Leading Democratic strategist Doug Schoen is calling for the Biden campaign to alter its approach, cautioning that the “uniquely tone-deaf” White House’s reluctance to heed advice from influential political insiders could jeopardize Joe Biden’s chances of reelection.
“The White House is uniquely tone deaf and not listening to not only me but two Democratic insiders who’ve been in past campaigns, who’ve been successful with the Obama administration, the Clinton administration,” the former Clinton adviser stated during a Fox & Friends interview on Wednesday.
He added, “There’s a near-total freeze out on outside advice to the detriment of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.”
Schoen is among several Democratic strategists, including former Obama adviser David Axelrod, warning that Democrats should brace for a potential Republican victory in November if Biden doesn’t revise his strategy.
Earlier in May, Axelrod issued a stark warning to Biden, saying that Biden’s failure to recognize that voters are viewing the economy “through the lens of the cost of living” is “a terrible mistake.”
“His desire to claim credit [for the economy] is a huge obstacle to connecting with voters on this issue,” Axelrod commented on May 8, alluding to Biden’s attempts to tout positive economic indicators as a national achievement. “We learned this in 2011 and 2012. You can cite data until the cows come home, but what counts is how people are perceiving the economy.”
Schoen shared a similar perspective.
“They have no message on inflation. They have no message on the southern border. All that they appear to do is demonize Donald Trump and talk about their statistical record of accomplishment,” he cautioned. “And everything I see in my polls and every other poll says it just isn’t working.”
The Democratic strategist highlighted the cost of living as the paramount issue for the 2024 election, stating, “In an election where inflation is as high as it is and people have trouble at the pump and in the grocery paying their bills, I think this, unlike prior elections, is going to be uniquely impacted and ultimately decided by the economy.”
Schoen believes Biden still has a chance to win the election under one condition.
“He needs to show more empathy on the economy, on inflation. He needs to do something about the southern border. And he needs to have an agenda going forward that is sensitive to people’s needs and interests and concerns, not the current message,” he concluded.
