Democrats always knew that the 2022 midterms would be an uphill climb. But many say they didn't know they would be facing the dire straits they are today — and frustration with the Biden administration is coming to the forefront.
With some of his biggest legislative priorities stymied, Biden is dealing with soaring inflation, gas prices, and a continuous slew of mass shootings. On top of that, Democrats and the abortion rights movement were dealt a major blow when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade late last month.
Biden's hands are largely tied with most of these issues and he has attempted to take some action to alleviate the problems. The president signed a bipartisan bill aiming to curb gun violence and took some unilateral action to decrease gas prices. And to the delight of many Democrats this week, he called on the Senate to scrap the filibuster if needed to codify Roe v. Wade.
However, as The Hill's Amie Parnes and Morgan Chalfant report, Democrats, who say they voted Biden into office to enact major change, are unhappy with the administration has handled hot-button issues.
"It's infuriating," said one top Democratic strategist told Parnes and Chalfant. "Our house is on fire and it seems like they're doing nothing to put the fire out. They're just watching it with the rest of us."
Additionally, some Democrats and voters are growing angry with the president's and party's calls to storm the polls following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The Hill's Hanna Trudo and Julia Manchester report that while progressives approved of Biden's calls to scrap the filibuster to codify Roe, they remain frustrated with the "half-assed" and belated step.
"It's just astounding that it took them this long and then when he finally gets to it, when he finally comes around on it, it's a weak announcement at the end of a news week," said another Democratic strategist.
Americans in general also seem fed up with the administration at this point. A Monmouth University poll released Tuesday found 88 percent of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, with just 10 percent saying it's on the right track. Meanwhile, a NewsNation/DDHQ poll released last month found that only 42 percent of U.S. voters approve of the job Biden is doing.
And all of this is making down-ballot Democrats anxious.
Biden was in Cleveland on Wednesday, touting his economic agenda and working to convince voters that he was trying to help the middle class. And while he was surrounded by the Buckeye State's prominent Democrats, Democratic Senate nominee Tim Ryan and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Nan Whaley were nowhere to be found.
Ryan and Whaley's campaigns both said their absences were the result of unavoidable scheduling conflicts, but that didn't stop speculation that the two Democrats running in the red leaning state during a tough year for their party were distancing themselves from Biden.
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