At a certain point, and it is reasonable to posit that this will occur by the end of the year, the media will shift its narrative from one of unwavering support for pro-abortion President Joe Biden to one of intense criticism.
It is worth considering the number of times the Associated Press’s Calvin Woodward and Emily Swanson have written stories under headlines such as “Biden is widely seen as too old for office, an AP-NORC poll finds”. It is possible that the unease with Biden, who will turn 80 in November, may move from a state of dread to sheer panic.
In order to “balance” the narrative, the authors posit that former President Trump also has personal issues that warrant consideration. The initial paragraph read as follows:
Americans actually agree on something in this time of raw discord: Joe Biden is too old to be an effective second-term president. Donald Trump, only a few years younger, is conspicuously less worried about his age.
The following quotations are representative of the content of their account:
In the poll, a full 77% said Biden is too old to be effective for another four years. Not only do 89% of Republicans say this, but so do 69% of Democrats. This view is held across all age groups, not just young people, although older Democrats in particular are more supportive of his 2024 bid.
What else?
Older Democrats are less negative than younger ones about Biden’s decision to run again. In the poll, only 34% of Democrats under 45 want him to run for re-election, compared with 54% of older Democrats. Still, about three-quarters of younger Democrats say they’re at least likely to support him if he’s the nominee; others are undecided.
One might be forgiven for assuming that this represents as close to a consensus as we will ever get. However, it is noteworthy that the situation becomes even more problematic.
Furthermore, the survey included a word association exercise, in which respondents were asked to offer the first word or phrase that came to mind at the mention of each man.
In these visceral responses, 26% mentioned Biden’s age and a further 15% used words such as “slow” or “confused”. One Republican thought of “potato”. Among Democrats, Biden’s age was mentioned first by 28%. They preferred such terms to ‘president’, ‘leader’, ‘strong’ or ‘capable’. One who approved of his performance still called him “senile”.
In a separate analysis, Jazz Shaw, writing for HotAir, observed
Meanwhile, Gallup finds that Biden’s approval remains in the toilet on pretty much everything. He’s stuck at 42% for overall approval and below 40% in four of the top categories, including his handling of the economy and immigration. This has already become another one of those problems that may simply be too big for people to wrap their heads around or propose any sort of workable plan.
Another significant challenge currently facing President Biden is the reality of the situation. In his latest article, Steve Cortes offers the following observation:
Biden finds himself with a new and worsening problem heading into the election year: hemorrhaging support among Hispanics, and especially among working-class Latino voters.
According to the latest NY Times/Siena poll, his general election lead among non-college-educated minorities has collapsed. Back in 2020, Biden enjoyed an overwhelming 48% victory margin among blue-collar minorities, but that lead has now plummeted to just 16% when voters are asked their preference for 2024. For further context, consider that Obama won this demographic of working class non-whites by a landslide of 67% in 2012.
At some point, even the most ardent supporters of Biden will be forced to confront the question of whether they believe he has the capacity to serve a second term.
Daniel Miller is responsible for nearly all of National Right to Life News' political writing.
With the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency, Daniel Miller developed a deep obsession with U.S. politics that has never let go of the political scientist. Whether it's the election of Joe Biden, the midterm elections in Congress, the abortion rights debate in the Supreme Court or the mudslinging in the primaries - Daniel Miller is happy to stay up late for you.
Daniel was born and raised in New York. After living in China, working for a news agency and another stint at a major news network, he now lives in Arizona with his two daughters.
