Although they are still far from landing in a safe port, this week both the president Joe Biden Like the Democrats in USA they scored a string of “victories,” or moments, that breathed new life into their electoral prospects.
(Read here: Beijing takes relations with Washington to their lowest level in years)
Particularly, facing the legislative elections next November, where control of the House of Representatives and the Senate will be at stake, but which could have implications even in the 2024 presidential.
(You may be interested: The United States summons the Chinese ambassador for actions against Taiwan)
And it is that, without prioritizing them, this week the democrats signed up the assassination in Kabul of Ayman al-Zawahirithe number one terrorist organization Al Qaeda; the defeat of a referendum in Kansas that sought to eliminate the state protections for abortion that currently exist in the conservative state and the trip of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, to Taiwan and her message of hardening against China .
That added to the growing possibility that a historic law to combat climate change will be approved, the falling cost of gasoline prices and signs that inflation could begin to take hold.
Although they are all relevant, what happened in Kansas, one of the most conservative states in the country, caused particular interest given that, to a certain extent, the referendum was the first “examination”, from an electoral perspective, of the recent decision of the Court Supreme Court to overturn the previous sentence –with almost 50 years of existence– on the right to abortion in the US.
To the voters of Kansas they were asked this week if, in light of the court’s decision, they wanted to impose a constitutional ban on the state. The answer was an overwhelming “no.” Some 62 percent of voters were against it, compared to 37 percent who agreed.
“We already knew that a majority of Americans support abortion rights. But the results in Kansas show that their defense is something that motivates voters, even in such conservative states, and that it should be exploited by the Democrats in these upcoming elections”, says Xochitl Hinojosa, political strategist for this party.
Biden, with a single blow, not only beheads Al Qaeda but also leaves these Islamic extremists on the ropes
While Kansas was a one-state exercise, there’s no question it opens up a range of possibilities for Democrats and puts Republicans on the defensive.
In another dimension, but of equal relevance, the blow against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan could raise Biden’s popularity ratings, which were at the bottom (39 percent on average, according to the 538 portal).
Al Zawahiri was considered one of the intellectual authors of the attacks against New York and Washington on September 11, 2001 and headed the organization since 2011 after the assassination in Pakistan of its leader Osama Bin Laden.
His death, caused by a missile launched from a drone, strengthens the image of President Biden as an armed leader and counteracts the narrative of being a weak president used by his rivals.
In addition, it allows him to justify the cumbersome withdrawal of this country, a year ago, and demonstrate that even without a presence on the ground, global terrorism can be combated.
According to Abdul Basit, a terrorism expert at the University of Singapore, with an international benefit: exposing the Taliban as accomplices of Al Qaeda, since the house where Al Zawahiri fell was located in one of the best neighborhoods in Kabul where many live. of the leaders of this organization.
“The assassination will have a serious impact on the Taliban who are desperate for financial support and international recognition. Biden, with a single blow, not only beheads Al Qaeda but also leaves these Islamic extremists on the ropes”, Basit affirms, considering that this blow could mark a definitive end for the terrorist organization, which will probably have to seek refuge in another country and whose influence was receding.
At the same time, this week tension emerged with China on account of Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan.
While no one yet knows what the geostrategic cost of the Democratic leader’s bold move will be; At the moment, Beijing announced trade sanctions against the island and carried out the largest military exercises in its history in the Taiwan Strait, which has more than one concerned about a possible regional and even global escalation.
Furthermore, relations between the US and China escalated to one of the most tense moments in recent history.
Although the White House kept its distance and insisted that the Democratic leader’s trip did not change the position of “strategic ambiguity” of the United States in the face of the delicate situation – not diplomatically recognizing Taipei, but maintaining strong ties with its government – it is obvious that the tour had the approval of Biden and fits with the president’s rhetoric in defense of democracy and in opposition to autocratic regimes.
Pelosi, in her stop of just 19 hours, insisted that US solidarity with Taiwan was now “more crucial than ever,” a clear allusion to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the prospect of Beijing copying the formula and try reunification by military means.
As in the case of Al Qaeda, at least in the domestic era, the Democratic maneuver dispels the Republican argument of a party that is weak in foreign policy and that is not willing to contain the advance of the Asian giant, both globally and in Latin America.
Again, this is a risky move that could come back to them in the medium or long term if it translates into a confrontation with a military and commercial angle, since the last thing Biden needs is another heart attack in the production and supply chains. That, since China is a great supplier and consumer, it would be massive.
In the short, however, he also adds the president and the Democrats.
relief to come
Both Biden and his allies in Congress are about to approve a gigantic economic package that includes more than $433 billion in investments to reduce climate change, expand renewable energy sources and reduce the cost of medicine.
The project, which has a good part of the government objectives that Biden had outlined, was dead a week ago. And not because of Republican opposition, but because of legislators from his own party: West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who finally reached an agreement, and the endorsement now depends on the approval of Kyrsten Sinema, also a Democrat but of a centrist nature.
If they succeed, which is very likely, it would be the most important legislative victory for the president and something that could put his agenda back on track. But, above all, it would be a new encouragement for those who voted for him and were frustrated by the few results of his administration.
That added to the reduction in gasoline prices by 25% per gallon and with a downward trend. Well, although they are still high relative to historical prices, the decline is improving the economic climate that weighed like a black cloud over Biden.
In politics, of course, a good week can be gone in the blink of an eye. But, for Biden and the Democrats, who had been weathering an intense storm for months, the one that just passed has been a balm.
SERGIO GOMEZ MASERI
TIME CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON
More news
#Joe #Biden #breath #fresh #air #crisis