point deficit among voters, at a time when all of the traditional economic indicators indicate positive growth in the economy.
Making these polls even more bizarre is that, in his three years as president, Biden has made significant accomplishments, including the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which included funding for initiatives to combat climate change, and the National Defense Authorization Act.
Conventional wisdom is that with the positive economy and the bills he signed into law, Biden should be poised for a relatively easy reelection, but this does not seem to be happening.
The negatives haunting Biden include the crisis at the US southern border, where thousands of illegal immigrants continue to cross into the US daily, and the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Increasingly, Americans, especially those under 35, are opposing Biden for supporting Israel while thousands of Palestinians, mostly women and children, are being slain, and thousands more made homeless, starving, and without medical care, from Israel’s relentless bombing.
But these negatives seem to pale in comparison to the perception among voters that Biden, who will be 82 in November, is much too old to be seeking a second term. Poll after poll indicates voters think he’s too old.
Black voters, one of, if not the strongest voting bloc supporting Biden in 2020, show signs of waning support, down by some 18 percent in one poll. Besides complaining that Biden has not fulfilled his promises to provide more for Black America, frequent televised interviews show young Black voters complaining that Biden is too old.
Among South Florida’s Caribbean Americans, support for Biden has slipped some 9 percent, although over 84 percent of the community remains solidly Democratic.
People point out that Biden seems sluggish in his gait, and sometimes confused in his public speeches.
With a popularity backlash against him, and polls indicating a real potential he could lose the presidency, some suggest it may be time for Biden to seriously reconsider his presidential candidacy for the Democratic Party in next November’s elections. It’s suggested he should think beyond his selfish ambition of serving a second term and put the well-being of the Democratic Party first. It’s feared his candidacy could be a liability not only to the Party, but also to the future of the nation as a thriving democracy, and internationally, at a time when unrest is growing in many regions, and America’s status as the leader of the free world is being threatened.
A popular TV political commentator, reacting to the new polls, commented that if Biden were, say, twenty years younger, he would be in a much better position, but an 82-year-old leader carries great risks in the perception of voters. He said passengers on a jet plane flown by an 82-year-old pilot would be very nervous and much relieved if he were replaced by a pilot several years younger.
It would not be easy for Biden to pull out of the presidential race. Most likely in his mind, he believes he’s quite capable of continuing to serve, but those thinking him too old argue he must be aware of the persistent negative opinion about his age. They believe the perception that Biden is becoming too old to lead the country is now a definite liability for his reelection.
Another commentator cautioned Biden not to be like the late, great heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, who overstayed his presence in the ring and had his outstanding accomplishments diminished by a pounding defeat late in his career.
There is a strong opinion that Biden risks having his outstanding presidential accomplishments obliterated if he runs against the odds and goes down in devastating defeat in November.
Biden’s decision not to run would likely create complications in the process of nominating another candidate for the Democrats. With primaries underway, the eventual candidate would likely have to wait until the Democratic Party’s August convention to get the required delegates. This could make the next 6 months very exciting.
It is debatable if Biden should avoid the real risk of defeat, the defeat of the Democrats, and the impact such a defeat could have nationally, by deciding against running. It’s debatable if there’s even a younger Democratic candidate with better potential than Biden to be elected president. It’s also debatable if the polls can be trusted.
Notwithstanding, there is a growing opinion that it may be time for serious analytical, unselfish thinking by Joe Biden if his bid for a second term is politically sound.
