Skidding approval ratings are the least of President Biden's worries. Candidate Biden's pledge to quash the pandemic, the cornerstone of his presidential campaign, remains unfulfilled. Crises at the southern border and the turbulent withdrawal from Afghanistan also have rocked his presidency.
Quinnipiac University's poll conducted last week revealed Mr. Biden's approval rating sank to 42%, a steep decline since January when he stood in the mid 50's. Only two national leaders have experienced lower approval ratings at this point in their presidency: Donald Trump (37%) and Gerald Ford (37%).
Peering beneath the numbers reveals Mr. Biden's approval rating among independents has slipped 14 points. Shockingly, his standing with Democrats has dipped eight points. Among all those surveyed, 60% disapprove of the way the president handled the Afghanistan exodus.
Since the Afghanistan debacle, the president has become noticeably irritable and testy. Reporters questions about the chaotic departure are met with stony silence or deflected with lectures claiming no one could have foreseen the consequences of withdrawal. Both tactics are eroding public confidence.
Despite Mr. Biden's promise to leave no American behind, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken admitted in testimony before a Senate committee there were "roughly" 100 Americans stranded in Afghanistan. The secretary acknowledged charter flights from Afghanistan are being blocked by the Taliban.
To make matters worse, the president's performance at the somber transfer of the remains of fallen service members at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware earned the scorn of grieving families. Video captured Mr. Biden checking his watch after caskets were removed from the military plane.
USA Today fact checkers confirm Associated Press photos show Mr. Biden looking at his watch at least three times. The only fact in dispute is the lack of video evidence the president checked his watch as each flag-draped casket passed. Grieving families witnessed 13 watch checks, according to news reports.
The Washington Post reported the father of fallen Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmidt had a tense encounter with the president. To the father's chagrin, Mr. Biden spoke more about his son Beau, who died of brain cancer, than about the sacrifice of the father's son. Beau served in Afghanistan and returned home safely.
Cheyenne McCollum, the sister of Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, reported a similar experience with Mr. Biden. "I was able to stand about 15 seconds of his fake, scripted apology, and I had to walk away," Cheyenne bristled.
This was not the compassionate Biden the media painted during the election.
Immediately after the tragic loss of lives, his speech to the nation lacked emotion and empathy. His hasty exit from the podium after the remarks was callous for such a grave occasion. This is a tone deaf president whose behavior belies the fawning media's portrayal of the man.
To pivot from the Afghan disaster, the president refocused media attention to his administration's efforts to halt the spread of COVID amid soaring cases and spiraling hospitalizations. To date, the president's record is spotty at best. That is not an opinion. The data tells the story.
The day President Biden was sworn into office the number of COVID cases stood at 152,379. The new president deemed that level unacceptable. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported last week the 7-day moving average of daily cases increased 7% to 142,072, a less than 3% decline in eight months.
The president was gifted with the advantage of readily available weapons to tamp down the virus. There are three vaccines widely available that have been distributed nationwide. Despite pleas from health organizations and federal officials, only 53.9% of Americans are fully vaccinated as of September 11.
Administration officials trumpet the fact that 76.5% of Americans have received at least one vaccine dose. What is left unsaid: CDC data also shows that at least 15 million people due for the second dose have elected not to return for the jab. Only fully vaccinated are adequately protected.
President Biden decided to address the unvaccinated issue last week. Instead of a national appeal for unity, he used the occasion to scold the unvaccinated. Most Americans agree everyone needs to be vaccinated. His message was punitive not motivational.
This is divisive, pitting the vaccinated versus the unvaccinated. No wonder a recent poll found a majority of Americans (54%) think the country is less united. Shaming the unvaccinated is the least productive strategy to convince these Americans to sign up for the shot.
Noticeably, the president failed to mention CDC data indicating African-Americans and Hispanics are less likely than their white counterparts to have received a vaccine, leaving them at greater risk.
CDC posted these figures on September 14: 16.6% of Hispanics have been fully vaccinated; 9.9% of African-Americans have received two vaccine doses. Why didn't the president make a direct appeal to those Americans? This is his constituency. Was Mr. Biden afraid of offending his base?
The president also mandated businesses require employees to be vaccinated. He called on the Department of Labor to enforce his edict, which included small businesses with as few as 100 employees. Already, there is pushback from small businesses and police and fire unions. Legal challenges are expected.
For a president determined to arrest the virus, his open border policy is a contradiction of his goal to staunch the virus. Pew Research Center reports encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border have soared to a 21-year high. In July, 199,777 illegal immigrants were admitted into the United States.
At this moment, thousands of Haitian immigrants are camped near the border at Del Rio, Texas, hoping to cross into the U.S. As the the humanitarian crisis worsened, buses arrived to transfer Haitians to San Antonio. The administration authorized deportation flights to Port-au-Prince airport in Haiti.
Texas Rep. August Pfluger, who was briefed by Border Patrol agents in Del Rio, was informed there were 14,878 migrants camped under the international bridge at Del Rio as of Saturday. Pfluger said: "Speaking to Border Patrol agents, the worst is yet to come...they're worried about coordination with Mexico."
Independent sources estimate about one million illegal immigrants have crossed the border since January. NBC reported more than 18% of illegal immigrant families and 20% of unaccompanied minors test positive for COVID after leaving Border Patrol custody.
NBC's source was a briefing document prepared for President Biden. The president is aware of the dire situation.
What science is the president following by allowing unvaccinated illegal immigrants to cross into the U.S.? Americans returning from overseas flights are tested for the COVID virus before they return to this country. Americans have to show proof of vaccination for cruises, Broadway shows. etc.
This is the height of hypocrisy to have a different standard for non-citizens.
Let's stop at this point. Democrats' blood pressure is off the charts reading a negative article about their president. He is NOT Trump they will point out. There is less drama today. There are no offensive tweets. There are no riots near the Capitol. Few Democrats can defend Biden without referring to Trump.
Mr. Biden should be judged on his actions in the Afghanistan fiasco, his failure to stem the rising Delta variant tide and the ongoing crisis at the border, where unvaccinated illegal immigrants are ushered into our country. He owns the catastrophic ramifications and the chaos it has created.
Presidents who blame previous administrations, Republican or Democrat, are attempting to avoid accountability to find solutions to fix problems, including those they inherited. The buck stops with the president as Mr. Biden has reminded. Every president should govern with that principle in mind.
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