Politico: Biden is Seething -- and Spewing Profanities -- That He's Less Popular Than Trump and Being Unfavorably Compared to Carter

America is crippled by the Peter Principle.

In crisis after crisis, the White House has found itself either limited or helpless in its efforts to combat the forces pummeling them. Morale inside 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is plummeting amid growing fears that the parallels to Jimmy Carter, another first-term Democrat plagued by soaring prices and a foreign policy morass, will stick.

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The West Wing believes there is still time for a course correction.

But first aides need to quell the finger-pointing that's been erupting internally and the increasing concern over staff shakeups, according to five White House officials and Democrats close to the administration not authorized to publicly discuss internal conversations. They also increasingly are trying to soothe the greatest source of West Wing frustration, coming from behind the Resolute Desk.

The president has expressed exasperation that his poll numbers have sunk below those of Donald Trump, whom Biden routinely refers to in private as "the worst president" in history and an existential threat to the nation's democracy.

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Far more prone to salty language behind the scenes than popularly known, Biden also recently erupted over being kept out of the loop about the direness of the baby formula shortage that has gripped parts of the country, according to a White House staffer and a Democrat with knowledge of the conversation. He voiced his frustration in a series of phone calls to allies, his complaints triggered by heart-wrenching cable news coverage of young mothers crying in fear that they could not feed their children.

Biden didn't want to be painted as slow to act on a problem affecting the working-class people with whom he closely identifies. Therefore, when aides convened a meeting with formula company executives, the president -- against the advice of staffers -- publicly declared it took weeks before details of the shortage had reached him, even though the whistleblower complaint that led to the shutdown of a major production facility was issued months ago. Some aides feared the moment made Biden look out of touch, especially after the CEOs in the very same meeting made clear that warnings of the shortage were known for some time.

And what's the idea for changing perceptions on this? Well, Future Nobel Laureate Dr. Jill Biden says they should "Let Biden be Biden." She thinks if they just send this frail old man out on the campaign trail to make up stories about being a football hero and having been the model for Cadet Mayo in An Officer and a Gentleman, people will suddenly remember why they used to love -- err, why they used to be lukewarm about -- Joe Biden.

Sounds to me like Dr. Jill is taking the Soap Opera Villainess position that she wants her husband to either be praised in life or mourned in death so she can get to dating again.

posted by Ace at 12:24 PM

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