There seems to be some anxiety escalating among the Democrat members of Congress because of President Joe Biden’s plummeting approval ratings. The chaos that has ensued due to the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan is sure to affect the Democratic Party.
Lawmakers from the left are concerned that the way Biden has handled Afghanistan and the U.S. pullout, along with the continued strife over COVID-19, may undermine party lines in Congress. They fear a backlash that will cause Democrats to lose power in Congress and in other positions across the country.
The New York Times has reported this: “With President Biden facing a political crisis that has shaken his standing in his party, Democrats across the country are increasingly worried about their ability to maintain power in Washington, as his administration struggles to defend its chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan and stanch a resurgent pandemic that appeared to be waning only weeks ago.”
The Times also described how lawmakers announced congressional investigations into the way Biden’s administration handled the Afghan withdrawal and that there were some Democratic lawmakers who were calling for the resignation of Mr. Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan. One Democrat said on the condition of anonymity that Sullivan’s resignation could help to “reset the narrative.”
The images that have come from Afghanistan have appalled some of the president’s most committed supporters. They worry that Biden’s execution of the withdrawal of American troops has undermined the president’s central campaign promise to “restore a steady hand to governance, particularly on issues of national security.”
The approval rating for the president has fallen across multiple polls since the capital of Afghanistan fell to the Taliban on August 15. Since the Taliban take-over of Kabul, the Unites States has been overseeing a chaotic evacuation of thousands of U.S. personnel and citizens from the International Airport in the country. Biden’s polling averages fell below 50% for the first time last week.
The Daily Wire reported: “The 538 poll found Biden with a 44% disapproval rating. The highest average approval rating the RCP poll has ascertained for Biden during his presidency was at 55.8%; he has dropped over five points.”
In a new Reuters poll that was conducted on Monday, it was found that Biden’s approval rating had dropped by seven percentage points and rested at 46%. This is the lowest of his presidency.
Almost three-quarters of Americans believe that the White House administration has botched the pullout from Afghanistan. But the president has doubled down in defending his decision. Biden has also struggled to find the proper messaging on COVID-19. He continues to push not only masking, but other health restrictions due to the Delta variant, and just last week the Transportation Security Administration declared that it was extending the federal mask mandate into 2022.
The Republican Party is gearing up for what is likely to happen in the coming months. Biden may choose to placate his progressive base and double down on pushing through his liberal agenda as much as possible. But he could also try to move closer to the center in fear of losing ground in the general election. But this will anger his base and increase strife within his own party. Progressives will certainly not sit quietly if Biden moves to the center, and independent voters will not remain quiet if Biden continues moving leftward.
This Democratic dilemma isn’t going away any time soon, no matter what happens in Afghanistan. And the GOP is salivating over what they hope happens in the next few months and the impact it will have in the coming elections for Congress.