Why is Biden struggling so bad?

[Takket]

It can't just be his age. I can't believe the voting public is signing up for 4 more years of drumpf just because he's about 3 years younger.

I mean... just forget about how bad drumpf is.........

The economy is booming.
Unemployment at record lows.
Biden's policies have tamed the inflation crisis the pandemic started.
Crime has plummeted.
He presents the only option to ever restore Roe, and has made no effort to interfere with states protecting women's rights
Nato has welcomed new members in response to russian aggression
Ukraine is holding its own, at least for now.
He's managed some measure of student debt relief, despite SCOTUS blocking him
Illegal border crossings are down.

Negative
Gaza has been a mess, but Biden is not the leader of Israel
Rental companies used the inflation crisis to jack rents way up (we need a federal rent control law). But drumpf would only make that worse.
We certainly need immigration legislation but that's Congress, not the president.

Even is Biden wasn't running against a complete lunatic that is still a pretty kick ass record to run on.

Has anyone seen any articles/insight as to WHY Biden is losing voters that supported him in 2020? I certainly don't expect magats to ever switch sides, but Biden is at least losing SOME people that supported him before. What are they upset about?

[BootinUp]

1. Start with propaganda/misinformation/disinformation. Work your way back to the sources. nt

[TexasBushwhacker]

34. Exactly

I think many of the "sources say" articles are coming from Russian/GOP bots.

[we can do it]

37. This X 10000.

[PortTack]

2. Just me....I don't think other than the constant drumming of m$m he is struggling. It's called gaslighting

[Alice B.]

45. SAME.

[Blue Owl]

3. He himself isn't struggling -- this is smoke and mirrors by the M$M

They are doing everything possible to stoke dissent within our party.

TURN IT OFF!

[Walleye]

9. Yeah, I noticed Washington Week finally got their "Democrats in disarray" chyron

[BannonsLiver]

10. Hard to argue otherwise

[Walleye]

12. Only the media seem to be helping to engineer it

[marybourg]

4. Because people saw him with their own eyes, struggling to

articulate his thoughts for a few horrible minutes during the debate, and losing the struggle. It’s not just a theoretical judgment about his age.

[cilla4progress]

6. I'm sorry

what???

[marybourg]

11. What what? You didn't see and hear it? It was so painful

I had to turn it off. Are we going to be the last Americans to pretend it didn’t happen? Listening only to ourselves? I hate the thought of changing horses in mid-stream, and I admire Biden very much and wish this hadn’t happened. But it did. And pretending it didn’t will just leave us behind in a dust heap.

[cilla4progress]

18. Not pretending.

Putting into perspective a "bad" debate, you yourself said a few minutes, weighed against... not going to recount the litany of what Joe has accomplished, and how hard he works. If you aren't already aware of it, I'm not going to convince you.

What's going on among dem leaders and the donor class is either juvenile or nefarious.

SMDH.

[marybourg]

22. The OP asked why Biden is struggling (against public opinion).

I gave the answer. I’m the messenger here, not the advocate. There’s nothing to be gained be being so blind as those who wouldn’t see.

[Trekologer]

21. The debate performance was bad, the aftermath was even worse

But beyond that, Biden hasn't done a good job selling himself and accomplishments. He hasn't been doing interviews and press conferences leading up to the debate and the ones afterward just haven't been enough. These things have only fueled the narrative that he isn't up to it anymore. Whether that is true or it is just a case of Biden not thinking he needs to do those things is how we got to today.

I want Joe Biden to be the nominee. But I also want him to be doing a much better job selling his candidacy to the voters.

[Tadpole Raisin]

30. In these times, sad to say, it's no longer good enough to do the job. You have to

SELL the job. Biden does the former. Trump does the latter. So Biden has to sell it, or TSF will drown him out.

It really is an upside down world.

[barbaraann]

44. EXACTLY.

Brilliant wording.

[Trekologer]

56. I hate to use Trump as a good example of anything but...

Whenever something good happened, he'd have a press conference taking credit for it. Whenever something bad happened, he'd have a press conference blaming someone else for it. And he'd take questions from the press, even if the answers were to berate the person asking.

The 'quiet competence' only works if you're both actively selling it and refuting the accusations.

[Takket]

74. i think you hit it right here

[marybourg]

47. I did, yes. But the millions who saw the debate did not.

And youre confusing fact with advocacy.

[marybourg]

75. I am not focused on the debate. Like everyone else on DU, I saw him

do well before and after the debate. The OP asked why he was struggling in public opinion and I gave the factual answer. That doesn’t mean I am advocating against him, but we need to face the fact of what the American people saw with their own eyes, or we run the risk of group-think, out of step with the majority of other Dems.

[cilla4progress]

53. I did, yes.

Thanks.

They keep moving the goal posts, don't they?

[beaglelover]

31. She's right. His debate performance was an unmitigated disaster. For anyone to say otherwise is very

dishonest.

[RobinA]

41. The People I Know

who voted for Biden in 2020 and now have switched to Trump cite the debate.

[beaglelover]

49. I'm lucky to not know any people like that, and me and all my friends will vote for Biden if he's on the ballot.

But since the debate we are all a lot less confident in the outcome of the upcoming election. A LOT less.

[mcar]

58. Cool story

[displacedvermoter]

66. Oh, my goodness

Did they switch back after Thursday night's oral debacle?

[cilla4progress]

55. THIS IS NOT ENTERTAINMENT

OR REALITY TV!

Why is this so complicated???

The analysis sounds more like teenagers (sorry, teens) than grownup!!

[beaglelover]

62. We all saw the debate performance in REAL time. Of course it's reality.

[cilla4progress]

64. Politics is not entertainment

and should not be judged on the same metrics.

[beaglelover]

68. that makes no sense to me. We all saw a man struggling to speak above a whisper whose answers made no

sense sometimes. This was not the same person from 4 years ago. Yes, I know he had a cold, so his handlers should have canceled the debate or postponed it until he was feeling better. IMO he has terrible people advising his campaign at the moment and he should make changes asap if he wants to win.

[beaglelover]

61. He's not been consistent since the debate. Some appearances are OK and others are bad. The Lester Holt

interview was bad. He sounded weak and his answer to whether or not he watched his debate performance was pathetic.....something like 'I don't know if I watched it or not'. NOT a great answer. Then again, his speech at the NAACP was awesome, but then he gets COVID and the tape of him walking down the stairs of the airplane the other day was also not good. He looked weak and confused.

[beaglelover]

78. Not going to argue with you. Biden has made his decision so let's move forward with our new awesome candidate.....

Kamala Harris!!!!

[wnylib]

80. I just read EarlG's OP on that so I have nothing more to say on the subject.

[democratsruletheday]

15. Correct...he's running on fumes and sick again to boot

a BUNCH of Dems are loyal to JB cuz he's done wonders the last 4 years god love him but this is about beating the orange turd and winning this election. I just don't see a path forward for Joe to do that. Sucks but it's true.

[cilla4progress]

19. So what's the plan.

I mean a realistic plan that will survive all the bullshit and scrutiny and challenges that is going to happen if they scrap the candidate of 90% of Dem primary voters voted for...

What exactly?

Have you watched AOCs amazing cogent youtube from last week?

I will update with a link.

Here:

?si=VKMO24mRzXMRXd2P

[FrankBooth]

27. Thank you for asking that question

Because there is no plan. Zero. Just a "we'll fix it at the convention" pipe dream, or the "Michelle Obama will run and save us all" fantasy or some other equivalent fairy tale that is untethered from reality. No real plan = guaranteed loss.

An open/brokered convention will be an ugly, divisive, shitshow. The shitshow/chaos ticket should the other one, not the Dems, but these fucking idiots have managed to do to Biden what Trump has never been able to do. It's a disgrace.

[cilla4progress]

29. Same

[Silent Type]

16. It was a shocking couple of minutes. I do give him lots of credit for soldiering ahead, adding press conferences,

Last edited Sun Jul 21, 2024, 12:38 PM - Edit history (1)

interviews, etc. He really upped his game, perhaps too much. But he's been absent the last week. I realize he has Covid and in the last month a cold, fatigue, etc.

I'm within a few years of his age and think he's been a fine President. It hurts me to say these things.

Edit: For spelling.

[TnDem]

76. media

The problem is that this has been going on for well over a year now and it took the debate for the world to see.

If you watch other alternative media, everyone would have seen it.

[Bookreadingliberal53]

79. While Trump thinks his opponent is Obama

And that we had airports during the revolutionary war.

[cilla4progress]

5. Putin is doing this all over

western democracies.

Why would we be exempt?

[thomski64]

7. ..no one has voted yet..

...except to choose President
Biden in the Primaries and Caucus
process..

[tman]

8. he's not running a great campaign that reflects a great record.

that's the issue.

[SleeplessinSoCal]

17. And he needs better advisers.

There are ads from Biden on Instagram that I quickly scroll past because he appears ghostly. As a supporter, I can't help but imagine what aversge voters think when seeing them.

[cilla4progress]

24. Amazing how caught up in image

over substance some American voters are.

Disappointing, really.

[lame54]

13. 'Cause he's laid up with covid and they're kicking him while he's down

[Polybius]

14. Because he's never had massive charisma

Not that that's a bad thing, I don't either. But I'm talking high-level charisma, like the ability to fire up a crowd. Clinton, Obama, and Reagan all had these high levels, and were exceptional at talking to the camera. They all had high poll ratings when they left office.

Now, Poppy Bush and W both had very low charisma. They were both plagued by poor polling.

It's really sad that this matters to voters. Biden's policies and Administration have been A+.

[Tadpole Raisin]

20. He doesn't like to brag. He doesn't like to attack. He is not

Someone who constantly tells you all that his administration has done - he just does the hard work. We all see it.

If TSF has taught us anything it is that if you say something enough (and lies are all he tells) people believe it. The fact that he and other repubs take credit for things Biden has done and those people believe it (like dropping insulin prices) is mind blowing but in the absence of a constant drum beat on our side good enough for daily 5 second news sound bites it is all they know.

TSF has turned that into an art form. He never stops and it means dems are on defensive. Media knows but they still frame the question in a way that makes us have to counter the narrative instead of being on offense. Dems have to turn the tables on them and not wait until Labor Day AND deal with the calls to step down, FFS! It sucks.

Media doesn’t care about truth. There are few if any Edward R Murrows left in journalism. It’s all ‘both sides.’

[DemocratSinceBirth]

23. He has a great record

No administration is without negative events. It needs to be vigorously defended by the person with the loudest bull horn. I will leave it to others to infer where I would take this argument. I can be reached via private messages. For prudential reasons I will not say more here.

[Doodley]

25. You answer your own question by having to ask it. The problem is communication. A strong

candidate with clear and concise messaging, media savvy, and with charisma that people listen to would be at least 10 points ahead already, and would be hammering home each and every day the achievement of this administration and the danger of Trump.

[Tadpole Raisin]

48. And it wouldn't hurt Biden to put a little make up on.

rTrump’s fans never see him without make up on. Geez when I’ve seen him like that he looks 10 years older than Biden

[Docreed2003]

26. I think it's largely the coverage or lack thereof of Biden's accomplishments

He's gotten very little credit for what has been a highly successful presidency and gotten monumental blame for every bad thing in the world: from corporate price gouging cloaked as inflation to Gaza.

[cilla4progress]

28. It's the oligarchs (money)

...

Not really that complicated.

[jmbar2]

32. EarlG explains it well here.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100219193849

[cilla4progress]

59. EarlG

is not to be taken lightly!

I trust and have confidence in his analysis. Even-handed, as well as apt!

[dchill]

65. Immensely enlightening.

[NewHendoLib]

33. Media/propaganda/brainwashing/stupidity/ignorance

[Think. Again.]

38. oh, I see, you've been pretending polls are accurate, haven't you?

[Ace Rothstein]

39. Inflation is an issue for him.

Costs are no longer rising but most things are considerably more expensive than they were 4 years ago.

[kansasobama]

40. Biden was behind within striking distance

And ready to overtake after convention. Then came the debate. He fell behind further but still within striking distance. However Pelosi-Obama-Schumer-Clooney group started blasting. People who did not think much of the debate started falling for the attack. Now, if Pelosi could quickly dislodge Biden, she probably would have proclaimed win. However, she failed. Obama and Schumer failed. Biden became tough. Now the verdict is, Pelosi-Obama-Oligarchs have put it out of reach. They will have to answer to history if they helped fascism, not Biden

[J_William_Ryan]

42. "Why is Biden struggling so bad?"

He isn’t.

President Biden is subject to conditions beyond his control having nothing to do with his job performance.

Corporate media determined to install Trump as ‘president’ for greater profits.

The Federal Reserve’s effort to combat inflation.

A frightened, capricious, and stupid electorate who are willfully ignorant and vote against their own interests.

And a process by which presidents are installed that is undemocratic and antimajoritarian.

[Big Blue Marble]

71. Perception is reality.

Facts do not matter; perceptions do. Swing voters are not listening to your arguments.

They see as Biden as not as strong as Trump. That is what they will vote on, perception of strength
over competence.

[bigtree]

46. the Dem legislators conspired with the media to put out a flood of negative assessments about the President

...these Dem legislators couldn't use their offices for campaigning, but they nonetheless used the elevation of their offices to influence the people's choice in this election out of the race, while hiding away and doing nothing to advocate against Trump.

What did you expect to happen?

[Bev54]

50. Have you not read Earl G's OP - you need to, it explains a lot

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=19195346

[beaglelover]

51. IMO, even though the economy is technically doing better, the majority of Americans are not feeling it and

they honestly believe they are worse off under Biden than they were under Trump.

[J_William_Ryan]

52. "These things have only fueled the narrative that he isn't up to it anymore."

So the ‘solution’ is to put the likes of Trump back in the WH – someone who was never up to it.

A treasonous insurrectionist, racist, bigot, and convicted felon – someone comprehensively unfit to be president.

That’s insanity.

Again: a frightened, capricious, and stupid electorate who are willfully ignorant and vote against their own interests.

[FloridaBlues]

54. Oh I don't know 3 weeks media bashing, Dems demanding he drop out

The drip drip against him. We want to see more high profile dems come on tv and stand with the ticket. Collectively as a large group from congress and senate. Start there and polls will go up.

[LonePirate]

60. The public doesn't think inflation is tamed. Then there's the relatively high interest rates and high housing costs.

Those economic conditions have bogged down Biden for the entire race, even before Oct. 7 or the debate. Nothing has changed in the eyes of the public for any of those items.

[SWBTATTReg]

63. Pres. Biden isn't struggling as you seem to make it sound and one debate doesn't decide all either.

Good grief. Look at the many many times djt screwed up w/ mispronounced words, statements, and worse all of the time. It's not even a comparison.

Some people I think are probably sore because their democratic candidate of choice isn't there.

[Elessar Zappa]

67. I think a lot has to do with inflation.

It’s something that Americans can see every time they go shopping. But the fault lies with greedy companies, not Biden. One thing is that the average wage has gone up more than inflation so actually most Americans are coming out ahead but they don’t think of it that way.

[standingtall]

70. Biden is struggling so badly for several reasons

Chief among is series of Democrats calling for him to resign after the debate. Biden was winning in the polls before then and his poll numbers will improve again if Democrats would shut up and get behind their nominee and their President.The Trump assassination attempt didn't help. They also just had the republican national convention which is usually not a good time in the polls for Democrats.

Furthermore the polls suck. Not interested in hearing lectures about accepting the polls we like and dismissing the ones we don't. Anybody who thinks Trump is going to 20+% of African American voters is drinking the polling kool aid. People between 18 to 30 which break heavily for Biden even in bad polling will make up more than the 5% sample size of polling in the actual electorate as their well over 15% of the population. I'm confident they turned out more for than that in 2020 and probably 2016 too.

[sakabatou]

73. It's the goddamn MSM that's presenting him as being awful