“Meet the Press” moderator and NBC political editor Chuck Todd said that the chance to choose a new Supreme Court justice could be the “lifeline” that President Joe Biden needs as his poll numbers continued to slip.
Todd opened Sunday’s broadcast of NBC’s “Meet the Press” with a monologue suggesting that Biden’s nomination to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer could deliver the political “reset” the Biden administration has been seeking — a reset they need in the wake of two major legislative failures.
WATCH: A successful Supreme Court nominee will give Pres. Biden a much-needed political win after voting rights and Build Back Better.
Replacing Breyer won’t change the Court’s conservative tilt, but Biden could start to change the narrative of his presidency. pic.twitter.com/Bj05vHV3cH
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) January 30, 2022
“Just least week, we said President Biden was in desperate need of a reset. His poll numbers are falling, particularly among African Americans, and there’s real fear that Democrats’ midterm hopes will be sunk by a lack of enthusiasm among the very voters who put Mr. Biden in office,” Todd began as he opened the show.
“And then, just like that, Mr. Biden was thrown a lifeline,” Todd said, referencing Justice Breyer’s announcement that he intended to retire at the end of the high court’s current session.
“President Biden vowed to keep his promise during the campaign that he would appoint an African American woman to the first court opening he had,” Todd continued, noting, “That could help with declining black support.”
“Supreme Court hearings could also blunt that enthusiasm problem, serving as a reminder to Democrats that elections have consequences and they matter,” Todd said, adding, “And getting a Supreme Court nominee confirmed would give Mr. Biden a political win after the disappointments of the last few months over voting rights and Build Back Better.”
Todd went on to note that replacing Justice Breyer, a fairly reliable liberal vote on most issues, would do little — if anything — to change the overall balance of the court, but that might not matter if he could change the narrative surrounding his administration.
“Mr. Biden finally has an open field with a real chance to put some points on the board — and at least temporarily change the narrative of his presidency,” he concluded.
Biden’s plan to follow through on his promise has been met with criticism from a number who feel that it is both racist and sexist if the president refuses to consider anyone who does not first check the designated demographic boxes of “black” and “female.”
Others, like “The View” host Sunny Hostin, have said that it’s important for Biden to keep his promise because it would shore up his support among black women voters.
With Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer retiring, @Sunny Hostin says “it’s a great time for [Biden] to change the narrative with the [Black] community”: “Keeping his promise to the community is very important.” https://t.co/mSZs91onxp pic.twitter.com/wvze4xXWMh
— The View (@TheView) January 27, 2022
As The Daily Wire reported:
“Keeping his promise to the community is very important, and the other thing is, you know, it’s not like there’s a dearth of African American women that aren’t capable and really qualified for this job,” co-host Sunny Hostin added, noting that Biden was slipping in polls and a move like that could shore up some support especially among black women voters.