Byron York's Daily Memo: The Biden White House dumpster fire

[Geee]

Washington Examiner

THE BIDEN WHITE HOUSE DUMPSTER FIRE. President Joe Biden's plunging public approval rating isn't his problem. It is a reflection of his problem.

Biden has scheduled a big ceremony today to sign the bipartisan infrastructure bill, the $1.2 trillion measure passed after months of wrangling in Congress. The public is well aware of it. And yet, in a new Washington Post poll , taken after the bill's passage, Biden's job approval rating has hit a new low — just 38% among registered voters, versus 57% who disapprove. So much for those Democrats who thought passing a big bill would boost Biden's numbers.

 

Here's what's worse — much worse. For many years, pollsters have asked what is called the "generic ballot" question. There are many ways to say it, but it is basically, "If the election were today, would you vote for the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House in your district?" In the new Washington Post poll, the result is 51% of registered voters said the Republican candidate and 41% said the Democratic candidate.

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For people who follow the generic ballot, that's a stunning number. Usually Democrats lead Republicans on the question. In fact, the GOP has never had a number as high as 51% in decades of Washington Post polling. Even before big wins in 1994 and 2010, Republicans did not have that big a lead in the generic ballot. But now, it's 10 points — a "historically strong result for Republicans on this measure," according to the Post. Watch for panic among Democrats that a White House signing ceremony won't ease.

That's a major problem for Democrats. But an even bigger problem is the state and future of the Biden White House. The issue, simply put, is whether the soon-to-turn 79-year-old president — the oldest in U.S. history — will be able to run for reelection in 2024. And if he doesn't, whether his unpopular vice president, Kamala Harris, can win the Democratic nomination to succeed him. And if she can't win, who can?