This week’s White House Report Card is not a good one for either President Joe Biden or his deputy, Vice President Kamala Harris.
For Biden, inflation revealed itself again, proving how hard it is to kill it. Israel ignored him as it readied the big one for Iran. And even Democrats gasped when Harris twice said that she would not change anything Biden has done should she become president.
For Harris, it appeared that some friendly reporters and pollsters have finally conceded that it is time to tell the truth that she is an empty pantsuit and doesn’t have campaign momentum. Several noted that her poll “surge” stopped, maybe weeks ago. Others said it appears impossible for her to sound presidential when not reading from typed note cards or a teleprompter. And her effort to nose into discussions about hurricane preparedness by criticizing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on a day she was otherwise spending posting for Vogue glamor shots was drowned out by Biden himself when he heaped praise on the governor’s efforts.
This is brutal to watch. Kamala Harris without a teleprompter is the Democrat Party’s worst nightmare:
“When we think about what’s at stake in this election – well it’s packed with some stuff! Some fundamental stuff! *cackles* I say rather articulately.” pic.twitter.com/2UEboEUkgW
— Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) October 11, 2024
Democratic pollster John Zogby graded the week a “D-plus,” and noted the criticism of Harris when she said that she would stick to Biden’s agenda. “His name is now toxic,” said Zogby.
Conservative analyst Jed Babbin graded the week an “F,” and cited examples of the White House becoming irrelevant.
John Zogby
Grade: D+
When President Joe Biden was still in the presidential race, the book on him was that he had had significant accomplishments but could not cut through the noise about his age and mental acuity. He is well out of the race, but his name is now toxic for Democrats.
Vice President Kamala Harris stated in an interview that she was present and supportive of every one of Biden’s decisions, but that has earned her derision from GOP opponents and puzzlement from Democratic strategists and pundits.
Undecided voters are waiting for some details about her plans and agenda from Harris, but she is in a box: she cannot promise a return to Biden because that would cede the mantle of ‘change’ to former President Donald Trump, and she cannot break with Biden because that would be both disloyal and the admission of a mistake.
Meanwhile, Israel is acting like the world’s unfettered and unhinged superpower as the U.S. is reduced to its acolyte.
And yes, there was some progress on reducing the rate of growth of inflation, but it’s hard to see this as a good week for Biden.
Jed Babbin
Grade: F
It was great fun this week to see Vice President Kamala Harris sent back to the kiddies’ table by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). That was only one of the highlights of a week that included press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre getting a promotion, Harris saying there’s no difference between her and President Joe Biden and Harris running mate Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) saying he wanted to do away with the Electoral College.
There was much snickering — make that many loud guffaws — when Harris tried to politicize DeSantis’s hurricane prep, saying he was selfish and political, apparently for not taking her call. DeSantis said he was too busy to play with her nonsense, having been on the phone repeatedly with Biden and doing a lot of prep for his state during the approach of Hurricane Milton. Harris got banished to the kiddie table while grown-ups dealt with the coming disaster.
After all that, Biden said DeSantis was “doing a great job.” You gotta love it.
And then there was Jean-Pierre’s undeserved promotion to a “senior adviser to the president” spot, which probably includes an increase to her already-unjustifiably big salary. She also walked off the stage in a huff when — citing the administration’s own data — a Fox reporter asked her a couple of questions. Jean-Pierre said his statement was “misinformation.” Huh? Using the Biden gang’s published data is misinformation? KJP is famous for pulling stunts like that and for being incomprehensible more times than not.
“There's no doubt in my mind that the polling as I've characterized it this week is accurate, that right now Trump would win and that the numbers are moving in his direction,” says @MarkHalperin. Kamala Harris' “problems in each individual state with different demographic groups… pic.twitter.com/3nbDF3RatM
— 2WAY (@2waytvapp) October 12, 2024
Don’t forget that Walz claims that there is no First Amendment protection for “misinformation,” which he defines as any speech the progressives don’t like. And he wants to do away with the Electoral College, one of the mechanisms that protects small states from the votes of states such as New York and California. And these are the guys who say Trump is a danger to democracy.
Biden still refuses to have a public debate on further aid to Ukraine and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “victory” plan. No word from the administration on North Korea planning to send troops to help Russia conquer Ukraine, or on the possible Iranian underground nuclear test that they detonated last week. Nothing to see there either, folks. Just move along.
Last, and certainly not least, asked whether she’d do anything different from what Biden has done if elected, Harris said, “There is not a thing that comes to mind.” That’s a wrap: vote for Harris and get Biden 2.0.
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John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Survey and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His latest book, Beyond the Horse Race: How to Read Polls and Why We Should, was just released. His podcast with son and managing partner and pollster Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Follow him on X @ZogbyStrategies.
Jed Babbin is a Washington Examiner contributor and former deputy undersecretary of defense in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush. Follow him on X @jedbabbin.
