Led, Not Leading

I have recounted this before and need to do so again.

When Bill Clinton hired Dick Morris in the nineties, Morris purportedly told Clinton that the purpose of polling was not to tell you what to do, but to tell you how to sell what you want to do.

Joe Biden, wrong about everything for the last fifty years, has failed that key lesson. Today, he will announce executive action to secure the southern border. It is something he could have done three years ago. He is only doing it now because he is being led by the polls instead of leading.

Immigration and border security are major issues. For the last few months, they have been the top issues for Americans. Biden, acting now, opens himself to criticism for not acting soon.

But Biden is acting at this particular moment because he does not want to secure the border. By waiting until this moment and by broadcasting what he will do, he has given progressive activists enough time to prepare their lawsuits and run to court to enjoin his actions. A progressive judge in California will probably halt the executive order. Biden will try to look tough while also ensuring he can blame the courts for not letting him have his way. Unlike student loans, he will not try to find his way around this injunction.

This is all theater.

Joe Biden could have done this sooner. But he does not want to rock his base. He is doing it now to ensure the progressives can stop him while, due to polling, he seems like he is doing something.

This is the problem with a polling-led presidency. Biden shifted his position on Israel and the border because of polling. The only thing he cannot shift on is high grocery prices. Instead, he’ll scream “convicted felon” to distract people from their bills.

That is not leadership. It is why Biden is so unpopular. He hasn’t sold the American people on his policies. He’s been led around by a progress clamp on his nose, going whichever way the wind blows.