Cal Thomas: Fool me once but not twice

MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Thursday, November 30th. Good morning! This is The World and Everything in It from listener-supported WORLD Radio. I’m Myra Brown.

MARY REICHARD, HOST: And I’m Mary Reichard. Up next: President Biden’s poll numbers are slipping, and WORLD commentator Cal Thomas says there’s a reason for that.

CAL THOMAS, COMMENTATOR: “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” That statement is often credited to Abraham Lincoln back in the 1800s. But it could be more relevant for the 2024 presidential election. A poll earlier this month by The New York Times and Siena College shows President Biden leaking support from his base of Black, Hispanic, and especially young voters. Other polls show former President Trump ahead of Biden in five of six key battleground states. Politico reported last week that “surveys have shown Trump ahead by 8 points in Arizona and 5 points up in Michigan.”

Another poll gives an important reason behind this leakage.

An ABC News/Ipsos survey finds that more than 75 percent of Americans believe “the country is headed in the wrong direction.” Only 23 percent think we’re “headed in the right direction.” One wonders where that 23 percent are getting their information. Don’t they see higher prices for gas, food, and mortgage rates since Biden took office? Or like some Trump supporters, are they wedded to him as one might be wedded to a cult leader about whom no negative facts will be believed?

Even worse for Democrats is the issue of which party can better handle the economy, nearly always the top issue in any presidential election. Thirty-five percent said Republicans would do a better job with only 25 percent saying the same about Democrats.

The Biden administration is defaulting to the usual position when things look bad. They claim their message isn’t getting through and that the full impact of their policies is not being felt by average Americans. Yes they are, and a majority don’t like them.

President George H.W. Bush was mocked for not understanding the purpose of bar codes on grocery products. The media and Democrats claimed it proved how out of touch he was with average people. The same can be said of the current administration. Those at the highest levels ride in government cars, don’t have to pay for fuel and can eat at the White House Mess for lower costs than at most Washington restaurants. No wonder so many are out of touch with average people.

Another poll should concern Democrats, given the administration’s lack of motivation to curtail the flood of migrants into the country, including possible terrorists. The Center Square Voters’ Voice Poll included “2,500 registered voters, including 1,000 registered Democrats, 1,000 registered Republicans, and 500 independents.” When pollsters asked about the situation at the U.S. border, “Eighty-two percent responded that they are concerned, with 47 percent saying they are very concerned and an additional 35 percent saying they are somewhat concerned. Just 13 percent said they are not concerned at all.”

Democrats may be hoping that Donald Trump’s legal problems will tank his re-election prospects, but that ignores the perception among a majority of voters – including Democrats – that Biden is weak and too old for a second term.

In next year’s election, they won’t be able to fool most voters as they did in 2020 when Biden claimed to be a “uniter.”

I’m Cal Thomas.

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