President Joe Biden bets on the middle with campus protests

President Biden is betting somewhere in the middle.

Biden, a centrist Democrat who defeated several more progressive rivals in the 2020 primary, this week criticized the college campus protests that have engulfed the country and said he has no intention of changing policy on Israel’s war in Gaza. He said there would be no protection if they became violent. .

The words were measured. Biden said people have the right to protest, and the president hinted at his displeasure with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

But this comes even as Republicans have stepped up attacks on him, calling him ineffective and saying he is doing too little to quell divisive protests. It was also a clear signal that he believes there is a broad middle class of people.

Whether it works is another matter.

The national unrest is reminiscent of 1968, when incumbent Democratic Vice President Hubert Humphrey was defeated by a law-and-order Republican amid campus clashes over the war.

Progressives angry about U.S. military aid to Israel amid the massacre in Gaza are certain to be unhappy with Biden, perhaps especially over his statements that his policies won’t change during the protests. You will be dissatisfied.

But after Thursday’s remarks, most Democrats, including progressives, expressed support for Biden’s approach.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (R-Vt.), who voted against the military, said, “He’s exactly right in saying he doesn’t want violent protests. Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia or anything like that. We will never tolerate prejudice.” He told CNN he expressed his support for Israel.

At the same time, Sanders issued a warning to Biden, alluding to 1968 and saying the protests could be Biden’s Vietnam War.

Mr. Sanders suggested that Mr. Biden change course and reconsider his Middle East policy.

“Certainly from a policy standpoint, from a moral standpoint, I would really like to see the president stop handing Prime Minister Netanyahu a blank check, and from a political standpoint, I think this has not happened yet. I hope they understand “helpful.” Quite the opposite is true,” the senator said.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) did not address the president’s remarks, but said: said on social platform X“All leaders should de-escalate, support non-violent protesters and free speech, and condemn violence and hatred of all kinds.”

Some progressives took a different approach.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Thursday shared a post from Patrick Gaspard, director of the Center for American Progress. Who said that in X?: “I have trespassed on peaceful protests. I have shut down government institutions with civil disobedience. I have peacefully but disorderly opposed the lives of those in power. It’s the American tradition of Thomas Paine, David Thoreau, Rosa Parks.

The stakes are high for Biden ahead of what is expected to be a tight election against former President Donald Trump.

It’s far from clear that Biden can count on progressives and young voters to support him, even in a race against Trump.

Ivan Zapien, a former Democratic National Committee official, said Biden’s approach to protests could cost him some votes because of what he says, but he could gain many more because of what he says. He said it was about understanding.

“Elections are a numbers game, so in a scenario like this you could lose two voters in one place and gain three in another,” Zapien said.

Zapien, like other Democrats, said it was “too early to speculate on the impact this will have on the November election.”

Biden has focused on more moderate voters for much of his presidency, but some argue that the overall protests could turn them off.

“When visually the country appears to be in chaos, it’s not good for Biden. It’s creating a backlash,” said a former Biden 2020 campaign official.

Trump is trying to cast Biden as either part of a woke mob or too weak to fight it. In that context, Biden’s comments serve as a backlash against the Trump campaign and the Republican Party.

The Biden-Trump battle is likely to be fought in seven battleground states, and a narrow electoral margin could make the difference.

A poll conducted this week by Emerson College Poll/The Hill shows Trump with a single-digit lead over Biden in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Shown.

Biden has campaigned in every battleground state since March, visiting North Carolina again this week and planning a visit to Wisconsin next week.

The danger for Biden, strategists say, is that voters will blame him for the domestic unrest that appears to be reflected in the campus protests.

“Perhaps the biggest challenges for incumbents are the continuing sense of disorder at the border, inflation, crime, geopolitics, and now on college campuses, which is increasing voter dissatisfaction.” George W. said Bruce Melman, a former senior official in President W.’s administration. Bush.

Republican strategist Doug Hay argued that Biden should have spoken out sooner, but could also appeal to many college students who feel the protests have gone too far.

“I don’t think being clear and consistent and speaking out early, which he clearly hasn’t, is in danger of alienating younger voters. Chapel Hill is a campus of about 24,000 students. ”, referring to the University of North Carolina, where protests occurred this week.

“We’re talking about 100 people who were there. I mean, there were 100 people protesting in support of Palestine, and obviously some counter-protesters…and on campus. I mean we have an overwhelming majority of students who want to go to class, who want to take tests, who want to go to sporting events, who want to congregate, some of whom are co-ed,” Hay said.

Some Democrats defended Mr. Biden’s approach as a way to distinguish himself from Mr. Trump, who they say would plunge the country back into chaos.

“Biden struck a perfect tone. No matter how Americans feel about the conflict between Israel and Gaza, there are ways to express those views and ways to cross the line,” the left-wing think tank said. said Jim Kessler, Third Way’s vice president of policy.

“There was only one person running for president who condoned and encouraged protesters to smash windows, attack police, and take over buildings, and that was Donald Trump on January 6th.”