“It simply came to our notice then. The need for mental health in America has skyrocketed because people have seen everything upset. Everything they relied on is upset. But most of it is a consequence of what happened, what happened as a result of the Covid crisis. “
This is the latest in a series of Biden comments in which he admits that people are struggling – and says he is limited in what he can do about it.
Earlier this month, he said: “A lot is happening right now, but the idea that we will be able to click on a switch to reduce the price of petrol is unlikely in the near future. Neither did Biden also admit that he did not immediately anticipate the extent of the baby formula shortage. long or to reflect so deeply.
The message is simple: things are really hard right now and I (or someone) can’t do much about it.
Which is not a great message for a president or a party – especially less than five months after the midterm elections.
Biden’s position, of course, is not easy. Although unemployment is low and has other strong economic indicators, the rising cost of basic commodities such as food and gas makes it difficult to convince people that things are going well.
The lack of baby formula – and more recently tampons – is contributing to the feeling that America is struggling. And the audience clearly feels that way. In a Gallup poll published last month, only 16% of Americans said they were satisfied with the way things were going in the country, while 83% said they were dissatisfied. This is the lowest point in Gallup polls since the January 6, 2021 riots in the US Capitol.
Given this general sense of pessimism, it would be like a political catastrophe for Biden to act as if everything in the country is stupid. He would look deeply out of touch and detached – two traits that voters really don’t like in their politicians.
At the same time, Biden must be careful not to lean too much on the argument of indisposition. Americans also expect their politicians to be optimistic about the country’s future, something like a cheerleader.
We saw the political danger of being perceived as too gloomy about America’s direction.
Against the background of the energy crisis – does it sound familiar to you? – Then-President Jimmy Carter delivered a national televised address in July 1979, which became known as the Speech of Illness. (This is ironic, because Carter never used the word “malaise” in his speech.)
Here are the most famous / infamous lines from this address:
“The threat is almost invisible in the ordinary way.
“This is a crisis of confidence.
“This is a crisis that strikes at the very heart, soul and spirit of our national will. We can see this crisis in the growing doubt about the meaning of our own lives and in the loss of unity of purpose for our nation.
“The erosion of our confidence in the future threatens to destroy America’s social and political fabric.”
Carter’s goal was simple: to make sure the American public knew he understood that things were not going well in the United States, and to unite them behind a shared sense of purpose.
The speech had the opposite effect in the long run. Carter was successfully chosen by Ronald Reagan as a grim pessimist who believed that America’s best times were behind him. Reagan, by contrast, presented himself as a solar optimist.
Sixteen months after Carter’s speech of displeasure, he was easily defeated by Reagan in the 1980 presidential election, garnering just 49 electoral votes. Biden, apparently, wants to avoid this fate – if he runs again in 2024. But for now, reports coming from Biden and his White House are definitely rejected. And if this continues, it could complicate the Democrats’ already terrible political prospects ahead of the 2022 interim terms.
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