… Weighed down by the coronavirus pandemic, surging inflation and a stalled legislative agenda, Biden’s approval rating has long since dropped into the low 40s danger zone. That leaves him below the level of Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama at similar points before midterm contests that dealt them staggering setbacks.
Their predicament leaves White House aides and political advisers reaching for recovery scenarios like this one: Maybe Biden’s faster-than-normal decline will give way to a faster-than-normal comeback.
Fanciful as it sounds now, their hope is rooted in the unique political dynamics of a once-in-a-century pandemic. As quickly as Covid-19’s persistence has soured the mood of voters, they reason, replacing its disruptions with something approaching normalcy later this year could lift spirits faster than Biden’s predecessors experienced. CONTINUED
John Harwood, CNN
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