Mary Jo McConnell, 67, who responded to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll and holds two part-time jobs to supplement her Social Security benefits, told me she just shakes her head when Biden says the economy is in good shape. But she has no love for Trump either.
"The politicians are out of touch in that they don't understand what most of us are going through," McConnell said.
A separate Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last month showed widespread pessimism on almost every front. More than 65% of registered voters said the country was "on the wrong track" on issues such as the economy, the cost of living, immigration and the political environment.
The good news for Biden is that many of the voters who are down on him haven't defected to Trump. The president's campaign told me they believe they can bring those voters back into the fold before November and that few of them will ultimately cross over to support Trump.
That may have been one reason why Biden this week signed an executive measure that clamps down on border security, instituting restrictions that were similar to those put in place during the Trump administration.
But right now, the election seems to favor the carnage-and-chaos narrative that Trump spreads, which he has amplified with his conviction on 34 felony counts last week. Trump has tried to turn the guilty verdict into a referendum on America's judicial system – and the fate of the country itself – by describing himself as a "political prisoner of a failing nation."
His most fervent supporters responded to the verdict with calls for violence and retribution. Trump warned jailing him might push the country to a "breaking point."
Some Republicans responded to the verdict by saying they could no longer support Trump, but the Biden campaign was still unsure whether it ultimately would have much of an impact.
For Biden and his campaign's sake, they better hope something registers with the public soon to put them in a brighter frame of mind. Have they considered cat videos?
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