‘He’s Missing the Boat Here’: Democrats Slam Biden Over Flailing Leadership, Lack of Fight on Guns and Abortion
A series of new reports show Democrats are becoming more and more frustrated with President Joe Biden’s leadership struggles and his inability to fight harder for his party’s interests
CNN’s Edward-Isaac Dovere was the first to publish an article on the topic this week, focusing not only on the disappointment of Biden’s liberal celebrity backers, but also on how the White House failed to have a coherent response to the overturning of Roe V. Wade despite knowing it was coming.
As it were, Politico and the Washington Post held their own conversations with Democrat figures, many of whom offered a profound level of disappointment with Biden’s performance.
Both outlets began with a focus on Biden’s reaction to the Highland Park shooting on the Fourth of July. While Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) reacted to the shooting with an angry call for gun control action, Biden was more demure in his first comments from the White House, and he wound up speaking again later as he said “We’ve got a lot more work to do…We’ve got to get this under control.”
The rest of both articles were clearly themed around Democrats who crave more of a fighting spirit from Biden in light of gun violence, the rollback of abortion rights, the January 6 Committee’s revelations, and a number of other crises. Politico spoke with Democratic strategist Camille Rivera, who said “He [Biden] is missing the boat here” in terms of being more vocal about what Democrats are fighting for.
“This is our time to dig in and be absolutely furious because these one-half measures are not working. He’s got a real excitability problem,” Rivera said. “Our rights are being infringed upon and then there were two shootings [another in Philadelphia] on the exact day that people are supposed to be celebrating their ‘independence.’ I really don’t understand where this passivity comes from in this situation.”
While Biden has touted the bipartisan gun bill he signed into law last month as a good start, Politico notes that the bill leaves a lot to be desired among Democrats, and Washington Post heard similar discontent with Biden’s more modest approach.
“There is a leadership vacuum right now, and he’s not filling it,” said Democratic consultant Adam Jentleson. “I sympathize with the argument that there’s very little they can do legislatively. But in moments of crisis, the president is called upon to be a leader. And when people are feeling scared and angry and outraged, they look to him for that, and they’re not getting much.”
While the Post heard from several of the president’s defenders, there was a continued glumness from those wishing for more force from Biden while Democrats face an uphill battle in the 2022 midterms.
From the Washington Post:
An administration official said that while Democrats have long expressed private alarm at Biden’s perceived missteps, the Supreme Court abortion decision seemed to represent a turning point. Speaking on the condition of anonymity to deliver a candid assessment, the official said it catalyzed three key frustrations — the high stakes; Biden’s inability to do much unilaterally to fight the decision; and concern that the White House would let the moment pass without using it to galvanize fellow Democrats.
