'Why are President Biden's approval ratings so low?' And why my pants are not on fire about it

[DemocraticPatriot]

Last edited Tue Feb 6, 2024, 01:18 AM - Edit history (2)

President Biden only won the 2020 election by about 3 percent...

so he starts out in approval polls with nearly 48 percent set to vote negative by reflex on his approval.
Even during the "honeymoon period", he only scored 56% approval.

Well, almost every Republican will vote negative in any such poll, whether they really believe that or not
(and almost every Republican will vote negatively just because President Joe Biden IS A DEMOCRAT...)

True independents may see some things not going as they would like, so many of them vote negatively.

What is really killing President Biden's approval ratings right now are the negative votes of "soft Democrats",
and the left side of the party (of which I am one, but I would not answer a general approval rating poll in the negative---
my only negative would be on the question of the Israeli Gaza war).

Presidential approval ratings don't mean what they used to--- that all those who 'disapprove' of your job performance are very likely to vote against you--- not when your opponent is a certifiable racist, monster, sexual predator and senile lunatic.

The economy continues to get better. Those who complain about "inflation" are actually complaining about inflation that already happened--- what they really mean is that "prices are still too high". Prices are not continuing to go up at a high rate, which is the actual definition of inflation.

What they ought to be complaining about is "capitalist corporate greed"----
Supply issues have eased, but corporations refuse to lower prices and are making record profits as a result---
and rents and housing costs are just too damned high.

Yeah, people complain about high prices ( "inflation" ), but they continue to spend at a high rate anyway...
High consumer spending does not help prices to ease.

That is certainly not the fault of President Biden, and he ought to put their greed into the cross-hairs of the "bully pulpit" more often than he is doing. Polling shows that this message has resonance, not just for the Democratic base, but for everyone....


The latest NBC poll shows President Biden 'doing worse than ever' and behind Trump by 5 percent nationally,
but the results of the top-rated Quinnipiac University poll from last week
showed results directly OPPOSITE those of the NBC poll, and President Biden with a national lead of 6 percent,
and the gender gap growing in favor of Democrats, and people starting to feel better about the economy!

As such, I'm not going to worry about the polls that one or the other of the networks want to promote---
they are getting to resemble "CLICK-BAIT" on the internet! Professional pollsters have the "know-how"
to pre-set their poll sampling to generate any 'result' they might want,
if they choose to operate that way.... (I don't claim that they are,
but the issue does seem to be in doubt).


People "vent" in polls, and many Democrats are "venting"--
(and almost ALL Republicans are venting, continuing to complain about Bidenomics
when most of them are doing better than ever!)

Yes, people VENT in polls, but they do not VOTE in them...
They can only VOTE in THE ELECTION, which will have actual consequences which they will begin to understand....

I think hardly anyone who voted against four more years of Trump,
are going to suddenly change their minds and vote for four more years of Trump, by the time the election comes around...

The biggest danger to President Biden's re-election is the 'spoiler effect' that third parties may siphon off anti-Trump votes--- and that some 2020 Biden voters could stay home--- not that these people will vote for Trump--- although they *might* do it in a poll, which doesn't count--- because they want to VENT because "not everything is perfect under President Biden"!!!

As President Biden likes to say,
'Don't compare me with the Almighty, compare me with the alternative'!

[JI7]

5. Code pink is a troll group that wants Democrats to lose

[DemocraticPatriot]

7. "Code Pink" was extremely active in opposing Bush's IRAQ WAR....

and rightly so.... and I admired them at the time. They are not new to me.

They are women against war, that is their #1 issue.... I can agree with that core principle in general.

In this instance I agree that they may be misquided in attacking President Biden
over a war which is being waged by Israel and Hamas....

Joe Biden isn't President of Israel.
If he was, I suspect that many Palestinians would still be alive now,
who are actually dead.

I would like to see "Code Pink" taking their protest to Jerusalem--
or wherever Netanyahoo resides...

[summer_in_TX]

9. My experiences with Code Pink have been negative ones.

At a Netroots Conference I was privileged to attend a couple of decades ago, guest speakers included Paul Krugman, Nancy Pelosi, and surprise guest Al Gore. Code Pink disrupted their talk with constant loud chanting that was rude, pointless, and infuriating to those of us who really wanted to hear what they had to say.

They did nothing to advance their supposed cause, just alienated us all.

[walkingman]

2. This is a one issue election

This is a one issue election, and the One Issue is stopping Trump from getting into the White House. We can debate everything else after we achieve that one goal. If we fail, we'll never get a chance to address any of the other issues we face because we'll be mired in a dictatorship and all the horrors that will bring. Party doesn't matter. Who runs against Trump doesn't matter. Nothing matters more than stopping him at all costs. This is not business as usual. Ignore at your own peril.

[DemocraticPatriot]

4. It appears that you and I are both MEN... but I think the ONE ISSUE

in this election is WOMEN's REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS!!!!

The MAJORITY of our party's voters are WOMEN---
and a vast number of them across this country have ALREADY had their rights taken away!!
(mostly thanks to Donald Trump-- aka "EPPP"---- ex-president poopy pants! )

Seriously, we men may worry about potential fascism under Trump, and rightly so--
but many women in this country are ALREADY LIVING under reproductive fascism!!

They have already had one of their most important rights taken away---
and to them, I think this "trumps" any other issue--
and they will show up and VOTE AGAINST this guy having any opportunity
to cause even MORE harm!

I agree, and I am sure that most women will agree, that
"nothing matters more than stopping him at all costs" !!!

[lees1975]

3. I have never accepted the approval rating crap.

I'm a Democrat, a precinct volunteer, and I know, and have met some insiders, including my former congressman and current congresswoman, and a couple of state legislators. Politics is what it is. Democrats tend to be picky at times and very issue oriented in a political time when most of that is meaningless. When it comes down to it, if its Trump that the GOP nominates, the President will easily be re-elected, because he will get the votes of Democrats, two thirds to three fourths of independents, and 10% of the GOP while another 20% of them stay home or vote third party.

Biden will get over 400 electoral votes.

More people know what is at stake than who have given into ridiculous fantasy and conspiracy.

[DemocraticPatriot]

6. I wish I had your confidence--- but on the other hand, it was over-confidence

that allowed this ass-clown to win in 2016 in the first place!


I expect this election to be close---
a lot damn closer than it should be, in a literate democratic republic!

However, I am hopeful that truth and right will prevail in the end...

[B.See]

19. Indeed it was, DP. Over-confidence and some of the same assholery we're dealing with today...

So yes, over-confidence will be the death of us. We need to VOTE, and not "as IF" our lives depend on it.

Trump murdered an estimated half-million people via pandemic obstruction and misinformation, just to save his own candidacy. He's a lying, grifting, self serving con-man full of hate, venom and malice.

Biden isn't perfect. No one is. But a DAMN far cry preferable to Trump.

I'd sooner vote for a ROCK than for Trump. Because at least a rock won't seek to foment bigotry and hate, end democracy, install a dictatorship, and engage in a gestapo round up of his enemies.

[betsuni]

20. "over-confidence" of whom? "Her failures"?

[Fiendish Thingy]

8. There is no question that Biden will win the popular vote

Regardless of what national polls are saying 10 months away.

The path to victory was always going to be a few thousand votes in a handful of swing states.

That is why RFK and No Labels must be crushed, must be destroyed.

[DemocraticPatriot]

10. I certainly agree that President Biden will win the popular vote....

the problem remains that we must win the popular vote by several percentage points in order to win the electoral vote---

which is, of course, "fucked up" and WRONG--- but it is what it is.



"No Labels"? Is that still a thing???
Seems like they are having a very hard time coming up with a candidate...


As far as RFK Junior goes, well, he has a famous name, revered by older Democrats...
I think we should label him as the "pro-disease" and "pro-death" candidate---
nearly as "pro-death" as Trump !

Then there is the fact that practically his WHOLE FAMILY opposes his quixotic candidacy
(other than his wife--- I'll give her a pass, since she is married to it)

[DemocraticPatriot]

12. "The path to victory was always going to be a few thousand votes in a handful of swing states."

I fear we may lose my home state of Michigan, since there are more Muslim/Arab-American voters here than in any other state of the Union--- unless we can make up for it with women voters who are pissed off about reproductive rights--- but I don't know. Certainly we will fight like hell for it, but I don't like the way things look at this moment.

If we lose those 15 electoral votes, we have to make up for it elsewhere....

Worrisome times to me.

[womanofthehills]

21. The Hill & NBC as of yesterday are now calling Kennedy a third candidate

As his numbers rise. Seems like he is taking from both Biden & Trump. Trump campaign seems worried by him - even offered VP possibly to him but he declined.

I think because of social media we can no longer compare this campaign to previous ones.

[Stuart G]

11. When voting day comes, there will be an great landslide for Biden...close to 70 percent for Biden.

You can bet your soul on that.

[DemocraticPatriot]

13. NOBODY EVER won 70 percent in a presidential election----

except for George Washington, of course, who was unopposed both times.


(Of course I wouldn't MIND if President Biden became the 2nd to do so---
but it is extremely statistically unlikely---

60 percent would be less unlikely,
but that has only been done about 2 or 3 times (not including Washington--- )

((Johnson 64, Nixon 72, and Reagan 84 had the largest popular vote margins,
although I don't believe Reagan quite made 60 percent))

[ITAL]

16. Monroe as well

But yeah, basically impossible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1820_United_States_presidential_election

[B.See]

18. Points well taken and food for thought, DP.

I do agree that prices are high because of corporate greed and frankly I suspect that's deliberate because corporations and the upper 2 percenters like right winged policies that have ALWAYS put them first above middle class America and the working poor.

And you're also spot on re. those so-called "3rd partiers" who are really only in it to be spoilers for Democrats.

THEY know it, and that's their intent. Because there's not a snowball's chance in hell theyd win.

Only this time it very well might spell the end of democracy - NOT that any of them would GIVE A DAMN.