The GOP case against Biden consists primarily of inflation, crime, and the border. How should he respond?
Here are some suggestions:
- INFLATION: Inflation was a worldwide phenomenon (even in Japan!) that resulted from the dislocations caused by the pandemic. With time, it has fallen back close to normal levels. Wage increases have outstripped inflation for about a year now. Most of the kinds of inflation that people particularly complain about, such as housing, had nothing to do with federal government policy and cannot be fixed by Biden or any other president.
- CRIME: Crime levels are still historically low. They started rising during the Trump presidency but have since started to fall. In any event, the president–notwithstanding Trump and his Batman routine–has very little power over a local problem.
- THE BORDER: Biden has only the resources and the law provided to him by Congress. He makes no apologies for trying to treat asylum seekers in a reasonably humane manner. Even at that, he has been attacked by the left for being too tough on migrants, and some federal judges have agreed with them.
It is a compelling case. Will the public listen, when the alternative becomes clear? We’ll see next year.