My husband used to work for a governor, and I know that elective office is a tough, tough gig, with the toughest of them all located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Open your eyes or reach out your hand and you can easily find someone who disagrees with the pol, some on policy and some on politics. And sometimes people disagree simply to make themselves feel important or to grab some air time.
It’s expected, but it’s still hard for many elected officials to handle with grace. That’s why so many politicians are deemed thin-skinned when they push back at their critics. They’re given little to no slack for simply being human when faced with a 24/7 onslaught. It’s the burden they bear in exchange for the power and influence they’ve been given.
There comes a time, however – a tipping point – when a politician must face reality. It’s the moment when those closest – a husband, a wife, a veteran trusted advisor – must have a blunt heart-to-heart with the person they love and/or respect.
That time is now for President Joe Biden. The tipping-point evidence comes from the ABC News/Ipsos poll of U.S. adults. Check out this headline:
Here’s what this headline is based on. Frankly, our president faces a cringe-worthy disconnect with the American people – even disconnecting from his fellow Democrats.
However, declines in approval are broad based. Biden has lost 15 points with Democrats (97% -> 82%), 24 points with Republicans (40% -> 16%), and 17 points with independents (70% -> 53%) from January 2021 to now.
As the president prepares to nominate a new member of the U.S. Supreme Court to replace retiring Justice Stephen Breyer, the disconnect is on full display. (emphasis is mine)
During the spring 2020 presidential primaries, days before his set of big wins on Super Tuesday, Biden pledged to nominate the first Black woman to the Supreme Court, if elected. Now, with the chance to do so, just over three-quarters of Americans (76%) want Biden to consider “all possible nominees.” Just 23% want him to automatically follow through on his history-making commitment that the White House seems keen on seeing through. At a ceremony honoring the retiring justice, Biden told reporters he is able to honor his promise without compromising on quality.
The majority of his fellow Democrats are not on board with his approach to filling the vacancy (emphasis is mine).
Although the poll’s sample size was not large enough to break out results for Black people, only a little more than 1 in 4 nonwhite Americans (28%) wish for Biden to consider only Black women for the vacancy. Democrats are more supportive of Biden’s vow (46%) than Americans as a whole, but still a majority of Democrats (54%) also prefer that Biden consider all possible nominees.
It’s time for a heart-to-heart with our president.
