Commentary: Biden has outsourced his presidency to radicals

Any more failures this fall could make him a lame duck early in his presidency.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. (White House/Flickr)

As Democrats squabble over infrastructure and social welfare spending, the focus for results mainly falls on President Joe Biden.

Reeling from a catastrophic Afghanistan withdrawal, southern border crisis, urban crime wave, inflation, and coronavirus resurgence, Biden has seen his disapproval numbers skyrocket.

And despite moving left on nearly all issues, Biden still isn’t fully trusted by his party’s “progressive” wing.

Turning 79 next month, it remains unknown if Biden will run for reelection in three years, but any more failures this fall could make him a lame duck early in his presidency.

Congressional Democrats know their current majority status probably is transitory, so this is the last chance to push their left-wing agenda until at least 2025.

House progressives could have more power in the minority, since midterm elections often oust members from swing districts, while radicals hold safer seats, but they still would have less influence.

While some Republicans hope not to lose U.S. Senate seats in North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania or Wisconsin next year, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and New Hampshire are reachable for the GOP, presuming primary voters choose electable candidates.

“Biden forgot why he won and decided to let Bernie Sanders be president,” a Republican consultant, speaking on background, told Alpha News Wednesday night. “While I always had confidence we’d retake the House next year, the Senate is now within reach. I am concerned about Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Ron (Johnson) needs to make a decision. In Ohio, the two young populists’ antics could lose more voters than they gain. Even if we hold all other states, including Pennsylvania, losing Wisconsin and Ohio means we’d need three pick ups. That’s tough.”

Back in Washington, the coming weeks are the final window for serious legislative opportunities for both parties until 2023. Many members will soon be too frightened of voters due to reelection races to do anything of relevance.

Pelosi and Biden recently caved to the so-called Progressive Caucus by allowing the group to delay the bipartisan infrastructure bill until their profligate package was considered. This irked more moderate Democrat House voices like New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who said in part Tuesday, “We must not let a faction of the far left kill an historic infrastructure bill.”

But caucus leader Rep. Pramila Jayapal is a Seattle socialist and acolyte of Bernie Sanders. She has power now, and her cabal clearly does not mind seeing Biden’s first-term agenda go down.

If the hard left can derail the entire package, wouldn’t that turn some Democrat voters against the radicals? The worst-case scenario for Democrats is they emerge with nothing of substance and a few politicians celebrate holding the party hostage.

And that’s an ongoing battle.

A Democratic Congress increasingly influenced by Reps. Cori Bush, Pramila Jayapal, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Ayanna Pressley, and Rashida Tlaib is dangerous and lacks a serious agenda for America’s future.

“Fighting” is one thing; but to win, one must truly understand legislation and persuade people to your side. Neither side’s fringe elements realize this, but the spotlight is now on Democrats.

 

A.J. Kaufman

A.J. Kaufman is an Alpha News columnist. His work has appeared in the Baltimore Sun, Florida Sun-Sentinel, Indianapolis Star, Israel National News, Orange County Register, St. Cloud Times, Star-Tribune, and across AIM Media Midwest and the Internet. Kaufman previously worked as a school teacher and military historian.