(Headline USA) The astroturfing rehabilitation effort undertaken by Democratic party elites following the Biden coup in August did not just seek to revamp the wildly unpopular Vice President Kamala Harris as the new “brat” alternative.
It also hoped to salvage the catastrophic legacy of the Joe Biden administration by actively hiding the sitting president for the duration of his term on what amounted to an extended vacation, with the occasional ceremonial appearance.
With less than a month to go until the election, Democrats, abetted by their allies in the Federal Reserve and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, have pulled off a stunning bait-and-switch to conceal the Biden–Harris administration’s devastating spending policies and sought to stave off any meltdowns—such as the threat of a labor-union strike—until after Nov. 5.
The Left’s media allies have likewise helped cover up the escalating problems stemming from immigration, violent crime, foreign policy fiascos and the recent mishandling of the response to Hurricane Helene in the southeastern U.S.
The Biden administration has even depleted the emergency petroleum reserves to ensure that prices on gasoline remain low during the leadup to the critical race.
With their Potemkin village erected, Democrats seem so self-assured of their ability to control the narrative that they are letting Biden out of the basement—and back onto the campaign trail.
On Tuesday, the 81-year-old president planned to campaign in Pennsylvania for a close ally and visit Wisconsin—where some internal polls show Harris trailing—to tout his infrastructure spending.
But as Biden makes a quick swing through the key states, two Democratic senators locked in competitive reelection battles are taking markedly different approaches to the outgoing president, whose approval ratings in a significant swath of the country remain in the pits.
Biden will be fully embraced by Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey when he participates in a private campaign fundraiser in suburban Philadelphia for the senior Pennsylvania senator.
But in Milwaukee, where Biden is spotlighting his administration’s efforts to replace the nation’s toxic lead pipes, incumbent Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin will be conspicuously absent.
“Democrats in tight races, for the most part, are calculating that the risk of embracing Biden far exceeds any reward that his efforts would bring to their campaign,” said Christopher Borick, director of the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion in Pennsylvania. “There just aren’t many places where he can be of much help to Democrats in competitive races.”
Biden has spent scant time on the campaign trail since being forced from his reelection effort in July. That makes his stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin—two tightly contested states that Harris and former President Donald Trump see as crucial—all the more notable.
Casey’s and Baldwin’s races are also seen as must-wins for Democrats who are trying to maintain their razor-tight control of the Senate.
Casey, running against Republican David McCormick as he seeks a fourth Senate term, has a long-running relationship with Biden, having grown up on the same street in Scranton where Biden spent his early childhood.
Their families have known each other for decades, and he’s campaigned with Biden countless times, including earlier this year. Biden—a Delaware resident but a Pennsylvania native—has long claimed Pennsylvania as his own.
Still, the feeling isn’t mutual for many residents of the Keystone State. About 4 in 10 Pennsylvania voters had a favorable view of Biden and about 6 in 10 had an unfavorable view, according to a Monmouth University poll published in late September.
Baldwin will spend Tuesday on the other side of Wisconsin from Biden, attending campaign events and getting an award, according to her campaign and Senate office.
“Senator Baldwin had a previously scheduled event at a family farm in Eau Claire to receive the American Farm Bureau Federation’s ‘Friend of Farm Bureau’ award recognizing her leadership fighting for America’s hardworking farmers, growers, and producers,” said Eli Rosen, Baldwin’s communications director, in response to a query about why she was skipping the president’s visit.
Biden’s favorability in Wisconsin has hovered around 40% for the past year and did not increase after he dropped out of the presidential race this summer, according to a recent Marquette University Law School poll.
Baldwin, who is seeking her third term, is facing Republican Eric Hovde, the CEO of a Wisconsin real estate development company.
She has skipped four of Biden’s five appearances in the state this year, including two in her hometown of Madison, before he dropped out of the race.
However, Baldwin has appeared with Harris, including speaking to a crowd of more than 10,000 people last month in Madison.
“Baldwin may be able to skip a Biden event, but she cannot avoid the verdict of working families in Wisconsin when they head to the polls,” said Wisconsin GOP chairman Brian Schimming.
Biden’s visit to Wisconsin, which has some 340,000 lead pipes, comes as the Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday issued a final rule requiring drinking water systems across the country to identify and replace lead pipes within 10 years.
Biden’s 2021 infrastructure law provides $15 billion to find and replace the toxic pipes, a legacy the Biden White House says will have an impact on generations to come.
Lead can lower IQ and create behavioral problems in children, and the administration believes the legislation will go a long way in removing some 9.2 million lead pipes carrying water to U.S. homes.
White House officials played down Baldwin’s expected absence from the event, while noting that Wisconsin’s other senator, Republican Ron Johnson, voted against the infrastructure law.
“Senator Baldwin is an amazing partner [to] this administration in leading the charge in the bipartisan infrastructure law,” White House deputy chief of staff Natalie Quillian said of Baldwin’s absence from the president’s visit.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, whose district includes Wisconsin’s deeply Democratic capital city of Madison, said Biden’s policies are popular in the battleground state even if polls show he is not.
“I don’t think that polling on Biden is based on what he’s done in office,” Pocan said. “The problem with some of the polls is overly simplistic. He looks old and people don’t want that in the White House, but he’s not running anymore.”
Pocan, who is not in a competitive race, also defended Baldwin not appearing with Biden.
“If you’re in a competitive race, you have your calendar,” Pocan said. “You have a strategy based on where you’re trying to get votes and you don’t change it when you have a surrogate come.”
Next week, Biden’s wife, Jill, is scheduled to campaign for Harris in Madison, Wisconsin, as part of a five-day effort by the first lady through the battleground states of Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, Harris’ campaign and the White House announced Tuesday.
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
