The Midterms: Angry Voters and a Broken Economy

The midterm elections are shaping up to be a referendum on Democrats’ control of Washington. Three quarters of voters say the country is on the wrong track, and the number of Americans classified as “suffering” reached a new record high. Almost 70 percent of respondents to an NBC News poll said they believe the country is in a recession and Joe Biden’s approval rating remains underwater.

Worse for Democrats, voters overwhelmingly said the party’s signature economic legislation — the Inflation Reduction Act — will have no effect or a negative impact on their lives. Inflation and the economy continue to be key issues, and voters don’t trust Biden and congressional Democrats to fix what they broke. They are concerned Democrats could do more to make inflation even worse, including canceling student loan debt.

Daily Caller: A majority of respondents to the NBC News poll (74%) felt that the country is headed in the wrong direction, with 56% disapproving of President Biden’s handling of the economy. Respondents also overwhelmingly feel that the U.S. is already in a recession (68%).

When questioned about the Inflation Reduction Act, 35% felt that it would make things worse for them, with 36% feeling it won’t make a difference in their lives.

On the campaign trail, vulnerable Democrats that almost always vote with Biden— including Tim Ryan and Michael Bennet — are desperate to distance themselves from the president and their party’s unpopular agenda. 

Washington Post: [Biden is] being attacked more often in televised ads than Obama was at this point in 2010, or Trump was in 2018. He goes largely unnamed on Democratic campaign websites and Twitter accounts. And candidates in key races in battleground states are either not asking him to come — or actively avoiding him when he does. . .

Few candidates said they wanted Biden to campaign for them in their state or district, with many not responding to the question at all. The Post also asked if candidates wanted Vice President Harris as a surrogate campaigner for the Biden administration and got the same set of unenthusiastic responses.

Bottom Line: Congressional Democrats are responsible for caving to Joe Biden and breaking the economy.