President Joe Biden's job approval ratings with the public have slipped over the past few months, from above 50 percent in July down to the low 40s now. In August and September, Biden's average rating in public opinion polls took a dive, although it has since somewhat stabilized. This was caused in large part by a few bad patches which he hit almost simultaneously (the rise of the Delta variant in the pandemic and the obviously-inadequate withdrawal from Afghanistan), and now the increase in inflation is playing a large role as well. Biden just got a big legislative win (and could have another one before the end of the year), but it remains to be seen whether this will boost his standing with the public much or not. One thing he might do to help himself, though, is to make a lot better use of the bully pulpit.

Biden has long said the biggest mistake Barack Obama (and, by extension, Biden himself) made while in office was to do a substandard job of salesmanship for Obamacare. Obama never really saw the need to "sell" the idea to the public; he either thought the good it would do was self-evident or he thought it was beneath him to hawk his politics like a used car salesman. Obviously, he was wrong, no matter what he was actually thinking.

So far, though, Biden himself hasn't been a whole lot more effective selling his own agenda. He does try, but he seems to be using a playbook that is decades old instead one for today's plugged-in reality. But even just considering Biden's old-school approach, he still could be doing a better job.

The bipartisan infrastructure bill was a big deal. So maybe it would help if Biden gave a primetime address from the Oval Office? Just a short one -- perhaps 10 or 15 minutes, at most. He could achieve several goals by doing so, in fact. First, he could talk about the infrastructure bill and what it will mean for the country. Second, he could remind everyone what his first legislative achievement -- the COVID-19 relief bill he passed early on in his term -- has already done for the country. The salesmanship job done after that passed was so non-existent that most American parents now getting monthly $300 checks in the mail really have no idea where they came from (if they did, their answer would be: "Democrats"). And just that one program has cut child poverty in the United States by 40 percent -- in one month's time (July). That is steeper than any annual change since 1967. And yet, few people know about it.

Thirdly, Biden could address the fears Americans are feeling right now. The news media hasn't gone into total freakout mode yet on the subject, but the pandemic seems to be at the very start of a new spike. We could get a fifth wave over the next few months, as we did last winter right around this time (in the third wave). That's worrying people planning on travelling to see friends and family they stayed away from during last year's holidays. But an even bigger fear is already being hyped by Biden's political opponents -- the inflation everyone is feeling every time they go to the grocery store or fill up their car. So far, Biden hasn't really taken inflation -- and the public fear and anger it causes -- seriously enough.

And lastly, Biden could offer up some Thanksgiving messages. About how much better off we are as a country than we were at this time last year. Last year, please remember, we didn't even have an approved vaccine yet. This year, we're approaching having 60 percent of the entire American public fully vaccinated (and 70 percent who have gotten at least their first shot). That is a tectonic change, right there. Biden needs to remind everyone that good things have indeed happened this year, and that good things lie ahead for us all as well. The closer we all get to "herd immunity" (adding in those with at least partial immunity from already coming down with COVID and surviving), the better off we'll all be -- and the smaller all those waves will be, too.

Biden's should offer up a nice mix of both cheerleading for getting something big through Congress (with the bipartisanship he promised he would bring back to Washington) and honest concern about people's current worries. He's got to take a longer view and show that a lot of these problems (the supply chain issues and inflation) will almost certainly get better over the course of the next three months or so. A message of optimism tinged with empathy could do Biden wonders, right about now.

But it's got to be to a nationwide audience, and it's got to be fairly short and sweet. Biden has been doing old-school boosterism, by travelling to local sites, giving a speech, and giving the local media lots of access. This used to work wonders, in American politics. Not so much anymore. These speeches are carried on the cable news channels, but the only people who see them are mostly political wonks anyway. Perhaps nine seconds of it (one soundbite) might play on the evening news, if that. Unless, of course, Biden stumbles on a word or phrase, in which case that becomes the story.

He's got to do a better job. He's got to reach a wider audience. He's got to frame all the political issues his own way, rather than letting the right-wingers or the media frame things for him. He's got to do a job of salesmanship.

Personally, I would advise scheduling a speech some time during Thanksgiving week. Maybe Tuesday or Wednesday, so it doesn't interfere with the day itself. Give families something to talk about, right before they get together. Reach as many people as possible by doing it in primetime. Keep it short, and balance it between selling his legislative agenda and feeling everyone's pain. If Joe Biden wants to turn his poll numbers around and get people thinking a little more optimistically, he's got to deliver this message himself. Because what he's been doing up until now (obviously, from the polls) just isn't working.

-- Chris Weigant

Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant