Reality can be the cruelest of mistresses.
This fact, one assumes, is not lost on Joe Biden.
Last month, the president’s public approval reached its lowest point in nearly two years. Biden’s approval rating among young Americans is particularly low.
His administration’s inability to connect with this crucial demographic spells trouble for the Democrats. The youth vote could prove to be a decisive factor in November.
Enter “Won’t PAC Down,” a new super PAC with a star-studded Hollywood lineup. The group’s mission? Rejuvenate Biden’s appeal among young voters.
Imagine writers and comedians from “Saturday Night Live” and “Parks and Recreation” joining forces with political strategists to inject some much-needed energy into Biden’s image.
Well, imagine no more.
Hollywood vets and Biden alums launch super PAC to shore up his youth vote problem https://t.co/JMvn7ZOKgi
— POLITICO (@politico) June 9, 2024
Their primary goal is to make Biden appear humorous (no easy feat). They intend to achieve this by using a potent mix of comedy and insight designed specifically for Millennials and Gen Zers. Instead of banking on tired celebrity endorsements, they’re enlisting young writers, directors and producers to craft stories that resonate with youth culture.
Victor Borge famously suggested that “laughter is the shortest distance between two people.” That explains the super PAC’s somewhat laughable attempt.
Will witty remarks and carefully curated content be enough to boost Biden’s standing among the young and restless?
The answer is almost certainly no.
When it comes to Biden, according to NBC News, young voices across the political landscape are expressing a range of grievances, from disgust to distrust, driven by a sense of disconnection from the current administration. The initial excitement they initially felt for Biden has faded under the harsh light of reality, leaving young voters feeling dismayed, deflated and dejected.
Concerns about the president’s cognitive decline, once softly whispered in the corridors of power, are now openly discussed. The concern transcends partisan lines and touches on a deeper anxiety about Biden’s ability to lead in a world that appears to be edging closer to a third world war.
In short, all the joke writers in the world can’t save Biden.
RELATED: LATE NIGHT PANIC: BIDEN COULD LOSE TO TRUMP
As Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, put it, “Younger voters don’t approve of the job Biden is doing, don’t particularly like him very much, don’t think he has the mental fitness to be president and don’t think he’s handling the most important issues very well.”
Biden’s rival, on the other hand, is doing well with younger voters. Polls indicate that Donald Trump is gaining significant traction among young Americans.
Trump’s unconventional and provocative style resonates with a segment of the youth drawn to his outsider status and his willingness to challenge the establishment.
His presence on social media, where he remains a highly visible and influential figure, also helps him connect with younger voters who consume much of their news and information through these platforms.
WOW: Donald Trump just posted his second post on TikTok with Logan Paul
pic.twitter.com/z0JvaYQM0m
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) June 12, 2024
Trump was made for social media. Biden was not.
However, as The Washington Post just reported, a group of Democratic donors are working tirelessly to try and make Biden look cool. Again, not an easy task. Ignoring their own worries about young voter disillusionment reflected in Biden’s sagging poll numbers, they’ve devised a rather shameless new strategy to energize voters in at least seven critical states.
By organizing dance parties and comedy shows, and plying attendees with free beer, manicures and contraceptives, donors think this will be enough to convince the skeptics.
Hollywood successfully rallied to Joe Biden’s side in 2020. Don’t expect a sequel.
This glorified PR stunt reeks of desperation, much like the effort to enlist comedy scribes. With inflation soaring, a cost of living crisis crippling the country and an increasingly porous border, there is little to laugh about in America today.
John Mac Ghlionn is a researcher and essayist. He covers psychology and social relations and has a keen interest in social dysfunction and media manipulation. Follow him on Twitter @ghlionn.
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