Biden is quite popular with Democrats
I find that rather stunning. About a recent poll:
For Biden to start dropping, Democrats would have to stop thinking he’s doing a good job as president. Biden’s approval rating among Democrats in a Quinnipiac University poll released last week was 84%. Just 16% either disapproved (13%) or didn’t hold a view (3%).There is no precedent – at least since World War II – of an incumbent president losing a contested state primary while polling above 70% nationally within his party.
And this despite the fact that a majority of Democrats don’t want Biden to run.
I can’t quite reconcile those two facts, except to say that they recognize Joe has reached his pull date and yearn for someone else more charismatic and sharp, while at the same time liking what has been done during Biden’s presidency and not seeing a good alternative who has yet entered the ring. So if Biden runs, they’ll vote for him, because they think he’ll just continue the same policies even if others are really controlling him.
However, why they might like what’s going on now is a mystery to me. Perhaps they simply blame the bad stuff on others, like Trump, and although the mental gymnastics it would take to reach that conclusion are formidable, I think they can be accomplished. Or perhaps they’re just paying zero attention.
That poll I linked about Democrats not wanting Biden to run, taken about a month ago, had both Trump and DeSantis leading Biden by similar numbers, 52/47 and 52/48. That was before Trump’s indictment, but it’s still interesting and it’s a bigger lead for the Republicans than I’d ever seen before, for what that’s worth.
A more recent poll taken last week by Quinnipiac is the one that showed that 84% approval for Biden from Democrats, which represents 48% who strongly approve and 36% who somewhat approve.
Strongly approve – let that sink in. That’s the group that will never, never ever, abandon a Democrat for the presidency.
Democrats approve of the way he’s handling the economy (Republicans and Independents do not), but the approval is especially strong among black voters. Interestingly, the youngest voters approve less of how he’s handling the economy than the older voters. That difference also holds true for general approval of Biden’s job as president – younger voters are less happy and very few strongly approve.
Meanwhile, in the same poll, Trump has higher disapproval ratings than Biden, and here he loses an election matchup to Biden by four points. DeSantis versus Biden is not polled, so we can’t compare, but a much larger group of people say they don’t know enough about DeSantis to approve or disapprove. The same is the case with RFK and the rest of the entrants – except of course for Biden and Trump.
And yes, I know – polls are unreliable and somewhat meaningless in terms of predicting the election, for a host of reasons. I focus on this poll, though, because it reveals what I’ve long suspected, which is that Biden’s awfulness is either escaping a lot of Democrats or just doesn’t matter to a lot of Democrats.
They believe what the legacy media tell them, so they think that all the bad things are not Biden’s fault, and that Republicans are EVIL. Mindless.
Neo: “…Biden’s awfulness is either escaping a lot of Democrats or just doesn’t matter to a lot of Democrats.”
Why would it? The sort of people who vote for Biden don’t expect to have to live with the consequences of their political choices. They know that they will never have to worry about zoning changes that will put Section 8 housing in their neighborhoods or what have you.
Sgt. Joe Friday:
I completely disagree.
Almost everyone I know – acquaintances, friends, relatives – votes for Biden and reliably for all Democrats. There is a vast range of people there: rich, middle-class, fairly poor; urban, suburban, rural; and mostly conventional in their morality and not leftists. Very many of them would most definitely be affected by zoning changes and the myriad policies the Democrats would put in place that would affect the ordinary person. And most of these people are either very intelligent or fairly intelligent in the book-learning sense.
YEAH. 48% of Democrats “strongly approve” of Uncle Joe. As you write, “let that sink in.”
“However, why they might like what’s going on now is a mystery to me.” PREMISE ONE: to Democrats, politics is a zero-sum game. Compromise is denied, disdained, even criminalized now, I believe.
PREMISE TWO: debate is anathema to these kinds. It’s why CNN’s debate program died around 20 years ago. There’s no appetite they need filling.
PREMISE THREE: ever since the summer of 2016, it’s been clear that the 80% plus media (including Fox-Newscorp) has indeed taken the side of the Big State and it’s employees and it’s clients and the Ruling Class elite who brown-nose their Oligarchs. In short, the Democrats.
Rotation of talent from the State Media into government and education or publishing has been a well-worn path for Democrats. Ever since the summer of 2016, it’s been a runway. Are any Dems, media or not, keeping score about how frequently they’ve been used and played? Does anyone on the Far Left have conscience? Something we see from Dershowitz perhaps, maybe Turley. And Schellenberger. None of whom are embraced by the Far Left, anyway.
I think these three things work synergistically as The Echo Chamber, the brainless herd or hive-mind, to placate them and anesthetize these groupies.
This phenomenon is a staple of commentary here, and a not too infrequent subject of your thread posts, Neo.
Thus, we have people incapable of being reached by facts, analysis, or revelation.
In a related development, Ace writer J.J. Streller dishes on conservative journos leaving Fox, especially those close to Tucker. Including three producers, including chyron guy. He says that virtually all of nine leaving FNC employees today have asked to work with Tucker. (Tucker didn’t approach them, he takes pains to point out. There’s no cabal at work. Rather, independent minds reaching the same breaking point!)
Funny how Trump killed Drudge Report at the start. and then beginning with the 2020 election, we see Newscorp’s Crown Jewel’s fall apart.
CORRECTION: my valence mistake here: “This phenomenon is a staple of commentary here, and a not too infrequent subject of your thread posts, Neo.” Ought to read “a not too FREQUENT subject…”
I think that conclusion is perhaps a bit too leading. Biden is the leader of team Dem. I strongly suspect that most lifelong (D) voters will claim they approve of their leader even if they may not like him personally as long as they believe he’s generally doing what they want/expect. So I think it’s a bit of a reach on this CNN hack’s part to conclude that they are “fans of him personally”. This is especially obvious when coupled with the notion that a majority of these same Biden approvers don’t want him to run again.
My guess is that most of them are actually somewhat embarrassed of him. They cringe when they see him stumble and fall or say something nonsensical. And when they feel they have to defend this behavior to their more skeptical acquaintances (let alone if they actually have some well informed moderates or conservatives within their social circles who they haven’t yet fully severed communication with) it can obviously be difficult. So, no, I strongly doubt they are “fans” of him. But, sure, they will almost certainly vote for him again over the bad orange man or “Deathsantis”.
LINK to Ace (and apparently not J.J. Streller), mentioned by me, ABOVE
https://ace.mu.nu/archives/404995.php
Well they won’t see him fall on the steps of AF1 anymore. His puppeteers now having him use the rear much shorter stairs out of public view.
Most of my relatives are well-educated — theoretically — but one — whenever I visit — is watching “The View” — which, in my opinion is the most anti-intellectual program out there.
With relatives, my stance is that “Neither of us is running for office, so I do not discuss politics”. The good news: since the collapse of several banks, the volume about politics has lowered. That being said, I continue to be amazed that — NO MATTER WHAT THE TOPIC — it is asserted constantly that President Trump was a traitor and was the cause of ALL current problems. Perhaps above I should have written, “so I do not discuss religion”. We live in very strange times.
I have friends and relatives in that camp, with whom my partner and I have cordial diplomatic relations. They are human in appearance and nonpolitical conversation. But stunning poll data like this is a stark reminder that appearances can be deceiving.
My goodness, RCP, I find it hard to understand how any educated person could watch “The View.” Fortunately, I believe it’s being cancelled.
There are only one or two pollsters out there that I would trust – the rest are in the business of influencing and steering from out front, toward an agreed objective.
But one must remember: We live in an age where many people have become quite comfortable in embracing irrational and impossible-to-defend choices, and are quite sanguine when it comes to having those who disagree, censored – rather going to the trouble of arguing their points (much less, proving them). It’s become easy to live within the sphere of one’s opinions, unchallenged. Or to advocate loudly for something indefensible. So many things become possible, when you control the public square – until the fight breaks out.
I have a couple of relations; college degree plus, who think the Inflation Reduction Act was meant to reduce inflation and has reduced inflation.
I probably have more than that but the discussion has not come up otherwise.
There are a couple of good friends who post the most nonsensical stuff on FB. I leave it alone, since pointing out the error–which is so obvious and simple–would seem cruel.
Neo’s educated friends know about the various policies but they don’t think THEY will be affected.
Somebody will.
Well, one could equally say that Robert Mugabe was tremendously popular with Zimbabweans.
(Er, up to a point…)
The point is that Obama has been doing his damnedest to ENSURE that the USA becomes a tribal entity: E Pluribus Nihilum
“Scammer in Chief”—-
https://americanmind.org/salvo/scammer-in-chief/
H/T Powerline blog.
Concluding graf:
‘…In a country with equal justice for all, Hunter and James would have been indicted for at least some of the felonies described in this essay; based on credible reporting, Hunter also would have been indicted and subject to meaningful consequences for lying on his federal gun application, tax evasion, and potentially drugs and pimping. Long-standing DOJ doctrine holds that a sitting president may not be prosecuted. Instead, the remedy is impeachment. Aside from his corruption, Joe Biden is the most racist, and autocratic president in at least a century. He should be impeached and removed from office. Further, regardless of when or why he leaves office, based on the precedent set by his administration, Joe Biden should be prosecuted for his participation in the Biden family crime organization. As the President correctly observes, “No one should be above the law.” ‘
I recall having conversations with several people, Republican or Democrat, who said that when they voted, they were hoping they picked the candidate who would win.
Neo: I’m not sure we’re in disagreement. I too know plenty of people who vote for Democrats, and in my experience whether the issue is zoning, climate change, immigration/refugees, or any number of other issues, they really do think that (a) they’re doing the right thing by voting for leftist politicians and policies, and (b) they will not be personally inconvenienced by those policies. You’ve not observed the same?
After the abysmal performance of polls before the 2020 (Biden ahead by 12 points in Wisconsin few days before) and 2022 (blowout for Republicans) elections, it surprises me that anyone lends credence to their results. The polls are just another tool in the leftist media tool kit to get their desired political results.
I know quite a few Democrat voters. A tiny few are basically Marxists. I know their minds are unchangeable.
Most of the others are what I call Low Information Voters (LIVs). They get their news from the MSM. They don’t ever question those sources. They have never sat down and thought about political philosophies. They have no settled ideas about political policies.
When you try to discuss politics with them, they will, after you have presented facts/ideas that are not in favor on the MSM, become either confused, defensive, or hostile. They don’t like to think about uncomfortable things.
Climate Chage is one example. They’re all convinced it’s an existential problem. They have not tried to learn more and have no idea whether “renewables” can replace fossil fuels or not. If the government says fossil fuels must go, they believe there’s some viable alternative that’s waiting in the wings that’s being suppressed by the greedy oil companies. When oil prices go up, they don’t connect it to reduced supply. It’s always the greedy oil companies. Why? They heard it on NBC or CNN.
What we are seeing is a case of the Democrats being able to flood the information zones and LIVs following along because it doesn’t require them to think or analyze anything. The left has captured the MSM megaphones and that’s why a lot of people are unaware of how bad Biden’s policies are. The MSM doesn’t critique Biden’s policies. They only critique the Republicans policies because they’re BAD.
Corrupt liars stick together. You have to be really dumb to believe anything the Progressives and the media spew anymore.
“if Biden runs, they’ll vote for him, because they think he’ll just continue the same policies even if others are really controlling him.” neo
When things turn really bad, as they surely will, they’ll never admit that the policies they supported brought what’s coming upon us. For to do so would be to admit that they’ve been played for a fool. Few have the moral integrity to face that, even to themselves.
It’s tribalism. People want to belong to the group that they regard as educated, sophisticated, well-meaning, and decent, and at war with the ignorant, selfish, barbarian orcs. The media feeds them the talking points, and they don’t give politics much more thought than that.
JJ, Abraxas — The same echo chamber, that’s their hive mind.
JJ.
I know people like that. But the MSM’s monopoly on the megaphone doesn’t answer why those folks believe without rational thought. That’s a separate issue. The MSM can say what it likes but if it doesn’t make sense, rational people will ignore it.
Best i can figure, ….I can’t. How did being a global warming freak become max virtuous? And if somebody’s selling it, why is anybody dumb enough to buy it?
I know a woman who thinks that the resort towns on the west of Michigan’s lower peninsula are cooler in the summer than Cincinnati because of global warming.
Being cooled by the prevailing westerlies across Lake Michigan, they’ve been resorts and refuges since, at least, the Civil War from down state and other places in the Great Lakes Basin when respectable people wore three layers of clothes from throat to wrist to ankle. And that was the bathing suit.
Which, cleverly, was BEFORE industrialization started Global Warming.
Makes no difference. It’s global warming.
I think it’s kind of dramatic to say I despair, but I…something.
No doubt about any of this. But as said by many, it is pure tribalism. Slo Joe is an empty shell for ‘DEMOCRAT’, which itself is an empty shell for ‘NOT TRUMP’.
In a reasonably fair contest, Slo Joe will lose to DeSantis. Or Pence, or Scott, Haley, Burgum, etc. Even Christie or (Barf) Hutchinson. He’s that weak and useless. But he *might* beat Trump. Only a “maybe”. But Trump remains the endless elephant in the room.
We remain on a collision course between these two ancient narcissists.
The entire story demonstrates the scummy way the Biden family operates, but the final paragraphs are typical Joe Biden behavior.
https://nypost.com/2023/06/21/this-delaware-businessman-received-jail-time-from-the-feds-because-he-wasnt-a-biden/
Popularity of some left wing politicians who caused a lot of harm to people and society is observed in several European countries as well. In countries that are split near 50-50 each side this leads to difficult and weak government solutions. It is my impression that people’s vote is more emotional than rational and that when voting hatred plays a bigger role than approval.
Biden would beat Trump, but Haley wouldn’t give enough voters much reason to vote for her. DeSantis is already being vilified and made to look like a Trumpian monster. Could he overcome that? Tim Scott? Too nice a guy. Probably also not ready for the big leagues. Mike Pence? Forget about it. Christie, Hutchinson, Burgum? Ditto, Ditto, Ditto.
Maybe I’m too pessimistic, but I remember all the talk about any Republican being able to beat Hillary Clinton or Joe Biden. Look at who the other candidates were. Did the any of them really stand a chance of breaking through in Michigan and Wisconsin and Pennsylvania as Trump did in 2016? It’s not the same country as it was in the Seventies and Eighties. The narratives of the Establishment Republicans and Mainstream Conservatives aren’t that appealing to voters now, and “Middle America” isn’t the deciding factor in elections anymore.
“Biden would beat Trump…”
No doubt with another astounding RECORD number of votes!!
On the other hand, one can surely understand why “Biden” is SO popular. After all, what’s not for liberals to like…?
“Time to Get Rid of Federal ‘Disinformation’ Bureaus”—
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19745/federal-disinformation-bureaus
“Palestinians: We Prefer Terrorism to Peace with Israel”—
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19746/palestinians-terrorism-peace
Alas (to paraphrase a Clinton) “It’s the DEMONIZATION, stupid….
Truly, the 24/7 DEMONIZATION of DJT has done its toxic and corrosive work—and done it MASTERFULLY such that even Emmanuel Goldstein, his very self, would no doubt have nodded in admiration and awe
(…Which is precisely WHY the DEMONIZATION of DJT MUST CONTINUE.)
The result?
Anyone who defends him is verboten, even if it is the law that is being defended rather than the man.
And anyone who supports him must be canceled, erased (or if they’re lucky, merely ignored).
Thus, the Constitution must be amended to prevent it from offering Trump and his followers any kind of defense.
Likewise, the Supreme Court must be subverted.
Similarly, Durham MUST be accused—by the usual suspects—of bringing upon himself “shame” and “dishonor” for his efforts to uphold the rule of law and find ways to safeguard and strengthen it—find ways to prevent wrongdoing by government agencies—in the future…which sounds bizarre, certainly…until one realizes that such safeguards will make the DEMONIZATION of Trump that much more difficult, which therefore renders those safegaurds an absurdity and a danger to “OUR DEMOCRACY”.
Similarly, and truths that might just happen to exculpate DJT MUST BECOME, by definition, UNTRUE. Or obfuscations. Or mere, opportunistic distractions.
The poison has seeped deep into the body politic and spread throughout.
The Democrats intend that it seeps even deeper and spreads even wider.
…So yeah, other than that, I guess, one could say that “Biden” has a pretty decent chance in November 2024(!).
+ Bonus
(Realizing that this is SIMPLY UNBELIEVABLE(TM)…but, hey, “Biden”s a truly popular dude!!)
“Georgia won’t update Dominion voting machines before 2024, despite cybersecurity expert warnings;
“The Georgia secretary of state’s office is relying on a report commissioned by Dominion regarding the company’s voting machines.”—
https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/ga-delaying-dominion-voting-machine-update-until-after-2024-despite
I still want to know what Trump’s pathway to victory in 2024 is going to be? It is not that Democrats really love Biden – they don’t – but with him as a puppet and pretty much guaranteed re-election (especially if the gets to run against Donald Trump again) they can enact their agenda.