What do those recent dismal Biden polls really mean?
The cases for calm and alarm from two Democratic strategists.
FIRST THINGS FIRST • Thursday’s edition of Supercreator Daily featured a fascinating interview with journalist and author WILLIAM KOLE on the implications of older Americans like President JOE BIDEN and Senate Minority Leader MITCH McCONNELL (R-Ky.) holding onto power into their 80s.
And while a serious chunk of Bill’s upcoming book, The Big 100: The New World of Super-Aging, and our conversation focused on what it means that older adults are living much longer, Kole also cited some bonkers research from Stanford’s Center for Longevity: One in two five-year-olds alive today will live to be 100. Bill argued that we owe it to these kids to take steps now that set them up for success later. Here’s more from Bill:
Who wants to live to 100 on a planet that's ravaged by violent storms, and as a consequence of other things, famine, thirst, and all of the horrors that we've only really begun to see? This summer was sort of like a sneak preview. So I think the biggest single thing that we can do for those five-year-olds is drop everything and just fix this climate situation. We're way too late and we're way too slow to respond.
Read the second half of our conversation where Bill shares his thoughts on how to nurture our older loved ones, and what surprised him most while writing the book.
THE POLLS THAT HAD THE POLITICAL UNIVERSE BUZZING • This week’s news cycle has been dominated by a few glum polls for President JOE BIDEN.
The Wall Street Journal published one that revealed nearly three-quarters of voters say the president is too old to run for reelection. (Biden, 80, is the oldest person to occupy the White House in US history.)
New polling from CNN shows a majority of Americans believe the president was involved in his son HUNTER’s international business dealings when Biden was vice president under BARACK OBAMA, claims House Republicans have been unable to prove through a sprawl of ongoing investigations.
And separate CNN poll found a record-low number of voters say the current president inspires confidence and has the stamina and sharpness to serve effectively as president.
To be clear, Polls often fail to reflect the full story of the moment we’re in. But they’re also a good indicator of where people are in the country. So Supercreator News checked in with two plugged-in Democrats to help you put the recent data into perspective.
The case for calm: DJ KOESSLER, a New York City-based Democratic strategist and alum of the PETE BUTTIGIEG and HILLARY CLINTON campaigns, told Supercreator Daily he wouldn’t put too much take in the recent CNN polling.
“It’s early. Most voters aren’t yet aware of this president’s historic achievements—and that’s an opportunity for Democrats as we set out to tell the story of the last four years and communicate the president’s vision for the country,” Koessler said. “Just look at the new ad the campaign released [on Thursday] morning.”
President Biden often asks voters not to compare him to the Almighty, but to the alternative. And when it’s all said and done Koessler expressed confidence that the campaign will solidify its strong case against a second Trump term in the upcoming months.
“Elections are choices. Next November, voters will choose between President Biden and his message of freedom and progress and a Republican nominee that’s too extreme and out of touch for American families,” he said. “And it’s very likely that Republican will be just three years younger than Biden—the guy who helped overturn Roe v. Wade, ran our economy into the ground, tried to overthrow an election, and now faces 91 criminal charges across four jurisdictions.”
The case for alarm: But some argue the president has been making that case in earnest—and most Americans have tuned him out.
“We’ve called everything Bidenomics and we’ve tried to sell the American people on the idea that this 80-year-old man is the future and that he’s got the economic plan for the future for us,” a Democratic strategist and former Obama administration official, said to Supercreator Daily. “Nobody’s buying it—they need to stop it. It’s embarrassing at this point.”
The problem, according to this strategist, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly on the topic, lies in the optics.
“If it’s about one man, then it’s about two men,” they said. “And [Trump] looks like he’s got a lot of vigor and fight in him and the other man is called ‘Sleepy Joe’ and everybody feels like he falls down every day.”
The flaw with Bidenomics: As historic as the economic recovery has been under the Biden administration, the former Obama aide argued Democrats are taking unnecessary waters on board by taking ownership of everything that’s going on with the economy.
“We’ve done no education on the fact that the [Federal Reserve] has raised [interest] rates to seven percent and that people are feeling the impacts of that as the [Fed tries] to cool the economy and that this won't remain forever,” they said. “We haven't done any of that sort of explaining. We’ve not put a narrative to where we're going still to this day.”
The potential Trump-Biden-Trump voter: The strategist also warned against assuming the fact that Biden beat Trump in 2020 and Trump is facing unprecedented legal peril means he can’t rebound in 2024.
“This is the fallacy of the Obama-Trump voter. Remember, there’s no way that person could exist before they did exist. And that’s the same thing we have here that there is not a Trump-Biden-Trump voter. Yes, there is.”
These latent voters shouldn’t be ignored despite Trump’s vulnerabilities.
“My message to that person is that the people around you who are actually trying to help you, most of those people are Democrats—working at [501](c)(3) nonprofits, the ones that are working down there at the local government office that is trying to get you the resources you need,” the strategist said. “Those people are Democrats and they care about you. We have to highlight that for folks that they can see the things that are actually moving and producing results around them are being done by Democrats.”
The Biden campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Supercreator News.
ONE MORE THING • The Government Accountability Office, the top congressional watchdog agency, on Thursday released a report that found that the construction of former President DONALD TRUMP’s border wall caused serious harm to cultural and natural resources while failing to stem the tide of migrant crossings at the border. I reported on why the barrier was as terrible for the environment as critics said it would be. Read the full post for free before Monday or become a paid subscriber to dive in whenever you’re ready.
👋🏾HI, HEY, HELLO! Good Friday morning. It’s September 8, 2023. You’re reading Supercreator Daily, the definitive guide to the politicians, power brokers, and policies shaping the American creator experience. Get in touch: michael@supercreator.news.
THEY DID THAT
⟿ Rep. STEVEN HORSFORD (D-Nev.), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, received the “Legislator of the Year” award from Everytown for Gun Safety and the local leaders of Moms Demand Action for his work to prevent gun violence in his home state and across the country.
⟿ The Senate confirmed ADRIANA KUGLER to be a member of the Federal Reserve. Kugler is the first Latina to serve in the role and her confirmation comes a day after the Senate confirmed LISA COOK, the first Black woman to serve on the Fed’s board of governors, to a full term.
⟿ President Biden on Thursday tested negative for COVID-19 prior to taking off en route to India for the G20 Summit. First Lady Dr. JILL BIDEN, who tested positive for COVID on Sunday evening, also tested negative.
⟿ President Biden received a briefing on FEMA’s preparation for Hurricane Lee, the category 5 storm approaching the eastern Caribbean.
⟿ President Biden nominated MICHAEL WHITAKER to lead the Federal Aviation Administration. The nomination comes as Congress faces a Sept. 30 deadline to reauthorize the agency.
⟿ White House spokesperson ANDREW BATES called on House Speaker KEVIN McCARTHY to reconsider separating Ukraine funding from the other priorities in the administration’s supplemental request: “Like Senate Republicans, Speaker McCarthy should keep his word […] rather than break his promise and cave to the most extreme members of his conference agitating for a baseless impeachment stunt and shutdown.”
⟿ Members of the center-left New Democrat Coalition echoed Bates’ sentiments in a letter to McCarthy focused on border security.
⟿ Vice President Harris’s office announced she will embark on a nationwide month-long college tour. The tour, which kicks off next Thursday at Hampton University in Virginia, will look to mobilize young voters to fight for reproductive justice, gun safety, climate action, voting rights, LGBTQ equality, and against book bans.
⟿ The Biden campaign released a new ad ahead of the G20 Summit focused on President Biden’s leadership on the world stage. The ad features footage from the president’s clandestine trip to Ukraine earlier this year and will run in battleground states on 60 Minutes while he is at the summit. (Joe Biden/YouTube)
⟿ ISAIAH MARTIN announced his campaign to succeed SHEILA JACKSON LEE as the next representative for Texas’s 18th congressional district raised over $130,000 within the first 24 hours of its launch. The 25-year-old was dragged on X, the app formerly known as Twitter, for most of the day for failing to include Medicare For All or climate action in his opening pitch. The campaign’s “Issues” page was removed from Martin’s website.
⟿ The Guttmacher Institute found that there was an uptick in abortions nationwide in the first half of this year compared to 2020 likely due to states with abortion protections absorbing patients from states with bans or extreme restrictions. The Institute added that all aspects of the abortion infrastructure require sustained support to serve the increased patient workloads.
⟿ Younger women, women with a postgraduate degree, Democratic women, and Hispanic women were all more likely than other women in opposite-sex marriages to keep their last name after tying the knot. (CNN)
⟿ United Auto Workers President SHAWN FAIN called the recent offer by General Motors a failure to “come close to an equitable agreement for America’s autoworkers.” UAW’s contract with GM, Ford, and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler) expires next Thursday, which could set off a worker strike. (@UAW/X)
HAPPENINGS
All times Eastern
12:10 a.m. President Biden arrived in Ramstein, Germany for a brief refueling stop.
1:40 a.m. The president will depart Ramstein en route to New Delhi, India, arriving at 12:55 p.m.
1 p.m. The House will meet in a pro forma session.
1:35 p.m. President Biden will meet with Prime Minister NARENDRA MODI of India.
The Senate is out.
READ ALL ABOUT IT
⟿ “White House Press Secretary KARINE JEAN-PIERRE has made history—and waves” by Mattie Kahn
⟿ “Inside NANCY PELOSI’s fight for San Francisco” by Jonathan Martin: “At 83, the former House speaker just might buck another trend—the one suggesting octogenarian lawmakers should hang up their spiked heels.”
⟿ “Even on days of record-setting high temps, teens still reach for their hoodies. Why?” by Nereida Moreno: “‘It could be 1010. It could be 150. I’ll still wear a hoodie,’ one kid says. ‘I don’t leave the house without a hoodie. Never.’”
⟿ How queer media arrived at a crossroads between independence and survival” by Sara Youngblood Gregory
⟿ “The right would like all women to be 1950s housewives, please” by EJ Dickson: “Apparently, we have moved on from transphobia-for-clicks to shrieking at women for not giving birth.”
⟿ “Bonuses are a little bit bogus” by Emily Stewart: “Ask your boss for a raise instead of a bonus. Really.”
⟿ “‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’ knew the cure for loneliness by Eliza Relman
⟿ “Don’t upgrade your iPhone until you have to” by Adam Clark Estes: “Once again, this year’s phones will look a lot like last year’s. But real innovation is on the horizon.”
THAT’S ALL UNTIL MONDAY! I hope today is everything for you. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Sign up for free.