A reminder of the setbacks and tragedies that Biden has had to contend with in the past few weeks.
First the supreme court overturned abortion rights, expanded gun access and curbed the government’s ability to regulate greenhouses gasses. Then the Independence Day weekend was rocked by gun violence, including a mass shooting at a July 4 parade in Illinois that killed seven people and wounded more than 40.
A string of recent news reports suggest that even some of Biden’s allies are questioning his approach to these challenges. Meanwhile, a poll released yesterday showed that his approval rating is suffering badly, and voters are still most worried about inflation and the economy, rather than gun rights and abortion, two issues that Democrats hoped to could rally their base ahead of the midterms.
In Ohio today, Biden will highlight the continued benefits of the American Rescue Plan, a massive spending bill passed last year at the cost of $1.9 trillion that was intended to revitalize the economy after the downturn caused by Covid-19. The audience will be union workers at a high school in Cleveland, but whether his message reaches voters remains to be seen.
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Biden searches for reset after supreme court, shootings hampers agendaGood morning, US politics blog readers. Repeatedly in the past few weeks, Joe Biden has had to reassure voters that everything is going to be OK after upheavals at the supreme court, or gun violence in the streets. But from brutal polls to skeptical news articles, evidence has mounted that voters aren’t convinced he’s the man to tackle these challenges. Biden will get a chance today to dispel these doubts during a trip to Ohio, where he’s set to make a speech on the economy.
Here’s what else is happening today:
The House and Senate are in recess but senators are working on a reconciliation bill full of Democratic priorities. Political analysis doyen Larry Sabato will hold forth about the state of play on C-Span this morning. Wrangling over abortion access continues as conservative state governments attempt to outlaw the procedure following last month’s supreme court ruling, with courts yesterday weighing in on bans in Kentucky and Florida.