OPINION:
Even the staunchest members of the hard left by now believe the gloomiest predictions for the Democratic Party in the upcoming midterms. The recent Reuters headline warned: “Biden approval stuck at 40%, a dark sign for Democrats in midterms, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows.”
Mr. Biden’s failures in foreign policy compound the economy plagued by unprecedented inflation. A self-styled foreign policy maven, Joe Biden has lost key American allies. He may be doing more damage to US foreign policy than Jimmy Carter ever did.
There are hardly many U.S. partners as steadfast as Saudi Arabia.FDR and the founder of the Saudi dynasty King Abdel Aziz ibn Saud have established the relationship in their 1945 meeting. Now Riyadh refused to answer Biden’s plea to expand oil production, and instead cut the OPEC+ output by 2 million barrels a day. The results will be a higher rate of inflation and higher prices at the pump.
The White House’s reaction was angry.
“The President is disappointed by the shortsighted decision by OPEC+ to cut production quotas while the global economy is dealing with the continued negative impact of Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. At a time when maintaining a global supply of energy is of paramount importance, this decision will have the most negative impact on lower- and middle-income countries that are already reeling from elevated energy prices.”
Meanwhile, after nearly 100 days of decreases, gas prices are once again rising.
Unlike Mr. Biden, President Donald Trump said he appreciated Saudi Arabia’s purchase of US military equipment, praising Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman the Prime Minister and de-facto ruler for opening the country to economic reforms.
Democrats seem to be upset over the Saudi investment in the fund managed by Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law. But this was made after Kushner and Trump parted ways and Trump left the White House.
Not just the Saudis are affected by Biden’s failure in the Middle East. It is shocking how little the White House has done to support Iran’s people in their fight for freedom. Biden is working to promote the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, which will support the regime.
Mr. Biden is also endangering the unique relationship with Israel. David Friedman, a former ambassador to Israel, exposes the failure of the Biden Administration—supported maritime border agreement between Israel and Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon. And this is not about the Middle East alone.
The White House might damage the relations with Europe after the coming harsh winter in Europe in 2022–2023, as Russian natural gas supply disruptions may cause major energy disruptions, a recession, and higher unemployment.
The US domestic economy is hardly better: The September consumer price index for the US may suggest that peak inflation hasn’t passed. According to a Bloomberg News survey, headline US inflation figures are due in at +0.2% m/m from +0.1% m/m and +8.1% y/y from +8.3% y/y. The inflation remains high.
The political and economic consequences of Biden’s American Rescue Plan are for all to see, and a grizzly view it is. Even Democrat cheerleaders like the Washington Post now acknowledge that the rescue plan was a double-edged sword because it helped the economy recover the fastest of any Group of Seven country while also sparking the greatest increase in consumer prices in 40 years.
Mr. Biden’s approval rating is under strain because of persistent inflation, particularly high fuel prices. Prior to the November midterm elections, Mr. Biden’s support ratings have slowly increased according to the NPR/Maris survey which was 44% released on Thursday.
The fact that almost seven out of 10 people believe the country is moving in the wrong direction and that inflation is the voters’ top concern is concerning for the Democratic Party as a whole.
But there’s more: Public opinion polls are already indicating that there is rising concern about Biden’s mental health.
The Issues & Insights/TIPP survey published Monday showed that 64% of Americans were either “very concerned” or “somewhat concerned” about the commander-in-chief’s mental well-being, up from 59% in early August.
Not too long ago, Biden tried to find Indiana Congressman Jackie Walorski, who died in a car accident in early August, in the audience.
Former acting Attorney General Matt Whitaker called Hunter Biden a security threat for the United States.
This plays such a role in the current campaign because the suspicions of wrongdoing against Hunter Biden are directly linked with his father’s activities, including in Ukraine, according to a Senate investigation that may change, including with regards to the potential investigation of the First Son.
Senator Chuck Grassley just vowed that he and his colleagues in the Judiciary Committee will see to it that this case will proceed properly.
While winter is coming, the country is facing cold winds from Russia and China. It needs leadership which may not be there for the trying times ahead.
- Colonel (Retired) Wes Martin has served in multiple joint service commands throughout the world
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