Biden really needed this.
President Biden was handed a much-needed political lifeline on Wednesday afternoon after Democratic lobbying paid off, and it was revealed Justice Stephen Beyer would be retiring from the Supreme Court at the end of his term this Summer.
Biden has been reeling.
According to the FiveThirtyEight average, Biden’s approval numbers are the lowest they have been since he became President. Voting bills and Build Back Better have been obliterated.
Migration from the Southern border is out of control.
Inflation is agitating Americans who are now more concerned about the nation’s economic outlook.
Ukraine, Afghanistan, and schools are also weighing down Biden’s approval ratings.
But replacing Justice Breyer could be the light at the end of the tunnel, affording Biden the opportunity to appoint his first Supreme Court Justice and fulfill a campaign promise to appoint the first Black woman Justice.
This could also be an easy win as Biden would not need bipartisan support to confirm his nomination.
Yet analysts are not convinced the headline-grabbing Supreme Court confirmation will have any staying power.
Discussing Biden’s lifeline on Fox News, Larry Sabato, University of Virginia Center for Politics, emphasized that voters would not be distracted by Biden’s move, saying “Most voters can walk and chew gum and even play basketball at the same time, so it’s not going to change the subject.”
Yet he acknowledged it would give “Biden a respite from almost completely negative headlines.” Before questioning how long that would last.
Ahead of the midterms, the confirmation also gives Democrats a badly needed talking point.
This may be why top Senate Democrats –– like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer –– have emphasized that they plan to expedite confirming Breyer’s replacement, with speculation they could act on a nomination before Breyer’s term is over.
A speedy nomination and confirmation may seem like a win to Democrats, but if that is the case, the Supreme Court issue will be out of the news months before the midterms.
