Imagine you're a White House staffer, or even Joe Biden himself. Suffering from a serious case of bad political news, you decide to tune into CNN's New Day, assured of some chicken soup for the soul.
But, wait a second! They're talking of Democrats "panicked" over Biden's "abysmal, spectacular, failures." They're rolling an SNL clip mocking Biden over approval ratings so low, they're in "power-save" mode.
You shake the remote: did you unintentionally tune into that horrible right-wing network? This can't be happening! But, sadly for the Biden's folks, there was no mistake. That actually was New Day, absolutely taking it to the prez over his multiple failures.
Here's how substitute host Kasie Hunt teased the segment:
"President Biden, ending his first year with so many challenges. The White House leaving Democrats panicked, and frustrated."
She subsequently played the SNL clip, which in addition to mocking Biden's "power-save mode" approval ratings, also noted that, "just like everybody else, President Biden's New Year's resolutions fell apart in the third week of January."
Ouch!
Panelist Mara Schiavocampo then took the baton. After pointing to some things she described as Biden accomplishments, she continued:
But the failures have been pretty spectacular as well! When we look at the handling of Covid recently, it has been just abysmal!
She highlighted Biden's failure to deliver on his promise to provide free testing kits:
The best that the White House can do is say, well, you could get reimbursed by your insurance company, if you have insurance and if you can find a test. Or you can order a test from us, but the website isn't up yet, and it might take 12 days for it to get to you.
Talk about injection-site pain!
Hunt ended the segment with this observation, which should make Dem hearts run cold:
"A lot of Democrats that I have been talking to are throwing up flags, especially those who have to run for re-election in 2022."
For the sake of their psyches, perhaps Biden & Co. should stop watching the news altogether. Instead, may we suggest the Cartoon Network?
Note: Don't imagine that, for all her criticism of Biden's performance, Schiavocampo is some sort of conservative. We recently caught her lumping the United States with China, Iran, and Saudi Arabia as a fellow human-rights violator!
CNN's New Day highlighting Biden's "spectacular, abysmal, failures" was sponsored in part by Discover, CVS, GlaxoSmithKline, maker of ChapStick, Zip Recruiter, Sleep Number, and Clear Choice.
Here's the transcript.
CNN
New Day
1/17/22
6:14 am ETKASIE HUNT: President Biden, ending his first year with so many challenges. The White House leaving Democrats panicked, and frustrated.
Democrats, of course, sometimes mocked for worrying too much. But now the worry is so pervasive that it has made it all the way to SNL. Let's take a look.
COLIN JOST: Well, just like everybody else, President Biden's New Year's resolutions fell apart in the third week of January. The Supreme Court struck down his vaccine mandate. The voting rights bill got blocked. And his approval level is so low it's gone into power-save mode. I think Biden just needs more time. He might be more of an acquired taste. Unfortunately most Americans recently lost their sense of taste.
HUNT: [as co-host John Berman laughs out loud] Pretty rough. Pretty rough.
MARA SCHIAVOCAMPO: There is a lot of frustration here over what Biden has not been able to accomplish. I mean, think of where we were around the inauguration roughly this time last year, and the promises he was making: to get Covid under control, to restore a sense of national unity, and some stability after four years of chaos. And, to pass this really ambitious legislative agenda.
Now, look at where we are today. Covid continues to run rampant. The Supreme Court just struck down part of that vaccine mandate. Inflation is at a 40-year high. And Build Back Better and voting rights are all but dead.
Now, there have been some really significant accomplishments. We can look at the bipartisan support for infrastructure which passed, we can look at the stimulus bill. But the failures have been pretty spectacular as well!
When we look at the handling of Covid recently, it has been just abysmal! We have had two years to figure out how to get testing right, to make it widespread, and free, and rapid. And the best that the White House can do is say, well, you could get reimbursed by your insurance company, if you have insurance and if you can find a test. Or you can order a test from us, but the website isn't up yet, and it might take 12 days for it to get to you.
I mean, some of these failures can be attributed to Republican obstructionism and to Manchin and Sinema, but a lot of it Biden has to own.
HUNT: Well, there was a decision in the White House to focus on vaccination, not on testing. That, of course, led partly to where we are. I know a lot of Democrats that I have been talking to are throwing up flags, especially those who have to run for re-election in 2022.
