Democrat Panic on Capitol Hill Ahead of 2024 As Joe Biden’s Polling Numbers Hit Basement Levels

Bad poll numbers come and go but for President Joe Biden, they've been consistently bad, not just showing him polling behind other GOP candidates in hypothetical 2024 matchups at this stage in the race but also showing him in the basement with voters in general just two weeks out from the official start of the 2024 presidential election year.

Take, for instance, this Monmouth national poll, showing him at his lowest rating ever for them with a dismal 34 percent approval rating:

NATIONAL POLL: @POTUS Biden job rating drops to all time low since taking office.

34% approve
61% disapprovehttps://t.co/vx5I5jyeRR pic.twitter.com/eoOkvN4lfQ
— MonmouthPoll (@MonmouthPoll) December 18, 2023

The numbers were particularly brutal among independents and Democrats, both of whom are obviously critical for a Biden general election victory:

Since September, his approval number has dropped 4 points and his disapproval number has increased by 6 points. Between October 2022 and July 2023, Biden’s approval rating ranged between 40% and 44% while his disapproval number registered between 48% and 53%. Presidential approval has dropped among both Democrats (74%, down from 80% in September and 88% in July) and independents (24%, down from 30% in September and 38% in July); and it currently stands at just 5% among Republicans.

Though Biden has publicly been in denial about his polling woes, as indicated in an answer he gave to a poll question shortly before a car crash impacted his Secret Service motorcade Sunday, privately he has been lashing out at staffers, blaming them for his low numbers and demanding to know what they're going to do about it:

After pardoning a pair of turkeys, an annual White House tradition, Biden delivered some stern words for the small group [he] assembled: His poll numbers were unacceptably low and he wanted to know what his team and his campaign were doing about it. He complained that his economic message had done little to move the ball, even as the economy was growing and unemployment was falling, according to people familiar with his comments, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a private conversation.
For months, the president and first lady Jill Biden have told aides and friends they are frustrated by the president’s low approval rating and the polls that show him trailing former president Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nomination — and in recent weeks, they have grown upset that they are not making more progress.

The situation has gotten so dire that Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), last seen avoiding questions about why she continues to coddle her antisemitic House colleague Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), has privately indicated that she believes she won't have a chance at winning the Senate seat she's vying for next year if Biden stays on the ticket:

Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.), who is running for the state’s open Senate seat, has expressed concern to allies that she may not be able to win her race if Biden is at the top of the ticket, according to people familiar with the conversations. A spokesman for Slotkin’s campaign said she “looks forward to running with President Biden.”

Look, no Democrat is "looking forward to running with President Biden" in this political climate, and barring some major development for the better with the economy, his "ocean floor" level numbers are unlikely to change. Regardless of him putting the blame on his PR team, it's Biden himself who is his own worst enemy, and no amount of spin to the contrary changes that.