More Americans now disapprove of the job Joe Biden is doing as President than approve, according to the RealClearPolitics average of public opinion polls. The significant deterioration in support for Mr. Biden since the start of his presidency—accelerated by his chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan—is likely due in part to unrealistic expectations sold to news consumers by U.S. media outlets and by Mr. Biden himself.
A more or less typical inhabitant of Washington’s political swamp, Mr. Biden was commonly presented in 2020 as experienced and principled. Now the media presenters of this idea have suddenly been confronted with its refutation, as Princeton’s Robert George noted last week:
To get rid of Trump, some people felt it was necessary to say things about Joe Biden that aren’t true--that he is competent, for example, compassionate, caring, even wise. For some to say it, they had to find a way to make themselves believe it. Now reality has come crashing in.
Among the many problems overlooked in the media campaign to elect Mr. Biden is that his work experience is remarkably limited for someone his age. In March this column noted:
A true inspiration for everyone considering a second career, President Joe Biden has embarked on his first executive job at the tender age of 78... After a few years as a lawyer and county council member, he spent 36 years as a legislator in the U.S. Senate. Then Mr. Biden spent eight years as vice president, standing at the ready in case anything ever happened to the man in charge. Fortunately, the country never needed to call upon Mr. Biden to exercise executive authority... Now some of the voters who finally decided to give Mr. Biden a shot at management may be developing second thoughts.
After thinking it over, many voters have decided he’s managing poorly. Susan Page, Matthew Brown and Mabinty Quarshie report on Mr. Biden’s standing in the latest USA Today/Suffolk University poll:
His overall job approval rating now stands at 41% who approve versus 55% who disapprove – a big drop in the closely watched barometer of political health. Until last week, national polls generally showed his approval rating above 50%.
Now, while he has held the backing of 87% of Democrats, only 32% of independents say he’s doing a good job.
The Biden polling weakness is not limited to the issue of Afghanistan, according to USA Today:
“Today, President Biden’s overall approval has taken a turn for the worse due to his awful job performance rating on Afghanistan," said David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk Political Research Center. “His approval on immigration and the economy are also upside down. The only issue keeping him remotely in the game is his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, where he is barely at 50%."
As for Afghanistan, what’s striking is how many people agree with him on the idea of a withdrawal but blame him for the execution. USA Today reports:
Biden’s decision to pull out troops was backed by most Americans, 53%-38%. But almost two-thirds, 62%, disapproved of the way his administration has handled that withdrawal.
MINT PREMIUM See All
Premium Inside the RBI’s digital currency dream
Premium Toddlers can’t shake pandemic habits. Parents are rattled
Premium World Bank freezes aid to Afghanistan
Premium Economic recovery on track, but progress slows down
“He basically handed the Taliban all these weapons, and he’s inspired a resurgent ISIS now," said Aubrey Schlumbrecht, 51, of Lakewood, Colorado, a home health-care nurse and political independent who was among those polled. “He is not even taking any responsibility. He says he owns it, but he’s blaming other people and he’s blaming the Afghan people themselves."
...now 73% of Americans believe Afghanistan will once again become a base for terrorists who want to attack the United States. There is scant support for developing diplomatic relations with the emerging rulers there; 71% say the United States should not recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan.
Mr. Biden may think it’s unfair for voters to blame him for the ending of a long war waged by his predecessors. But as a candidate he presented himself as an expert in foreign policy, uniquely qualified to manage such challenges.
If voters are now more skeptical than the president about the wisdom of dealing with the Taliban, they have good reason to be. In the Atlantic, Graeme Wood reviews what happened the last time Afghanistan’s new rulers ran the country:
When the Taliban first sacked Kabul 25 years ago, the group declared that it was not out for revenge, instead offering amnesty to anyone who had worked for the former government. “Taliban will not take revenge," a Taliban commander said then. “We have no personal rancor." At the time of that promise, the ousted president, Mohammad Najibullah, was unavailable for comment. The Taliban had castrated him and, according to some reports, stuffed his severed genitals in his mouth, and soon after, he was strung up from a lamppost.
The reports from Kabul are probably more reassuring to those unfamiliar with this history. The Taliban has once again declared a general amnesty, and asked everyone to show up for work in the morning and prepare to unite behind a Taliban government that will rule according to Islamic law—but perhaps, the group has suggested, not in the harsh manner that made it infamous during its rule from 1996 to 2001. Women can continue their education so long as they wear the hijab, and the Taliban will guarantee human rights and freedoms of speech and expression, it said, so long as they comply with Sharia. (Spoiler: The Taliban does not believe they do.)
Mr. Biden can argue that the tragic chaos of our exit was inevitable, but it’s clear that his administration has also botched parts of this operation that are well beyond the borders of Afghanistan. At Axios Jonathan Swan, Hans Nichols and Glen Johnson report:
Shortly before 8 a.m. last Friday, an official at U.S. Central Command sent a searing wake-up call to colleagues: The sweltering Qatar air base where the Biden administration is housing thousands of Afghan evacuees was awash with loose feces and urine and a rat infestation, according to internal emails shared with Axios...
The email by supervisory special agent Colin Sullivan — with subject line “Dire conditions at Doha" — went to officials at the State Department and the Pentagon. It described “a life-threatening humanitarian disaster … that I want to make sure all of you are fully tracking."
“While not in any way downplaying the conditions in Kabul... the current conditions in Doha are of our own doing."
... The State Department had done little to advise the Defense Department about how to build appropriate facilities to house thousands of Afghan refugees, according to the U.S. government official who read out the emails to Axios.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive internal discussions. The official said U.S. Central Command was doing the best it could under appalling conditions and inadequate forethought and contingency planning from the State Department and White House.
Public opinion on Mr. Biden’s mismanagement of the Afghan exit may evolve over time. We should also note once again that polling, including today’s offering from USA Today, is not a hard science, if it’s even a science.
But for the moment one can only wonder: who are these 41% of voters who approve of the job Joe Biden is doing?
Subscribe to Mint Newsletters
* Enter a valid email
* Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.
Never miss a story! Stay connected and informed with Mint. Download our App Now!!