The most vexing issue in Joe Biden’s re-election campaign is that his undoubted economic success during his tenure does not seem to be translating into any tangible voting gains. To say that this is proving a huge drag on his re-election chances is an understatement.
Bidenomics has led to historically low unemployment rates , the Dow Jones is smashing 40,000 and up, and every day workers are benefiting from rising wages. Inflation is trending down and industrial production and manufacturing is at a record high. The economy is humming along nicely as per every metric.
Except according to recent polls, a majority of Americans think the economy is in recession. Unemployment is rampant and the Dow is tanking. To add salt to wounds, Americans believe that Biden and Trump share equal credit for rebuilding infrastructure. Yep, the Orange One who dropped the ball on replacing crumbling bridges just because providing more tax cuts to his billionaire buddies was more important is an unlikely Keynesian hero to his worshippers.
Biden has made a number of campaign stops as has Kamala Harris with the same unceasing message. The economy is much, much better, and we are definitely better off than we were four years ago. This might make some inroads in changing perception but for many skeptics these are just administration bean counters throwing out numbers. For those more uneducated, Trump is still the savior.
What Biden needs is not another Robert De Niro labeled as a Hollywood liberal or someone affected by J6 like Harry Dunn because these figures are loaded political flashpoints in the Washington DC firmament. He needs a Joe the Plumber, someone organic, with no skin in the game and looks like an ordinary Joe, to bat for Biden. Just plumb middle class from Middle Earth. No conflicts of interest and entirely spontaneous. Everyone instinctively trusts and relates to.
This Joe has materially and financially benefited from Bidenomics propping up his small business. No BS. He is ready to confront those from the Trump campaign who say otherwise just like Joe Wurzelbacher thrust himself in the national spotlight when he confronted Barack Obama and became such a compelling character in John McCain’s campaign. Yes, Mc Cain lost but it was not because of Joe the Plumber, in fact, one would say that that was probably the only one of Mc Cain’s inspired moments amongst his Sarah Palin brain fart and his ostrich in the sand stance during the economic meltdown.
And to those who say Joe is not needed, we could get a Jill with a story where she has been spared expensive student loans to repay and is now in a job thanks to Biden’s infrastructure projects and can start thinking of saving and starting a family with whomever she loves.
Yes, I know the real Joe the Plumber came with baggage and was an asshole but for a large part McCain;s campaign was suddenly energized with the emergence of such a figure and maybe, just maybe Biden’s campaign could benefit from such a personality without the obvious issues and win over a number of skeptics whose perception is that the economy is bypassing them because he is one of them.
