The White House is bolstering Democrats' appeal to working-class and lower-income voters before November's midterm elections by amplifying President Joe Biden as an opponent of special interests.
But Republicans, who have been eroding the demographic's support of Democrats over successive cycles, are skeptical Biden and his congressional colleagues can counter their perception as being the party of the "elite" as the economy continues to recover after the pandemic.
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Working-class and lower-income voters used to provide a deep well of support for previous Democratic presidents, according to pollster David Paleologos.
"But the wobbly economy is hitting this segment hard, resulting in a significant change of purchasing habits this year," Paleologos told the Washington Examiner.
Paleologos, director of Suffolk University's Political Research Center, cited his organization's 100-days-before-the-midterm-elections poll, in which 70% of voters with household incomes less than $50,000 per annum reported eating out less frequently, while 60% were buying fewer groceries and driving less often.
"When the quality of your life declines that fast through no fault of your own, someone is going to pay at the ballot box," he said, adding that a similar dynamic was evident among respondents without a college degree.
The White House's focus on Biden's fights against special interests comes after a series of presidential legislative victories. They include the bipartisan $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act and veterans-centric PACT Act, as well as the Senate-approved $700 billion Inflation Reduction Act, which the House will consider Friday. And they are supplemented by the nationwide average gas price being less than $4 per gallon, strong job numbers, and the precision drone strike that killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al Zawahiri in Afghanistan.
Simultaneously, a briefing with senior administration officials about the shift was scheduled roughly 90 days before the 2022 elections. Although Democrats acknowledge it will be difficult for the party to hold on to the House, odds regarding the Senate have become more favorable. And contestable seats, such as those in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, are home to working-class and lower-income voters to whom the special interests talk speaks. Former President Donald Trump, who has helped Republicans with the group, clinched Pennsylvania by 44,000 votes, or less than a percentage point, and Wisconsin by 23,000 votes, again by less than a point, over 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Biden returned the states to the Democrats' ledger four years later, taking Pennsylvania by 81,000 votes, or a point, and Wisconsin by 21,000, or less than a point.
"During this recess, the White House will drive one clear message to the American people," Communications Director Kate Bedingfield and senior adviser to the president Anita Dunn wrote in a memo, referring to gun reform, abortion access executive action, and the climate and healthcare spending bill. "Every step of the way, congressional Republicans sided with the special interests - pushing an extreme agenda that costs families."
Despite the promotion, a White House aide downplayed the idea that the special interests framework is new or is related to concerns about Democrats' relationship with working-class and lower-income voters.
"Democrats have been consistently pushing this kind of message and these kinds of policies, including in the way we fought Trump's attempts to repeal the ACA and his tax plan," he said, abbreviating the Affordable Care Act.
Instead, for another Democratic source, 2022 campaigns will be based on a combination of the party's positive record under Biden and drawing a negative contrast with Republicans.
"President Biden and Democrats are making these historic wins," he said. "We are also, I think, across the board in the Democratic Party, highlighting Republican opposition and how Republicans don't have an agenda that is going to deliver for the American people."
The GOP, including Republican National Committee spokesman Will O'Grady, dismissed the White House's emphasis, underscored the day after Biden departed for a long weekend in South Carolina and July's year-ending consumer price index increase of 8.5% and flat month-to-month rate.
"Joe Biden is on vacation amid 8.5% inflation and a recession," he said. "He couldn't be more out of touch with Americans if he tried."
A second Republican staffer contended Democrats' argument that the party is against special interests has been undermined by accusations Biden was involved with son Hunter's business dealings when he was vice president.
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"Biden is underwater with minorities who make up a lot of the working class, and for Hispanics and other minorities, their top issue is the economy," she said. "So when Biden says inflation is 0% or the economy is great while on another vacation, it is so out of touch with what Americans are feeling."
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Tags: Midterms 2022, White House, Joe Biden, Democratic Party, Republican Party
Original Author: Naomi Lim
Original Location: Biden counters Democrats' elite stereotype with special interests message push