President Joe Biden will try to turn Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado into the embodiment of Republican opposition to his agenda as he visits her congressional district on Wednesday. The trip comes as Biden struggles with low approval ratings while he prepares for a likely 2024 rematch against former President Donald Trump, leaving Democrats eager for opportunities to score political points against Republicans.
Quick Read
- Biden’s Political Strategy: President Biden is using his visit to Rep. Lauren Boebert’s district to highlight Republican opposition to his agenda, as he deals with low approval ratings and prepares for a potential 2024 presidential campaign.
- Focus on Clean Energy: Biden will tour CS Wind, a major wind tower manufacturing facility in Pueblo, emphasizing the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act and its impact on clean energy investments and job creation.
- Economic Impact: The White House highlights that Biden’s policies, including the Inflation Reduction Act and the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law, have contributed significantly to local infrastructure and economic development in Boebert’s district.
- Boebert’s Opposition to Biden’s Policies: Rep. Lauren Boebert, known for her far-right positions, has been critical of Biden’s policies, calling the Inflation Reduction Act a failure and opposing the infrastructure law.
- Targeting a Vulnerable Republican Seat: Democrats view Boebert’s seat as a potential pickup in their effort to regain control of the House, with Boebert facing a challenging reelection campaign against Democrat Adam Frisch.
- Recent Embarrassment for Boebert: Boebert recently faced an embarrassing incident when she was removed from a musical production for inappropriate behavior.
- Biden’s Critique of Republicans: In his recent public appearances, Biden has been increasingly confrontational towards Republicans, criticizing their opposition to his administration’s efforts and accusing them of wanting to cut crucial benefits like Social Security and Medicare.
- Pueblo Visit Rescheduled: Biden’s visit to Pueblo was originally scheduled for October but was postponed due to his focus on the Middle East conflict and a subsequent trip to Israel.
- Biden’s Agenda: The visit is part of Biden’s broader strategy to promote his administration’s success in areas like clean energy and infrastructure, while contrasting it with Republican opposition.
- National Implications: The visit underscores the national political implications of local congressional races, with Biden aiming to boost Democrats’ chances in the upcoming elections and solidify support for his agenda.
The Associated Press has the story:
Biden targets GOP Rep. Boebert in her district in a fresh political attack on Republicans
Newslooks- DENVER (AP)
President Joe Biden will try to turn Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado into the embodiment of Republican opposition to his agenda as he visits her congressional district on Wednesday.
The trip comes as Biden struggles with low approval ratings while he prepares for a likely 2024 rematch against former President Donald Trump, leaving Democrats eager for opportunities to score political points against Republicans.
Biden plans to tour CS Wind, the world’s largest facility for wind tower manufacturing, in the town of Pueblo. The trip was originally scheduled for last month, but it was delayed as the Democratic president focused on the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas.
CS Wind is undergoing a $200 million expansion that is expected to create 850 jobs by 2026 with help from the tax benefits in the Inflation Reduction Act, which included hundreds of billions of dollars of financial incentives.
In addition, a new analysis from the Treasury Department said clean energy investments have mostly flowed to communities with below-average wages and above-average child poverty. The White House said the data indicates that Biden’s policies are expanding economic opportunity.
Boebert, who has cultivated a national reputation as a far-right insurgent, has called the Inflation Reduction Act “a massive failure” that “needs to be repealed.” She also described the bipartisan infrastructure law enacted in 2021 as “garbage” and “wasteful.”
According to the White House, the law has contributed roughly $190 million toward street and water infrastructure improvements in Boebert’s area of Colorado.
The White House, referencing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, said Biden would speak about his administration’s progress on clean energy and “how self-described MAGA Republicans like Representative Lauren Boebert are threatening those investments, jobs, and opportunities.”
Pueblo is one of the anchors of Colorado’s sprawling 3rd Congressional District, which covers more ground than Pennsylvania. Boebert won her seat in 2020 and barely held on to it during the 2022 midterms. Democrats are eyeing it as one of their top pickup opportunities as they aim to retake control of the U.S. House of Representatives, which is narrowly controlled by Republicans.
Boebert recently suffered an embarrassing episode when she was kicked out of a musical production of “Beetlejuice,” where she was spotted vaping and groping with a date. Now she faces a difficult reelection campaign and a likely rematch against Democratic candidate Adam Frisch.
Biden arrived in Colorado on Tuesday after attending a memorial service in Atlanta for Rosalynn Carter, the former first lady and wife of former President Jimmy Carter. He spoke at a Tuesday night fundraiser in Denver, where he said Trump and Republicans wanted to abandon his administration’s efforts.
“We’re now investing in America,” Biden said.
Biden in recent weeks has been taking an increasingly confrontational stance toward Republicans. For example, during a White House event focused on supply chains on Monday, he unleashed a broader critique of Republicans for trying “to undo this progress we’re making.”
“They want to go back to the bad old days, when corporations looked around the world to find the cheapest labor they could find, to send the jobs overseas, and then import the products back to the United States,” he said.
Biden also said Republicans want to cut Social Security and Medicare, benefits that are crucial for many elderly Americans.
“They just don’t give up,” he said. “But guess what: We won’t let these things happen.”
Biden was originally scheduled to visit Pueblo on Oct. 16, but the trip was postponed so he could remain in Washington to focus on the conflict in the Middle East. Two days later he went on a last-minute trip to Israel to show support for the country after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
