White House chief of staff Ron KlainRon KlainStudent loan companies told not to send resume payment notices: report Tax groups urge Biden administration to end pause on student loan payments White House hopes for light at the end of its tunnel MORE promised Senate Democrats that President BidenJoe BidenGas prices hit new record of .43 per gallon, up 79 cents in two weeks Five key developments in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Biden’s CIA head leads the charge against Putin’s information war MORE will deliver an uplifting and inspiring State of the Union address that will highlight his efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and respond to rising costs.
Klain’s goal in addressing the Senate Democratic Caucus in person on Capitol Hill appeared to be to give lawmakers something positive to focus on instead of the president’s sagging poll numbers.
In fact, senators said there was no discussion of Biden’s weak public approval rating in battleground states that will decide in this year’s midterm elections which party will control the Senate in 2023.
Klain told senators that Biden’s speech to a joint session of Congress next month will tout the president’s accomplishments from last year, which many Democrats believe are being undersold, and set a clear agenda for the rest of the year.
But the conversation, while very positive, was also very general and seemed designed not to make any big news before Biden’s moment in the national spotlight on March 1.
Some concerned centrists wanted Klain to talk about Biden’s weak poll numbers in key states, such as Pennsylvania, where an October Franklin & Marshall poll found that only 32 percent of registered voters their rated his performance as “excellent” or “good.”
A national Gallup tracking poll conducted last month found that Biden’s job approval rating had sunk to 40 percent, the lowest of his presidency and only 2 percentage points higher than where former President TrumpDonald TrumpSecurity for Pompeo costing million per month amid threats from Iran: report Biden’s CIA head leads the charge against Putin’s information war Ukraine crisis impacting American domestic politics MORE stood at the same point in his presidency.
Sen. Jon TesterJonathan (Jon) TesterSenate averts shutdown, passes .6B in Ukraine aid Senate gets deal for quick vote on funding, Ukraine aid GOP demands delay vote on spending, Ukraine aid MORE (D-Mont.) said before the meeting that he hoped Klain would touch on the worrisome poll numbers, which could signal trouble for Democrats in the midterm elections.
Tester said before the meeting “he should bring it up.”
Yet Klain didn’t touch on Biden’s poll numbers and instead tried to pump up Democrats about what he predicted would be a glowing and powerful report on the State of the Union in 12 days, according to several senators who attended the meeting.
“I think the president is going to have some clear initiatives, especially in the State of the Union, on COVID, cost of living, crime, the essential challenges looking forward, and they’re going to be positive initiatives that really tackle these problems. He’s well aware of what’s going on and what’s on people’s minds,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) after the meeting.
Sen. Ben CardinBenjamin (Ben) Louis CardinFor small businesses, electronic document delivery is critical to the full benefit of retirement modernization Overnight Defense & National Security — Russia expected to escalate war with Ukraine Schumer, onetime opponent, praises talks on reviving Iran nuclear deal as ‘good’ MORE (D-Md.) said there was “some discussion” of the midterm elections and a general recognition in the room that the State of the Union presents a good opportunity for Biden to communicate with voters and regain some political momentum.
“We recognized State of the Union is one of the main opportunities of the year to get the attention of the…
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