Joe Biden has an ice problem Ebola in Uganda: why the current outbreak is so dangerous

Actually, it’s just a small, seemingly insignificant video clip from Joe Biden. But in three weeks, the important midterm elections in the US will take place. And the scene in an Oregon state ice cream parlor is almost symbolic of perhaps the biggest mistake the Democrats made in the campaign.

The US president can be seen with one of his favorite hobbies: eating an ice cream at Baskin Robbins, a chain of ice cream parlors known on the West Coast. Joe Biden with an ice cream cone, a scene that has been seen before: In the presence of cameras, this has to come across as relaxed and close to the people, especially in weeks when things are not going so well politically.

What Joe Biden answers to a reporter’s question seems somewhat revealing. “Our economy is incredibly strong,” he says into the camera, highlighting how incredibly well the US economy is doing. He is mainly concerned “about the rest of the world”. “Inflation,” said Biden, is much worse in other parts of the world than in the United States. The problem is the weakness of other countries, but not America’s.

The Democrats’ Biggest Problem

This is revealing because the Democrats and their president avoid any topic in the election campaign as much as possible. Because the economy is Biden’s biggest problem ahead of the midterm elections. It is even less about the lack of jobs, but all the more about the dramatic inflation and its consequences. Just last week, the report on the consumer price index for September was published.

The bad news: prices have risen even faster than before. And this rapid price increase is extremely painful for many Americans, well into the middle class. It is precisely their own supporters who are affected.

As the US government tries desperately, and with some success, to at least keep gas prices low, the prices of rent, groceries and services continue to rise.

Sadly, Biden has to admit that Americans are “under pressure because of the cost of living”. The president tries to focus on the successes achieved in the fight against inflation, for example in regulating the price of medicines. But I have to admit, “Even given this progress, prices are still too high.”

malice of the political opponent

All in all, it remains very bad news for Democrats entering the midterms. As they once again draw attention to socio-political issues, Republicans have enough potentially decisive ammunition to fire at the Biden administration’s economic purview.

Donald Trump especially likes to attack his successor Biden because of his stock market policy. In his own social network “Truth”, the ex-president repeatedly emphasizes how well the courses have developed during his reign. Stock news is still much more important to many Americans than in Germany, for example. According to a Gallup survey, 58 percent of respondents said they had invested money in the stock market.

It’s no wonder that the “Grand Old Party” (GOP) campaign teams and the many conservative to far-right TV stations are now spreading this little Biden scene from the Oregon ice cream parlor. The Republican message, intended to appeal to voters: a distant president doesn’t take your financial woes seriously.

In an interview with “NBC,” Trump’s Senate candidate from the highly competitive state of Georgia, Herschell Walker, recently joked about Biden’s craving for candy. The moderator asks if he can name one thing Biden has done that he would support. “He eats a lot of ice cream,” Walker replies.

The numbers don’t lie

Perhaps it’s less of these campaign battles between the Republicans and their target audience that become dangerous for Democrats. But the subject clearly points to the most sensitive vulnerability. Not only well-known opinion polls like the “Pew Research Center” repeatedly point to one thing: the economy is by far the deciding issue for 77 percent of voters polled in the 2022 midterm elections. Gun laws follow at 65 percent, followed by violent crime and health care with 60 percent.

A very specific phrase has long been part of the political platitude. With the campaign slogan “It’s the economy, stupid!” Bill Clinton once won the US presidential election in 1992 against the incumbent George W. Bush. Loosely translated, it says: “It depends on the economy, stupid!” Ultimately, this means that in important votes, such as the upcoming US midterm elections, one question is of primary importance: do people have enough money in their pockets?

In view of the current developments, three weeks before the election, a decisive group of voters who want to change from Democrats to Republicans is moving. Women, in particular, seem to believe more in the GOP’s economic promises, including “tax cuts,” than the efforts of Biden and the Democrats. Efforts to convince women that abortion is an issue that matters to them may ultimately not be enough. A recent study commissioned by the New York Times seems to have confirmed these fears.

Whether it’s Russia’s war in Ukraine, the ongoing effects of the pandemic, or natural disasters like Hurricane Ian recently, it doesn’t matter how causal such international developments may be for the economic situation of Americans. No matter how many times the Democrats will emphasize that. It doesn’t matter how many times the US president goes to get an ice cream.

Ultimately, the Republicans’ story of so-called “biden inflation” could determine the outcome of the election in early November. When things go really bad, the Democrats lose not only the majority in the House of Representatives, but also in the Senate.

Then the disaster would be complete. A merry ice mood soon turned to an icy mood, including against Joe Biden and his potential reelection plans.

By the way, a bag of ice cream at Joe Biden’s favorite ice cream parlor “Jeni’s” in Washington costs a whopping $8.53, including taxes. The capital minimum wage for unpaid workers is $5.35. The economy is doing well, the president says.