Desperate times call for desperate measures. Imagine what must be going on behind the scenes in Biden World for a story to be floated that the open-border president is considering signing an executive order to be a game-changer on illegal immigration.
It's reported by Axios that the executive order "would dramatically stanch the record flow of migrants into the Southwest." Joe Biden is counting on the State of the Union Address to provide an opportunity for a reset moment.
Make no mistake about it - the Biden White House and the Biden re-election campaign are in a panic over the fallout from the Hur report. Biden's open southern border is a serious mark against his governing abilities. He knows what is happening yet he refuses to correct course and take the proven actions that secure the southern border.
Democrats know that if the race continues as it is now, Biden will lose to Trump in November. Polling is horrible for Biden. He has lost almost all of the demographics he needs to win. What to do, what to do?
How about really shaking things up and pretending to be concerned about the border crisis that has turned into a border catastrophe? Biden has to do something to show he is in control and able to make big decisions. He has to show he can protect the homeland and the American people, his top job responsibility.
The State of the Union Address will be held on March 7. Team Biden is said to be preparing President Dementia by spending "hours on everything from the text to his physical preparation." It will be a huge event for Biden during a presidential election year.
Maybe Biden will get new sneakers with special rubber soles so that he doesn't fall over. We are just one bad fall from President Kamala Harris and no one wants that.
"Everyone around him is well aware — well aware — of the need to jack this campaign up," a source close to Biden said. "The only way to deal with the negative aftershocks of the special counsel's report [slamming Biden's age] is for the president to be out there, to be visible — to be strong of presence and strong of voice."
What would an executive order look like? Will he put back into place the programs and agreements he canceled on his first day in office because he was determined to do the opposite of what Trump did on a variety of issues, especially on the management of the southern border? He would have to swallow his pride to do that. He may try to do some kind of new app for illegal immigrants but the one in place has shown limited success. The number of illegal border crossers, those who cross without using a legal port of entry, far outnumber those crossing the border legally.
We know what works - the Remain in Mexico policy and quick deportations, for example, go a long way to discourage illegal immigration. If he announces a big statement about the border, how bold will he go?
Team Biden is putting Kamala Harris front and center in this debate. Is she the one who should be the administration's face in this matter, though? I don't see anything but failure when I look at her. And, hear that godawful cackle of a laugh. Kamala has been holding "listening sessions" with Democrat governors. Two weeks ago, she held a session, because as CNN reports, Democrats are coming home. Some top Democrats are beginning to feel that Biden's campaign "might be stumbling past a point of no return."
Democrat governors and others who visit the White House to voice their concerns about the southern border often leave without feeling they have been taken seriously.
Harris supporters hope this will propel her into a stronger leadership position.
Ashley Etienne, former communications director for Harris and then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, told Axios the sessions led by Harris are "finally starting to play to her strength." Etienne said "convener-in-chief" is a role long envisioned by Harris allies, who point to her high approval with some of the party's most vital constituencies — women voters, Black voters, younger voters.
Kamala Harris is less liked than Joe Biden. I don't see how she will suddenly capture the attention of key groups now when she has ignored the southern border as Biden has for more than three years. Just being able to call meetings and seat Democrats around a table doesn't do anything unless follow-up action is taken.
Biden is in a tough spot but it is of his own doing. He should not be running for re-election. The Hur report was devastating as it addressed his inability to do the job. The southern border is so chaotic and bad that it is number one on voters' lists of concerns, even above the economy for most Americans. The economy is the second issue of most concern. Biden thinks the economy is going great with his policies but that isn't what everyday voters feel as they try to meet monthly expenses. Inflation may be ebbing a bit but prices are still too high for most families.
We'll see what Biden's team comes up with during the State of the Union Address. Will it be too little, too late? Stay tuned.
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