In his latest Wall Street Journal op-ed Karl Rove is bemused by President Joe Biden’s plans to aid Vice President Harris’s campaign for the presidency:
What does Joe Biden think he’s doing? More important, what do the geniuses running his White House communications shop think they’re doing?
According to Politico, the president will spend the fall on the road doing a tour “that will focus largely on the administration’s accomplishments” in “substantive, higher-payoff events.”
“The schedule will be robust and he plans to leave it all on the field,” White House communications director Ben LaBolt promises. Axios reports that the president plans to “communicate directly” with Americans “on how the Biden-Harris Agenda will pay dividends now and 10, 20 and 30 years into the future.”
This strategy may sound smart to West Wing staffers spit-balling how to occupy Mr. Biden’s time. But the Harris-Walz campaign team has to be less than thrilled about the possibility of a Biden valedictory tour in the months before the election.
Among the reasons behind his puzzlement are that President Biden’s communication skills have not improved since June, President Biden going on the road takes eyeballs aways from Vice President Harris, and, worst of all, he’s tying Vice President Harris to his administration as closely as he can and that is rather apparently seen as a liability by the Harris campaign:
If Mr. Biden goes through with this plan, he’ll be making his economic record even more central to the election. Though Ms. Harris has worked hard to close the gap, she trails Mr. Trump in the NBC poll on who’s better at “dealing with the economy” by 41% to 50% and “dealing with inflation and the cost of living” by 40% to 48%. Mr. Biden’s insistence on being involved could widen that spread a bit.
It isn’t just Mr. Rove who’s wondering if the president isn’t trying to undermine Vice President Harris’s campaign.
It could be distraction, however the spirit of Potemkim and Emperor’s fashion advisors, a Russian trained Gerontologist, airtight security and a friendly media should muffle any squeaks while inflating the Biden legacy.
People should recall that Joes assassins, BO and Nancy, were not Harris fans. They knew she was simply vacuous. But Joe gave them the finger, also knowing she was a boob, by endorsing her. And now (correctly) tying her to himself, despite ferocious attempts by team K to say “Joe who?”
Payback is a bitch.
Go Harris, she will win!!
During his first term, President Trump cut the corporate tax rate nearly in half, from 39% to 21%. Now he’s proposing, for products completely made in America, a tax rate of only 15%, comparable to the favored long-term capital gains rate.
This should encourage a rebuilding of domestic manufacturing although I predict difficult decisions will have to be made to define “completely made in America “
He’s also proposed eliminating Federal income taxes for Social Security, tips, and overtime pay.
So here you actually have some meat and potatoes propositions that are not vacuous and should be considered as Harris has recently suggested using higher taxes on supermarkets to discourage price “gouging” as she calls it.
If there is one market that is totally subject to competitive pricing it’s food as it is. This is a recipe for shortages.
So if Biden wants to make a tour touting the Biden/Harris economic model all I can say is please do that.