If Democrats re-nominate Joe Biden, the 2024 election could resemble the 1980 contest between Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. Why? Because a large majority of Americans are worse off today than they were before Joe Biden took office. This CBS News poll illustrates the point.

There is a lot of interesting information at the link, but let’s focus on what I think are the most important points. First, how are things going in America today?

Generally speaking, do you feel things in America today are going…

Very well: 5%
Somewhat well: 22%
Somewhat badly: 36%
Very badly: 37%

These are absolutely brutal numbers for an incumbent president.

Next:

If Joe Biden wins in 2024, do you think his policies in a second term would make you…

Financially better off: 18%
Financially worse off: 48%
Stay about the same: 34%

Conversely:

If Donald Trump wins in 2024, do you think his policies in a second term would make you…

Financially better off: 45%
Financially worse off: 32%
Stay about the same: 23%

Normally you would say that the incumbent–Jimmy Carter or Joe Biden–couldn’t possibly be re-elected with those numbers. But these are strange times. The Democrats will bet on their ace in the hole, abortion. Currently, the most popular position a politician can take, even in red states like Ohio, is enthusiastic support for abortion, as often as possible up to and including the moment of birth. In several states, like Minnesota, abortion after birth–infanticide–has been made legal.

So you can understand why Democrats are optimistic that abortion will win for them again in 2024, even if their nominee is a senile incompetent with a horrible record: abortion voters are fanatics. Still, I don’t think they will take any chances. I continue to believe that Democrats will find a way to nominate a younger, less senile abortion zealot to run next year.