CNN political analyst Errol Louis warned that President Biden will "lose" his re-election bid if he keeps his campaign focused on touting his economic policies, which his administration has dubbed "Bidenomics," if voters "don't perceive" it in time.
During a segment of "CNN This Morning" on Friday, Louis told host Poppy Harlow that Biden needs to drop the Bidenomics talk because the voters aren’t happy with the economy.
"He’s tried to use ‘Bidenomics' because the economy is always the number one issue. The polls are suggesting that’s not necessarily going over very well with people, in part because of inflation, maybe misperceptions about some other things, maybe just an unfortunate lag," he said.
Instead, he advised that Biden should focus on things that have worked for him in the past, like telling the voters how he’ll defend democracy from "threats" like former President Trump.
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The discussion began with Harlow mentioning Biden’s recent campaign memo saying that the "threat Donald Trump posed in 2020 to American democracy has only grown more dire since then."
Addressing Louis, she said, "You were indicating earlier in the program, I think if I read you right, this is a really strong political card for Biden. Is it the strongest?"
Louis affirmed it’s Biden’s best play, or at the very least, it's stronger than the economic pitch he’s been trying to give.
Various polls in recent months show that a majority of Americans and a large chunk of Democratic voters are unsatisfied with Biden’s handling of the economy despite the media and the White House stating Biden’s policies are helping.
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A bombshell New York Times/Siena College poll conducted in October and released in November found that more than 60% of Americans in battleground states do not have a favorable view of the economy.
"Sure, the economy might be getting better, but if voters don’t perceive it in time, then he’ll lose," Louis predicted.
He then mentioned where Biden should shift his focus.
"So I think they moved on to the next thing and the polling suggests that it is, in fact, the defense of democracy is very high [interest among voters]. There are some split decisions over what to do about it and that’s where the art of the campaign is going to start to really take precedence."
Following the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to ban Trump from the state’s primary ballot, Biden indicated he accepted the ruling, telling reporters, "Now whether the 14th Amendment applies, let the court make that decision. But he [Trump] certainly supported an insurrection. No question about it. None. Zero."
Louis reminded viewers that the defense of democracy strategy is a proven game plan for Biden.
"As a starting point, it worked for him in 2020," he said. "It was his origin story, right? He said when he saw the march in Charlottesville, the hate march, and that — he associated that with Donald Trump and said, ‘We’ve got to do better.’ That was kind of his core political message, and because he won, you’ve got to assume that it worked."
