By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
Republican Congressman Sam Graves says he’s not surprised President Joe Biden, a Democrat, is falling in public opinion polls.
Graves, first elected to Congress in 2000, says he’s never seen a president make so many missteps on so many issues.
“Whether that’s Afghanistan, with spending, with what’s going on now calling parents domestic terrorists over school board issues; just everything like that. It’s one misstep after the other and you’re seeing it in the president’s numbers,” Graves tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. “He’s only been in office since January 20th and he’s just cratering right now.”
Biden ordered the withdrawal of the U.S. military from Afghanistan at the end of August. During the chaotic evacuation procedures at the Kabul airport, terrorists set off suicide bombs that killed 13 U.S. service members and dozens of civilians. The president has been advocating a $3.5 trillion spending package on a variety of programs in wake of a $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has sent a memo to the FBI stating that a “disturbing spike” in harassment, intimidation, and threats at local school board meetings should be discourage and prosecuted, if appropriate.
Recent polling indicates that fewer American approve of President Biden’s performance than disapprove. A Gallup poll in early September reported Biden’s approval rating dropped 6% to 43%. A more recent public opinion poll taken by Quinnipiac University indicates only 38% of Americans approve of the president’s job performance, while 53% disapprove. A new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research provides a less pessimistic assessment, stating 50% of Americans say they approve of Biden, while 49% disapprove.
Graves says his constituents in northern Missouri worry most about inflation and the prospect of higher taxes.
“They’re worried about taxes overall,” Graves says “I think they understand that when you raise taxes $2 ½ trillion it’s going to hit everybody. You can say all you want to it’s just going to hit the rich, but it’s going to hit everybody.”
Graves staunchly opposes the $3.5 trillion spending package being pushed by the president, but knows two people will likely decide whether it passes or not. Graves says all House Republicans oppose the measure with Senate Republicans also united in opposition. That leaves the issue in the hands of moderate Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, since the Senate if evenly split at 50-50 with Vice President Kamala Harris holding the tie-breaking vote.
“The fate of the country and people’s pocketbooks hang in the balance. That’s a lot of power to put into one or even two individual’s laps. And I know they’re feeling that pressure as well,” Graves says. “But they represent states, they may be Democrats, but they still represent states that are pretty conservative.”
Graves rejects the president’s assertion that the massive spending bill can be paid for through taxing the rich. Graves insists Congress would have to raise taxes on everybody to pay for the measure.