White House Report Card: Biden withdrawal starts furious effort to define Harris – Washington Examiner
The latest “White House Report Card” highlights the current political situation surrounding President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The report notes that Biden is yielding to pressure from party elites and media figures who are encouraging him to step aside for the 2024 election, a position he secured during the primary process. Consequently, the Democratic Party is rallying behind Harris, who has recently garnered significant fundraising success.
A Democratic pollster emphasized that the public largely identifies Harris with her liberal stance on abortion, suggesting she now has an opportunity to reshape her public image. Evaluations of the administration range widely; conservative analyst Jed Babbin assigns a grade of “F,” criticizing Harris’s perceived responsibility in various administration failures, including immigration and foreign policy issues, notably a distancing from Israel. In contrast, Democratic pollster John Zogby awarded an “A-minus,” praising Biden’s withdrawal from the race as ultimately beneficial for his legacy and allowing Harris a clearer path to gather support.
Harris’s actions, such as boycotting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent speech to Congress, further illustrate political dynamics. While the report reveals discord within the Democratic Party, it also indicates that Republicans should not underestimate the political landscape, given the continued polarizing presence of former President Donald Trump. the political maneuvering around the next presidential election appears increasingly centered on Harris’s emerging candidacy and her efforts to solidify her support within the party.
White House Report Card: Biden withdrawal starts furious effort to define Harris
This week’s White House Report Card finds President Joe Biden bowing to party elites and media liberals who have been trying to push him off the 2024 ticket, a place he won fair and square during the primary process.
Those months of disunity have led to the Democratic Party coalescing around Vice President Kamala Harris, who raised historic amounts of donations this week.
Her effort to take over the top of the party’s presidential ticket, with Biden’s endorsement, has led to a mad scramble by her team and former President Donald Trump to define her for voters. A Democratic pollster told Secrets that all voters know about Harris is that she is a liberal abortion advocate, giving her a chance to write her resume from scratch.
Conservative grader Jed Babbin, in giving the White House an “F” for the week, said that Harris’ fingerprints are all over the administration’s failures, including the border disaster and its distancing from Israel when it needs unified U.S. support most.
Democratic pollster John Zogby, in giving the week an “A-minus,” praised the president for stepping aside and said it will help his legacy.
Jed Babbin
Grade: F
It was another great week for White House observers. President Joe Biden dropped out of the reelection campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris was anointed quickly, and the Democrats were again marching in lockstep. The same people who gaslighted us that Biden was sharp as a tack and had no mental health problems are now gaslighting us about Harris’s great intellect, compassion, and superior ability to be president. They’re also telling us that she wasn’t Biden’s “border czar,” which she was, appointed by Biden in March 2021. On her watch, at least 11 million illegal immigrants entered the country.
Moreover, we’re told we shouldn’t remember Biden saying in April that Harris was a diversity hire. She became the veep because of her gender and race, not for any other reason. Especially not for her intellect, education or experience. As president, she’d be as much of a disaster as Biden has been. In 2019, GovTrac rated her the most liberal senator. GovTrac is now trying to erase that from the internet. Too late, boys and girls.
Is Biden even still there? In his Wednesday night speech from the Oval Office, he said he wanted to pass the torch after finishing the job. It’s not obvious what else he could do to damage the United States before he leaves in January but he’ll be told by his staff how it can be done. Look for a final try at a nuclear weapons agreement with Iran.
The main reason that the Democrats now are pushing Harris is that they’d have to return about $100 million in campaign contributions if she isn’t the presidential nominee, according to the Federal Election Commission. As one Democrat memorably said, it’s all about the Benjamins.
The most significant event of the week was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session of Congress. Harris boycotted it in protest of Netanyahu’s conduct of the war Hamas started. Her hatred for Israel in general and Netanyahu in particular is all too clear.
Nevertheless, Republicans can’t get too smug about the Democrat’s disarray. There are so many people out there who hate Trump that he could still lose in November.
John Zogby
Grade: A-
It was a much better week for President Joe Biden. He simply did the right thing in bowing out of his uphill reelection bid. He was a little late but his decision helped to save his legacy.
It also allowed some time to segue to Vice President Kamala Harris and give her time to round up support and generate some enthusiasm.
And it was good news that the GDP grew by an annualized 2.8%.
Overall, Biden and Harris stole the show this week while the Republicans stumbled, especially vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), who just gets weird.
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Jed Babbin is a Washington Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on X @jedbabbin.
John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Survey and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His podcast with son and managing partner and pollster Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Their firm polls for independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Follow him on X @ZogbyStrategies.
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