Clinton's campaign had it right when they said "it's the economy, stupid!" And there is one other thing to remember- the President always gets credit or blame for what happens during his watch. It doesn't matter how much he can or cannot influence things or whether or not he or his predecessor had a larger effect. The one in the White House now is the one who has to take the beating or gets to bask in the glory.
I think Biden's team has forgotten this, because they keep trying to find someone else to blame for problems that they could be trying to fix, but don't always want to. The left wing of the party wants fuel costs to go up, because they think it will move the country towards alternative fuels more quickly. But the cost of gas will need to increase by a massive amount in order to make an EV purchase viable for many Americans... who will then not be able to afford that EV after spending all of their savings on gas.
The war in Ukraine is having a significant effect on gas prices, but that is in part because we have reduced our own production so much. And any benefit the administration gains from having Russia as a villain is offset by the fear and concern that come from a possible war in Europe, this time against a desperate enemy who has more nukes than we can count, and perhaps a willingness to use them. If you think high prices and food shortages are a possibility now, just wait until Uncle Vlad irradiates a quarter of the world's fertile soil from his deathbed.
I didn't feel concerned when Biden/Harris won. I figured Biden would take the Clinton route and "talk liberal yet walk moderate" and keep things moving along. But he's being managed by people who want to do the right thing but are overwhelmed, or want to do the wrong thing and are proving quite capable. Either way, we still have more than two years of an administration whose motto is "hold my beer." We're right back in the mid-70s.
