White House Report Card: Biden could get bounce from Dobbs

Democratic pollster and grader John Zogby gave Biden a “B-minus” for the week, citing the potential political upside of the court’s action. “Liberals, young women, suburban women, and poor women, all of whom had been cool toward him and questioning why they should even vote, are now taking to the streets, to social media, and even taking time off to protest. There is an enthusiasm among these groups that wasn’t there before this week,” he said in his weekly Secrets report.

Conservative grader Jed Babbin gave Biden a “D-minus,” citing the mountain of other troubles the White House faces.

John Zogby
Grade: B-

Listen up. Today, our lesson is on the term “deus ex machina” — that is, when the force of God intervenes in your life and gives you unexpected good fortune.

In this case, Biden must be busy crafting a thank you note to the Supreme Court majority for overturning Roe vs. Wade, which has been the law of the land since 1973. The president, who has been mired in approval ratings of just under 40% and reads daily about how his party will get trounced in the November elections, is now possibly looking at a whole new political map.

Liberals, young women, suburban women, and poor women, all of whom had been cool toward him and questioning why they should even vote, are now taking to the streets, to social media, and even taking time off to protest. There is an enthusiasm among these groups that wasn’t there before this week.

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At the same time, a bipartisan Congress passed the first real gun control legislation in 30 years, and the president will sign it as soon as the staff can find enough pens.

Political parties can sometimes overplay their hand. This week’s Supreme Court in the face of public opinion may have been one of those moments.

Jed Babbin
Grade: D-

Another fun week thanks to Team Biden. That is, if your idea of fun is a recession, inflation, enormous price increases, and shortages of critical products that people use every day.

Biden inadvertently gave the world a glimpse of the instructions he requires to function. The cue card, written at the “See Spot Run” level, told him, “YOU enter the Roosevelt room. YOU take YOUR seat,” and went on from there in similar detail. No wonder the hapless White House press secretary insists reporters shouldn’t be asking questions about Biden’s mental condition.

Meanwhile, the Biden recession is all but officially declared. Runaway inflation and the $5 per gallon price of gasoline aren’t half of it. Biden is apparently happy with the surge in gasoline prices. He said, “We have a chance to make a fundamental turn toward renewable energy, electric vehicles, and not just electric vehicles but across the board.” Supplies of baby formula remain scarce. Peanut butter, tampons, and hot pepper sauce are high on the list of things we’re running out of. And Biden is doing nothing about these and other worsening problems.

Biden’s proposed three-month federal gasoline tax holiday was unpopular among congressional Democrats because they hate any reduction in taxes. It won’t do consumers any good because the tax isn’t imposed at the point of sale. If it trickles down to consumers at all, the tax holiday’s effect won’t be noticeable. How about increasing production? Nah, he’d rather send people credit cards to use for gas. That would only increase inflation, but Biden wants to do it.

Biden also threw people for a loop when he said the government needs more money to prepare for the next pandemic. Is there one coming soon he knows about but we don’t, or is it a scare tactic?

The administration apparently plans to cut off civilian ammunition supplies for the most common rifle sold in the United States, the AR-15. About 40% of the 5.56 mm ammunition that rifle usually takes is produced by contractors at an Army ammo plant. Team Biden refuses to deny that they’ll end that production. If you can’t unconstitutionally restrict Second Amendment rights, you can make people’s weapons useless by depriving them of ammunition.

As if Biden didn’t have anything else to worry about, the Food and Drug Administration announced a ban on JUUL vaping products and a proposed requirement to cut 95% of the nicotine in cigarettes.

Biden denounced the Supreme Court’s ruling that a New York law restricting the right to carry a gun outside the home is unconstitutional. But he praised the new gun control bill that came out of the Senate. The bill, passed in response to the Uvalde, Texas, school massacre, will do precisely nothing to prevent another such occurrence, but Biden counts it as a big win.

This week’s grade could have been an F, but let’s be generous and give our doddering old president a break with a D-. Situation Normal: All Bidened Up.

John Zogby is the founder of the Zogby Survey and senior partner at John Zogby Strategies. His weekly podcast with son and partner Jeremy Zogby can be heard here. Follow him on Twitter @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 Twitter @jedbabbin