Analysis: Joe Biden delivers a message of hope as an anxious nation gets ready for Thanksgiving

“We’ve made historic progress over the last 10 months,” Biden said, noting that the 4.6% unemployment rate has fallen off a lot. “There’s a lot we can be proud of and a lot we can build for the future.”

Even some Biden voters think the Democrats don’t understand

One of the lessons some Democrats have learned from the shock defeat in Virginia’s gubernatorial election earlier this month – an election that saw a 12-point shift in just one year for… with Republicans – that they stopped listening to voters. After the GOP win, the center-left think tank Third Way conducted focus groups among Biden voters to find out why they’re backing Republican Glenn Youngkin this year. The findings sent chills down the spines of Democrats, revealing that these voters could not name anything the Democrats had done, unhappy with the direction of the country – including both labor shortages and high prices – and don’t think the party will get there. The groups also believe the economy is bad, despite some encouraging statistics, and argue that Democrats are more concerned with social issues than the factors currently making it difficult for families to make a living.

In recent days, Biden appears to have initiated a rhetorical reset, perhaps to deal with such debts, after earlier this year insisting that inflation was temporary, that his influence limited in bringing down high gasoline prices and the pandemic virtually ended in an early July 4 speech.

“Anxious parents ask, ‘Will we have enough food to buy for the holidays? Will we be able to get the kids’ Christmas presents on time? And if so, would they cost me an arm and a “leg,” Biden said Tuesday.

Seeking to take control of the project and ignite confidence, he announced the largest-ever oil release from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in a last-ditch effort to increase supply and lower pump prices. . The president has railed against another GOP line of attack – that his efforts to tackle climate change are the cause of higher gasoline costs. And he explained how his White House has reduced the container backlog at ports and relied on top executives from big retailers like Walmart and Target to move supplies faster. Such moves could not only ensure store shelves remained stocked, but could also curb surging demand that is driving inflation.

“Families can rest easy. Grocery stores are stocked with turkeys and everything else you need for Thanksgiving. And the big retailers I mentioned have confirmed their shelves are stocked with turkeys and everything else you need for Thanksgiving. will be fully stocked in stores this holiday season,” Biden said. “That’s good news for moms and dads worried about whether Christmas gifts will be on offer. It’s for everything from bikes to skates,” he added, pushing back a GOP story that Americans face the most deprived and expensive holiday season. in history.

While Biden’s moves may be politically effective on the margins, there are real questions about their effectiveness in the long term and therefore their ability to reverse the decline. His approval ratings down to 40s and under, in some opinion polls.

Much is beyond Biden’s control

The biggest challenge for the White House is that while Biden may show he cares about current national issues, he may not be quick to defuse them.

Although Republicans argue that inflation is being driven by high spending by Democrats, the fact that this is a worldwide scourge means that it is difficult for him to fix it. The supply chain crisis that drives prices up is due to Covid-19 ravaging production facilities in Asia – something beyond Biden’s control. While his release of 50 million barrels of oil is historic and will be accompanied by similar expansionary actions by US allies, it may have only limited effect. Americans as a whole use about 20 million barrels per day. And the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries remains constrained in terms of global supply and prices.

The biggest and perhaps only hope for the White House and Democrats running in 2022 is that the political situation will calm down. An end to the pandemic, more job growth, and repaired supply chains could dramatically improve the nation’s mood and raise the President’s approval rating, which is so important to hope. midterms of the party. The administration then hopes that the first effects of the infrastructure law and social spending bill, if it is passed, will begin to be felt, giving them a platform to innovate and strong reform.

However, the party must also hope that the damage to Biden’s image as a straight gunman and reputation for competence, suffered during a brutal political period that included a tumultuous retreat from Afghanistan. , will not last long.

As years of turmoil have shown, no one — at least among all the Republicans who won early on — should make any assumptions about future elections. But this Thanksgiving, the country has not yet emerged from the crisis that Biden was elected to end – the pandemic – and is facing new economic and political challenges.

So while the announcement that Biden plans to run for re-election is an easy game for the White House today, the President’s long-term political future remains based on the same proposition he has always had – the possibility of restoring some sort of economic and political normality. That destination remains elusive, and for a variety of reasons, it may become increasingly difficult for him to pull the country forward.