By: Kristen Snyder
Americans are beginning to wonder whether their trust was properly placed in the Democratic Party. With prices on the rise and the flawed leadership of President Biden, this October has brought a horrifying review on the political performance of the Democrats in power. With Midterm elections only a little more than a year away, Democrats will need to work hard to maintain their seats in both the House and the Senate. Considering the current increase in layoffs from the vaccine mandate, the increasingly radical nature of the Democratic base, and the rising inflation, Americans are strongly reconsidering the party they thought would save them last November.
It should not come as a surprise that prices are on the rise in the United States. The reopening of the economy has increased expenditures leading to a high rate of inflation. While inflation rates are preferable around 2%, they now reside above 5.4%. According to Megan Cassella at Politico, this inflation will only continue farther into 2022 and is the largest rise in inflation since 2008. Following this data, the Pew Research Center conducted surveys that resulted in 63% of Americans indicating their concern about the inflation rates and a minimal 17% who believe President Biden makes good decisions that benefit the economy. This data demonstrates that Americans are keenly aware of the rising prices. Americans can point to tangible evidence that their money is no longer as valuable under the leadership of President Biden as they attempt to stretch their budgets to pay for groceries and gasoline. This reflects poorly on the Democratic party as President Biden struggles to find a solution with the Federal Reserve.
As Americans continue to struggle to pay their bills, President Biden and the Democratic Party continue the fight against the COVID-19 virus. However, in doing this, President Biden has drafted a mandate that will soon impact private businesses requiring their employees to get a vaccine. Spencer Kimball at CNBC accounts that Republicans aim to fight this mandate as soon as the rules go into effect. While Democrats may consider this challenge a political move, Republicans claim that this is an accurate representation of the American public pointing to the mass layoffs at Hospitals and discharges in the military. Throughout the pandemic, our healthcare workers have worked tirelessly to be at the forefront of this virus. They have saved lives and been by the side of those that took their last breath. Yet, after receiving support from the entire world, health care workers are leaving their passion for service behind to combat the vaccine mandate. This same sentiment is reflected in the return of soldiers who have served their country for many years returning home in protest of the mandate. While it is evident by the data that Americans prefer a vaccine mandate, this does not combat the negative image of our community service members that were once heralded as heroes now being forced to find a new profession.
The last negative impact facing the Democratic Party as they start to campaign for next year’s midterm is their voter base. Currently, the Democratic Party draws heavily from young college students, which often means people far more liberal than the average voter. This directs the Democratic message toward a far more liberal tone that is motivated to bring other young voters to the base. While this may be a beneficial tactic for galvanizing young voters, independent voters tend to lean Republican when presented with far-left ideology.
As Democrats and Republicans prepare for the 2022 midterms, the path forward is unclear. Will Democrats be able to reclaim the public trust? Will President Biden take a leadership role and a strong sense presence that gives Americans hope rather than doubt?
As of now, it seems that a red wave may be well on its way. Liberal-leaning Americans believed that anything would be better than the leadership of President Trump. Perhaps this Presidency and unilateral control of the legislature will make Americans reconsider their votes from 2020.