As Biden says regularly: “Don’t compare me to the almighty … compare me to the alternative.” Even at 44 percent job approval, he’s more popular than the Republican Party. And Democrats have a slight edge on the generic ballot against the GOP.
But on issues like inflation, and managing the economy generally, he struggles with voters. And Republicans have been hammering him on violent crime and undocumented immigration across the southern border. If you’re the GOP, why change the subject?
In crass political terms, the South Carolina Republican’s legislation won’t pass in this Congress, would face an uphill slog unless the GOP makes unexpectedly huge Senate gains in November, and would certainly fall prey to Biden’s veto.
It might send a warning to any Democrats contemplating getting rid of the legislative filibuster, which would make a national ban possible with a simple majority. But it’s generally what is known as a “messaging bill.”