NEWS AND OPINION:
Pollsters are busy charting the potential outcome of the presidential election. Some of the findings are not very promising for one hopeful, however.
“President Biden may have reached a point of no return as he fights for a second term amidst a stagflationary economy, a worsening situation at a porous border, and an unstable Middle East with turmoil spreading like cancer,” according to the Tippinsights.com editorial board — home to the noteworthy TIPP Poll.
“Fewer than 30% give the president favorable grades on all ten issues TIPP Poll tracks. After rebounding from his first term low of 33% in December, President Biden‘s job approval ratings improved to 36% in January. It remained at 36% in February, increased to 37% in March, and stays this month at 37%.” the editorial board said.
Those aforementioned issues include immigration and border security, violence and crime, the economy, spending and taxes, and handling North Korea, Iran, China, the Israel-Hamas conflict, and the Russia-Ukraine war.
“Among Democrats, more than two-thirds (70%) approve of the job he is doing as president. In contrast, most Republicans (83%) and a significant share of independents (59%) disapprove. While two-thirds (66%) of liberals approve, only 20% of conservatives and a third of moderates (38%) express approval,” the board noted.
The results are from a nationwide TIPP Poll of 1,432 Americans April 3-5 and released April 10.
THAT PENNSYLVANIA TOUR
President Biden is on a three-day tour of Pennsylvania, his birth state and a battleground state in the 2024 election. Press coverage has emphasized that while former President Donald Trump appears in a New York courtroom, Mr. Biden is enjoying his visit and, according to The New York Times, will “talk taxes and hit Trump.”
Other headlines include “Biden hits Trump on the economy in Pennsylvania as former president attends hush money trial” (The Hill) and “Biden pushes his economic populism in battleground Pennsylvania as Trump is stuck in a New York courtroom” (CNN).
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley has a different take.
“As Joe Biden visits the Keystone State today, Pennsylvanians are struggling because of Bidenomics. Pennsylvania families are suffering from historic inflation, unaffordable gas prices, and record high housing costs. It’s no wonder why Pennsylvanians will vote to make America affordable again and elect President Trump in November,” he countered in a written statement.
AN EYE ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
A quartet of U.S. senators are adding some intelligence to artificial intelligence, or the use of computers and machines that can mimic or simulate human intelligence.
Sens. Mitt Romney of Utah, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Jerry Moran of Kansas and Angus King of Maine have revealed the first congressional framework to deal exclusively with the “extreme risks” that could emerge in the future.
“AI has the potential to dramatically improve and transform our way of life, but it also comes with enormous risks to national security and our humanity at large,” Mr. Romney said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
“My colleagues and I have spent the last several months developing a framework which would create safeguards and provide oversight of frontier AI models aimed at preventing foreign adversaries and bad actors from misusing advanced AI to cause widespread harm. It is my hope that our proposal will serve as a starting point for discussion on what actions Congress should take on AI — without hampering American innovation,” he said.
The lawmakers have sent a seven-page letter sent to Senate artificial intelligence working group leaders,
The senators’ proposal would establish federal oversight of frontier model hardware, development, and deployment to mitigate AI-enabled extreme risks from biological, chemical, cyber and nuclear threats.
“As Congress considers how to approach new technology developments, the senators’ framework aims to prioritize the national security implications of AI while ensuring our domestic AI industry is able to develop and maintain an advantage over foreign adversaries. This framework is limited to frontier models — the most advanced AI models that are still yet to be developed,” background information sent from Mr. Romney’s office stated.
INSIGHT ON ‘THE OLD GUARD’
Let us have a round of applause for Ed Rollins, a veteran Republican strategist with a storied career. Among many things, Mr. Rollins served as a senior adviser to President Ronald Reagan and served as his national campaign director for the 1984 election in which Reagan won 49 states.
Mr. Rollins is also a self-described “conservative warrior,” and is watching the current presidential bout with much interest. He has a few recommendations.
“Politics needs strategy. An old boxer, I don’t intimidate easily. First, analyze your candidate. Anticipate what the other side can do. Make a control system. President Nixon told me: ‘Every day something will come up. Keep your head clear. Be a war general,’” Mr. Rollins told New York Post columnist Cindy Adams.
“I had 700 people working for me but I only dealt with the president. I restricted access to me. And worked to discipline my candidate. Also necessary to investigate your opposition. Get in the helicopter, on the boat, look personally at what’s happening, make decisions on the spot,” he said.
Mr. Rollins, a senior political analyst for Fox News and a senior presidential fellow at Hofstra University, also had insight into President Biden — and former President Donald Trump as well.
“Biden’s the old guard. Representing a very small state for 50 years. His game’s only to give away more stuff. He is what he always was. No commander-in-chief, never chosen to lead in the Senate. No world leader. But people don’t care about infrastructure. They care about inflation. Immigration. Trump can’t get younger or sharper but he definitely has a chance at reelection,” Mr. Rollins said.
POLL DU JOUR
• 16% of registered U.S. voters consider themselves “very conservative” in their political views; 20% of men and 13% of women agree.
• 19% consider themselves “somewhat conservative” in their views; 19% of men and 19% of women agree.
• 36% consider themselves “moderate”; 37% of men and 35% of women agree.
• 12% say they are “somewhat liberal”; 9% of men and 15% of women agree.
• 11% say they are “very liberal”; 10% of men and 13% of women agree.
• 5% don’t know or refused to answer the question; 5% of men and 5% of women agree.
SOURCE: A New York Times/Siena College poll of 875 registered U.S. voters conducted April 7-11.
• Follow Jennifer Harper on X at @Harperbulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse.