Jobs, inflation and abortion rights: Key issues ahead of the midterm elections
Congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on the state of the economy following the June jobs report and issues facing voters in the midterm elections.
Midterms are just four months away, and President Biden’s approval ratings are at a historical low — spelling trouble for Democrats seeking to maintain slim majorities in Congress.
Numerous polls have indicated the economy, inflation and high prices for gas and food are the top concern of voters, and a Fox News poll from June shows a more voters trust Republicans over Democrats to address economic concerns.
While many Republicans maintain that nothing the Biden administration can do will prevent voters from electing Republicans, many Democrats have sought to make gun control and abortion central election issues.
Fox News Digital asked Republican and Democratic strategists what it would take for President Biden to improve his standing with the American people so he’s not a drag on Democratic candidates going into the November election. Here's what they said:
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Jessica Tarlov, Democratic strategist & co-host of Fox News' "The Five":
"I don’t want to sound overly pessimistic, but I’m not holding out hope that Biden’s approval rating can improve all that much. Gas prices have started to drop, but inflation remains high and survey after survey shows that Americans are principally concerned with their economic situation. Another rate hike is on its way, which isn’t bound to make things better in the short term for voters.
"That said, many Democrats are running ahead of Biden in critical races like John Fetterman [in Pennsylvania], Tim Ryan [in Ohio], and Raphael Warnock [in Georgia]. It seems voters can divorce their perception of the president from their candidates and Biden should do whatever he can to support and campaign for candidates that would benefit from it/ask him to. And otherwise, he should stay in the background and let them run their races while still helping through bold actions like the executive order to protect a woman’s right to choose, which is going to help the Democrats in the midterms. Biden should continue on that track, giving candidates the fodder they need to campaign in these final months."
Democratic strategist and Fox News contributor Jessica Tarlov. (Fox News)
James Carville, Democratic strategist:
"Hey Otis, did you notice? 372,000 jobs in June, inflation starting to come down? There's a good chance that wage growth will exceed inflation by September. If that happens, Biden's numbers would improve accordingly. We're four months away, not four days away."
James Carville speaks (Raul E. Diego/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Jason Rantz, host of the Jason Rantz Show:
"If President Biden wants to improve his standing with the American people and mitigate the threat he poses to Democrats in the midterms, he probably should resign or stop talking. But I know that's not going to happen, so how about this: stop lying to us.
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"We were told inflation wasn't happening, then told it was transitory, before they claimed it's actually a good thing because it shows demand, but then again pivoted to claims greedy corporations caused it. It couldn't be due to the out-of-control spending, of course.
"Gas prices were soaring before the war in Ukraine, yet somehow it is Putin's price hike? Now it's small business owners who are to blame for skyrocketing gas? We're not stupid and, when our bank accounts are hit hard, we have long memories. While a recession is imminent, meanwhile, his administration is telling us to buy priced electric vehicles. Yeah, that'll make it easier to cope.
"While air travel crumbles, the Biden administration is tearing down highways its pretending is racist. We were told there's no crisis at the border, despite endless videos showing migrants streaming across our open border. We lost American soldiers in the Afghanistan drawdown thanks to a backward plan, but it was a perfect success?
"This administration either refuses to take responsibility for problems we're facing, or pretends they aren't happening. But we are feeling the pain of his broken policies. Simply acknowledging the reality would go a long way and he wouldn't come off as uncaring or out of touch."
Jason Rantz on Fox News (Fox News)
Steven Law, president & CEO of the Senate Leadership Fund:
"When you are the President of the United States and celebrity activist Debra Messing is yelling at your staff on a White House conference call and asking what the point was of voting, you are in serious trouble. Right now roughly 8 in 10 Americans think the country is heading in the wrong direction, and the other 2 are gobbling THC-laced gummy-bears like popcorn….
(Steven Law)
"So where does Joe Biden go now? His instinct is always to shift further left. In the wake of the Court’s landmark decision overturning Roe v. Wade, Biden called for carving up the filibuster to enact a national abortion guarantee until the moment of birth — a position so extreme it could tip the post-decision political fight toward the pro-life team. If this smells of desperation, you can expect Biden to wear this cologne for the next four months.
"Meanwhile, Biden can’t possibly tack toward the middle, the way President Clinton did after his midterm drubbing in 1994. He doesn’t have the political dexterity, and he needs the Democratic Party’s ascendant progressive wing too much if he has any hope of running for a second term.
"Biden’s best options at this point are to push through slivers of his agenda before the curtain falls in November and firm up ties to his party’s power brokers. Biden’s ‘economic’ speech in Ohio this week was really about cozying up to big labor bosses and offering them a gigantic taxpayer-funded bailout of their underfunded pension funds. Senate Democrats are scrambling to pass stiff new taxes on small businesses and European-style price controls on drugs before Democrats slink out of Washington in August to face an economy heading toward recession.
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"In other words, President Biden’s target audience is no longer ‘all Americans,’ if it ever was. Look for him to aim all his rhetoric and policy moves toward the narrow left-wing party base that will decide his fate as Democrats gear up for the next presidential election. In the months ahead, Joe Biden won’t be trying to help Democrats in Congress keep their jobs, and he certainly won’t be focused on helping you keep yours. It’s all about making sure he keeps his job heading into 2024."
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