A confluence of high-stakes events – mass shootings, inflation, the Ukraine war – have left Americans deeply pessimistic about the direction of the country and frustrated with Washington
n his third run for president, Joe Biden’s pitch to Americans was simple: after half a century in elected office, including eight years as vice-president, he understood the demands of what is arguably the hardest job in the world. It was a point Biden stressed on the campaign trail, in his own folksy way: “Everything landed on the president’s desk but locusts.”
Inflation has surged to its highest level in nearly four decades, leaving American families struggling to afford the basic necessities like groceries, gas and rent. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine threatens the liberal world order, while pushing the cost of food and fuel even higher. Leon Panetta, a former CIA director and defense secretary under Barack Obama and a former White House chief of staff to Bill Clinton, agreed.
As the challenges mount, Biden has become increasingly frank about the constraints on his presidency while Republicans accuse him of shirking responsibility. Panetta said the White House had a positive story to tell about American resilience in the face of extraordinary hardship but has done a “lousy” job of sharing its vision to the public. In the vacuum, he said the White House is left scrambling to respond.
Meanwhile, the economy continues to grow, with unemployment at record lows and consumer spending robust. On Friday, it was reported that 390,000 more jobs were created. . “This is particularly acute for Biden because he did make a lot of promises and he hasn’t been able to follow through on them.”“he at least has to look like he’s trying”.Progressives want to see him throw all his energy and political capital into issues like climate change, votings rights, immigration and abortion – and where this fails to push for rule-changes in the Senate to overcome Republican opposition.
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