The American left felt a shift as the Russian tanks moved across the Ukraine-Russia border. After being traumatized for months by the political reality of the Biden Administration, the left was finally able to focus their attention on Vladimir Putin.
Ridiculous arguments commenced, blaming Donald Trump for a Russian invasion of Europe he managed to avoid, while assertions that Republicans were “pro-Putin” spread far and wide. Democrats have not been this certain since January 6, when they believed that they had a political winner.
However, Friday’s morning brought some very disturbing news. That “rally around the flag” moment the left was counting on to resurrect Joe Biden’s failed presidency didn’t materialize.
Joe Biden’s approval of his job drops to the lowest level in the NPR/Marist survey, as it did yesterday in Fox News’s poll. 39-55 among adults; 40-55 among voters. 56% of voters and adults rate the first year as a failure. Ouch. H/t @TonesHyus. https://t.co/34feOoVkxr
— Varad Mehta (@varadmehta) February 25, 2022
Ouch, indeed. Biden’s approval numbers continue to crater despite his tough talk on Russia, coupled with nearly a week’s worth of media coverage obsessing over the GOP supposedly being in Putin’s pocket. It’s almost as if failed narratives don’t suddenly become successful ones via sheer wish-casting.
This lackluster rebound wasn’t surprising to those outside of the Beltway bubble. After all, how can you have a “rally around the flag” moment when you don’t actually give Americans a reason to do so? Biden’s strategy to combat Putin’s aggression has been imbecilic, and the U.S. president’s response after the fact hasn’t been any better. The White House went from insisting its “greatest ever” sanctions package was a certain deterrent to claiming it was never even meant to deter within just days. Even worse, details about that package of sanctions paint a picture if weakness. They are meant to appear impactful, while mostly letting Russia get away with it.
Combine those realities with the fact that Biden himself appears so incapable as a leader, both in word and deed, and it isn’t difficult to see why most Americans still aren’t buying what he’s selling. Yes, what’s happening in Ukraine is terrible, and the Ukrainians are fighting valiantly. Objectively, though, the United States and Europe aren’t doing much to help. Biden, on the other hand, is going on vacation to spend another weekend at Delaware’s home. You know, because there’s nothing else important going on or something.
Getting to the point, those aren’t the actions of a man who deserves to have a nation rally around him. Rather, they are the actions of a man who has completely checked out, believing he will receive credit for presiding over an international crisis, even though he’s done nothing to defuse it. It’s reminiscent of his COVID “reset,” where the administration didn’t actually change any of its policies. Contrary to Jen Psaki’s desires, politics isn’t actually “The West Wing.”
Lofty words (delivered especially poorly, given Biden’s mental state), coupled with ineffective actions, ultimately breed discontent, not support. Real life isn’t just an hour of mediocre writing and rolling the credits — to the squees of sycophants. Americans have had a chance to observe the actual results of the Biden presidency, and they don’t like what they are seeing. It was impossible for this to change, even though Putin has become a popular topic. In fact, the current situation with Ukraine has only further exposed the administration’s ineptness.
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