Biden Administration Sees Legislative Wins as Chance To Rebrand a Flagging Presidency

President Biden’s signing of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act Tuesday is intended to mark a turning point in his presidency — or at least in how his presidency is being marketed.His supporters have latched onto the act, which despite the name primarily addresses climate change and government spending, as evidence that #BidenDeliversAGAIN, as the hashtag is meant to convey.The effort to gin up online support comes hot on the heels of another viral campaign — the “Dark Brandon” moment — that briefly captured the attention of his terminally online Democratic supporters last week. One of the Dark Brandon memes circulated, titled “Dark Brandon Wins Again,” touted the Inflation Reduction Act, the CHIPS and Science Act, the PACT Act, historically low unemployment, gun safety legislation, and once-in-a-generation infrastructure investments, among others, as worthy of note.It was one of hundreds of posts online pushing a new image of the president as an outwardly goofy but quietly effective politician operating the levers of power.The campaign can be traced to a White House staffer, Andrew Bates, who appropriated the Dark Brandon meme from the online right, which had been using the meme to criticize the president. The meme takes its name from the “Let’s go Brandon” chant that has long been a favorite of the president’s critics.The meme depicts the president as a laser-eyed, Machiavellian mastermind hiding behind the facade of an aging politician.Mr. Bates started the trend by tweeting, “Dark Brandon is crushing it,” alongside an image of the president shooting lasers from his eyes and saying, “Your malarkey has been going on for long enough, kiddo.”Although perhaps frivolous, the meme appears to reflect a changing attitude toward the president, among at least some members of the public. This week, “#BidenDeliversAGAIN” is trending because of Biden’s latest legislative victory, the Inflation Reduction Act. The signing of the act marks a long-awaited victory for Democrats, and an opportunity for his administration to change its messaging, according to a political scientist at Hamilton College, Philip Klinkner.“Democrats can make an argument that having them in office really makes a difference,” he tells the Sun. “Actually the first two years of Biden’s terms have been remarkable in terms of legislation.”This push to shout about the successful legislation also draws contrast between Mr. Biden and his once and possibly future political opponent, President Trump.While Mr. Biden is signing legislation, Mr. Trump is embroiled in yet another investigation. Even a Fox News pundit, Laura Ingraham, is suggesting that “maybe it’s time to turn the page” on Mr. Trump.Voters also seem to be taking notice. While still unpopular, Mr. Biden’s approval has climbed in recent weeks.FiveThirtyEight’s running average of polls on the president’s approval rating shows that Mr. Biden has enjoyed about a two-and-a-half-point bump since his low of 37.5 percent approval in late July.Rasmussen Reports, a Republican pollster, reports more generous improvements for Mr. Biden. On July 22 it reported that 36 percent of Americans approved of the president, a number that rose to a recent high of 45 percent on August 8 but settled to 43 percent on August 16.This nine-point climb in popularity corresponded to a shift in attitudes about Speaker Pelosi and Democrats more broadly. On August 15, Rasmussen Reports found that some 41 percent of voters had a favorable view of Mrs. Pelosi, up from 36 percent in April. Democrats have climbed to a tie with Republicans in generic ballot polling, with some pollsters giving the former a small edge. FiveThirtyEight’s generic ballot average now gives the Democrats a half-point lead over Republicans.While still unpopular, Mr. Biden is closing the gap on where Mr. Trump was at this point in his presidency — 42 percent approval — and is similarly popular to where President Reagan was in August 1982.

Biden Administration Sees Legislative Wins as Chance To Rebrand a Flagging Presidency

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