Biden risks losing support from Dems amid D.C. gridlock

NEW YORK » President Joe Biden is losing support among critical groups in his political base as some of his core campaign promises falter, raising concerns among Democrats that the voters who put him in office may feel less enthusiastic about returning to the polls in next year’s midterm elections.

In just the past week, the push to change the nation’s immigration laws and create a path to citizenship for young immigrants brought illegally to the country as children faced a serious setback on Capitol Hill. Bipartisan negotiations to overhaul policing collapsed and searing images of Haitian refugees being mistreated at the U.S.Mexico border undermined Biden’s pledge of humane treatment for those seeking to enter the United States.

Taken together, the developments threaten to disillusion African Americans, Latinos, young people and independents, all of whom played a vital role in building a coalition that gave Democrats control of Congress and the White House last year. That’s creating a sense of urgency to broker some type of agreement between the party’s progressive and moderate wings to move forward with a $3.5 trillion package that would fundamentally reshape the nation’s social programs.

Failure to do so, party strategists warn, could devastate Democrats in the 2022 vote and raise questions about Biden’s path to reelection if he decides to seek a second term.

“Quoting Benjamin Franklin, if they don’t hang together, they’ll hang separately,” said James Carville, a veteran Democratic strategist. “They’ve got to get something done to have a chance.”

Despite such concerns, it’s likely too early for Democrats to panic.

While Biden’s approval ratings have taken a hit, for instance, they are significantly better than Donald Trump’s were at the same point in his presidency. With the midterms more than a year away, Biden and party leaders have time to course-correct.

Some of the past week’s challenges are more the result of inertia in a narrowly divided Congress rather than a failure of leadership by Biden. Other issues, including concerns about the future of abortion rights and anger at Republican efforts to restrict voting rights, may galvanize Democrats even if they’re disappointed by Washington’s persistent gridlock.