Ancient folklore has it that bad things come in threes.

President Joe Biden and by extension, Kamala Harris can attest to that.

Right now, there are three negative developments that threaten to damage what is left of Biden’s legacy and cause problems for Harris and her plans to succeed him.

The first of the bad “terrible three” is Israel’s response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on its country following Israel’s limited ground offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Biden can call for an Israeli cease fire all he wants but the Israelis, fighting for their existence, are not listening.

Neither are the Iranians listening to Biden as they have ignored Biden and Harris’ warning of “Don’t, don’t, don’t” when it comes to attacking Israel.

After Biden showed little support of Israel’s earlier ground incursion into Lebanon— “I’m comfortable with them stopping” —he later in a mixed message said that he was “fully, fully supportive” of Israel as it prepared to respond to Iran’s ballistic missile attack.

Then Biden said he was opposed to any Israeli attempt to take out Iran’s nuclear site facilities.

Harris’ problem is that she is tied into Biden’s confused messaging as well as his record of appeasement toward Iran, while Iran is financing terrorist groups—Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis—who are attacking Isreal on three fronts.

Donald Trump described Biden and Harris as rudderless while the “whole world is unraveling.”

He said, “We have a nonexistent president and a nonexistent vice president, who should be in charge. But nobody knows what is going on. No one is in charge of our country.”

The second problem is the Biden/Harris delayed reaction and response to Helene, the horrendous hurricane that brought death and destruction to North Carolina and adjoining states. Some 200 people have been killed with many more missing.

While Biden was at the beach in Rehoboth, Del., and Harris was raising campaign funds in California, Trump was in Georgia with evangelist and missionary Franklin Graham of Samaritans Purse assessing damage and handing out water, food, and supplies to victims of Helene.

It is what he did year ago went he went to East Palestine, Ohio, to view the devastation after the derailment of chemical carrying railroad cars spread toxic fumes that engulfed the town and surrounding areas.

As in Georgia, Trump met with victims and first responders bringing with him pallets of bottled water and supplies—as well as compassion and hope.

It is what leaders do.

By contrast Biden did not go to East Palestine until a year later. Harris did not visit at all.

Biden did go to North Carolina on Wednesday, but it looked as though he was shamed into doing so. Harris went to Georgia on Thursday.

The third problem, temporarily resolved, was Biden and Harris’ hands-off approach to the strike by 45,000 dockworkers that shut down 36 ports from Boston down to Florida and Texas.

If inflation and high prices were not bad enough under Biden/Harris, a prolonged dockworkers strike, which would cost the U.S. economy $5 billion a day, would only have made matters worse.

Ships laden with consumer goods like foreign cars, food, clothing, medical supplies and Christmas goods were stacking up offshore.

The striking International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) is demanding higher wages as well as a ban on automated cranes, gates and container-moving trucks that will replace workers.

A delay in the expected arrival of goods and products—and Biden’s refusal to intervene and force the workers back– would only have increased prices just before the November election and hurt Harris.

Now the union has agreed to put off its work action until January, much to Harris’ relief. She like Biden supported the strikers.

The union was taking a lot of criticism for blocking the unloading of ships containing goods that the victims of Hurricane Helene desperately needed.

While one problem is temporarily off the table until after the election, the other two are not, and either one could cause Biden/Harris a lot of grief.

Bad things also come in twos.

Peter Lucas is a veteran political reporter. Email him at: peter.lucas@bostonherald.com