Forget about Joe Biden's grandiose early analogies to FDR. While COVID-19 is on the rise and the core of Biden's domestic plan is in jeopardy, he runs the risk of being compared to Jimmy Carter.
That is a president who is seen as honorable and well-intentioned, but who even some supporters worry is not up to the task, particularly when events beyond his control occur. Biden's Democratic Party is fracturing more as the dreaded midterm elections approach.
Joe Biden faces new perils over dealing with COVID-19
The Build Back Better bill, which is filled with the president's aspirations on climate change, the social safety net, and taxation, received a body blow - potentially a deadly one - from Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.
The White House retaliated with terminology that is rarely used against someone who is thought to be rehabilitable by leaders. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, questioned Manchin's honesty, stating his remarks "reflect a sudden and unexplained turnaround in his viewpoint, as well as a breach of his obligations to the President and the Senator's colleagues in the House and Senate," USA Today reported.
In a Senate split 50-50 between two fiercely opposed parties, losing even one Democratic vote makes it all but impossible to imagine the bill passing. The emergence of COVID-19 is as concerning as the president's domestic agenda's apparent failure.
The crisis propelled Biden's candidacy more than any other subject, and bringing it under control has been the defining issue by which his presidency has been assessed. He promised a year ago, as president-elect, that the country would be practically back to normal by Christmas. He announced in March that July 4 will "begin to recognize our freedom from this sickness."
With a member of his own party undermining his agenda and a pandemic raging out of control once again, President Joe Biden enters his second year in office with the core premise of his presidency in jeopardy.
Manchin kills Biden's social spending and climate plan
Biden was already having trouble on several fronts before Sunday. Images from recent days have hurt the president's primary message to voters, including rising COVID-19 case numbers, long waits at testing centers, and stubbornly high costs on the market. They've also fueled a nationwide climate of dissatisfaction, which has damaged him in the polls, as per POLITICO.
Although Biden's party controls all branches of government, stories of gridlock and intraparty rivalry have dominated the news for months, painting an ugly picture of a government that is not only failing to deliver on the president's promises but also overwhelmed by the problems it faces.
Biden finishes 2021 with poor poll numbers and mounting Democratic fears that they would lose at least one, if not both, chambers of Congress in the impending midterm elections.
Republicans praised Democratic Senator Joe Manchin on Sunday after announcing his opposition to President Joe Biden's Build Back Better program. With Republicans solidly rejecting the bill, Manchin's backing is critical for Democrats to pass it. Both parties have an equal number of senators in the Senate.
Per Newsweek via MSN, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has set a Christmas deadline for the bill's approval. Democrats are worried that if they don't get Manchin on board to approve the bill, it could hurt their chances in the 2022 midterm elections.
Related Article: Joe Biden Admits Sweeping Domestic Policy Bill; Build Back Better Plan Won't Likely To Pass This Year
