MSNBC Mourns Biden Not Getting ‘Zelenskyy Bounce’ In the Polls

On Monday’s MTP Daily, fill-in co-host Garrett Haake and a panel of liberal pundits lamented that President Biden was not seeing a “Zelenskyy bounce” in the polls for his handling of the war Ukraine. Somehow they believed the immense popularity of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the hero Ukrainian leader, should pass to Biden.

“President Biden’s not getting a Zelenskyy bounce. And when you look at the polling, it’s kind of fascinating,”Haake looked puzzled. While the poll numbers displayed on screen, the dissatisfied anchor said: “Biden’s wartime policies are popular, but he’s not getting the credit for them….Why doesn’t Joe Biden get credit for doing the popular things Joe Biden does?”

Left-wing activist and Voto Latino president Maria Theresa Kumar whined that Biden was not getting enough credit on a whole “list” of supposed accomplishments: “Well, we could say that, why didn’t he get that bounce right after the infrastructure bill? I mean you actually have a list.”

Haake strategized on how Biden could get that elusive “bounce” in the polls: “…the White House is thinking of sending the President to Europe. I mean, is that the kind of thing that he might capture the Zelenskyy bounce there for taking credit for the things that have been his idea?”

Kumar gushed: “…I think that by going to Europe, he’s going to demonstrate once again that America is back, that leadership is back, and that you can trust our word….And the American people, I think, will follow the lead.”

Geoff Bennett (formerly of NBC News) chimed in at that point with his puffery. “I might sound a little Pollyanna-ish, but sometimes presidential leadership is its own reward.”Kumar agreed immediately: “Exactly right.”Bennett kept his flirting going: “The history books might reward President Biden’s leadership here in ways that voters may not come November and beyond.”

He then criticised his colleagues in media for being unjust to Biden.

The White House, however, seems to blame those in media for moving the goalposts.The question for over a year was “Can this government get its hands around this 100-year old pandemic?” The pandemic appears to be shifting towards an endemic state, and now it is time for inflation.

Haake was able to hope for the best moments of his life. “…is this the kind of thing that could Democrats capture that sentiment and run on Ukraine and management, foreign policy management, all these issues we’ve talked about as perhaps that solves their messaging problem?”

Kumar responded with a rambling answer in which she tried to equate the invasion of Ukraine with Donald Trump’s presidency and Republican voting reform laws:

Well, I think one place where a lot of Democrats are unique compared to Republicans, is that when Trump was in office, Democrats – Democratic voters felt that our democracy was in trouble. They understand that democracy is in danger due to dismantling our institutions, voting rights, and so on. And so, if he messages that way, that we are living a 21st Century moment of who is going to win and our sacrifice to ensure that democracy’s not eroded abroad and does not come home…

MSNBC still plans to offer Democrats some political advantage amid all of the chaos and destruction in Ukraine.

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The following transcript is from the panel discussion of March 14.

12:00 PM ET

(…)

GARRETT HaAKE: Maria, that is very interesting. Rick [Tyler] made this point that President Biden’s not getting a Zelenskyy bounce. And when you look at the polling, it’s kind of fascinating. We’re gonna put some numbers from Navigator on the screen. Biden’s wartime policies are popular, but he’s not getting the credit for them. I mean, it’s fascinating to me the way these numbers are shaking out. Why doesn’t Joe Biden get credit for doing the popular things Joe Biden does?

MARIA THERESA KUMAR [PRESIDENT & CEO, VOTO LATINO]: Well, we could say that, why didn’t he get that bounce right after the infrastructure bill? It’s true, you do actually have a checklist. Part of the reason is, I believe, that Biden’s administration is so adept at pulling levers inside Congress. Since he has been a legislator since childhood, he understands how to get things done quickly in Ukraine. He is an expert on how sausages are made.

My view is that his main challenge has been to communicate what is going on with the American people. And what he doesn’t want to repeat is what happened in the 1970s. Inflation has not been a problem for our generation in the past.

(…)

1.51 PM ET

KUMAR: But they’re missing that beat, so they actually could read the historic tea leaves. And it’s sad to say that [Jimmy]Carter failed to communicate with the American people about the why. And if Biden can go head and center and start talking about the why and at the same time go into the place – and I think we discussed this last time – go into communities where the Republicans vetoed, decided not to vote for the infrastructure bill, and actually go in there and say, “This ribbon cutting is because I, the President of the United States, is bringing jobs back [sic].” But inflation is going to be the biggest thing for him.

HAAKE: Well, I’m curious then, when it comes to sending the President somewhere, what do you make of this reporting that we broke here at NBC, that he’s thinking – the White House is thinking of sending the President to Europe. Does that sound like the sort of thing that would allow him to capture Zelenskyy’s bounce and claim credit for things that were his ideas?

KUMAR: Well, one of the – again, one of the things that we haven’t – we’ve again under-reported is the fact that he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This is a complex world. He gets it. Then he was made vice president. He knows many of these people and leaders.

Tony Blinken has done a fantastic job, and I think that by going to Europe, he’s going to demonstrate once again that America is back, that leadership is back, and that you can trust our word. This is a huge feat in soft power. It is my belief that the American people will soon follow suit. However, we must be competitive. [sic].

GEOFF BENETT [PBS NEWSHOUR CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT]”Can I add something?” Although it might seem a bit Pollyannaish, sometimes the reward of being a presidential leader is itself.

KUMAR: You are absolutely right.

HAAKE: Aww. [Laughter]

BENNETT: The history books might reward President Biden’s leadership here in ways that voters may not come November and beyond. And to your great point about how the White House doesn’t necessarily have its act together on messaging. On Friday, President Biden spoke out about this to Democrats. He said you ask the American people what the American Rescue Plan is, and they say, “What the heck is that?” Although he didn’t say heck. [Laughter]

And so, you know, it’s – and the White House also, I think, blames those of us in the media, present company excluded, for shifting the goalposts. The question for the past year was “Can this Administration get its hands around this 100-year-old epidemic?” The pandemic appears to be shifting towards an endemic state, and now it is time for inflation.

HAAKE Let’s rewind the tape a little further. You and I both covered Trump’s first impeachment, which was about Ukraine. It just seems like it’s been completely memory-holed.         

(…)

12:00 PM ET

HAAKE: Maria, every time you’re on, I like write down six times and underline “inflation.” But IU wonder, I mean, is this the kind of thing that could Democrats capture that sentiment and run on Ukraine and management, foreign policy management, all these issues we’ve talked about as perhaps that solves their messaging problem?

KUMAR: Well, I think one place where a lot of Democrats are unique compared to Republicans, is that when Trump was in office, Democrats – Democratic voters felt that our democracy was in trouble. The President’s talk about democracy versus autocracy is a clear indication that they understand the importance of democratic institutions being dismantled, voting rights, and access to the ballot box. And so, if he messages that way, that we are living a 21st Century moment of who is going to win and our sacrifice to ensure that democracy’s not eroded abroad and does not come home is going to be inflationary. Because it’s going to be – we’re going to be talking about gas prices going up, we’re going to be talking about food going up. Many of the bread baskets are in Russia and Ukraine, you know. And if they – if he explains it – and he has to explain it now.

(…)