I’m not sure what has evoked the bumper crop of articles on the situation in which the Democrats find themselves. Maybe it’s the dog days of summer. Writing always slows down then. Maybe they’re being written by ChatGPT. Maybe it’s Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for mayor of New York. Maybe it’s polls like the most recent Quinnipiac poll:
Fewer than 2 in 10 voters (19 percent) approve of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job, while 72 percent disapprove and 10 percent did not offer an opinion. This is a record low since March 2009 when the Quinnipiac University Poll first began asking this question of registered voters.
Among Democrats, 39 percent approve of the way the Democrats in Congress are handling their job, while 52 percent disapprove and 9 percent did not offer an opinion.
The Republicans don’t fare a lot better:
One-third of voters (33 percent) approve of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling their job, while 62 percent disapprove and 5 percent did not offer an opinion.
Among Republicans, 77 percent approve of the way the Republicans in Congress are handling their job, while 20 percent disapprove and 3 percent did not offer an opinion.
Quinnipiac doesn’t ask about “own Congressman”. But that’s a significant difference in approval between Democrats and Republicans. I suspect that Karl Rove (of all people) has the thinking of the Democratic leadership about right in his most recent WSJ column:
Maybe blind opposition to anything Mr. Trump does will be enough to sweep the midterms, especially if the economy weakens.
but he’s right about his as well:
Even so, effective leadership that shaped a forward-looking agenda and undercut the White House on important issues would produce a bigger Democratic victory.
There are explanations being forwarded other than lack of effective leadership. The gang at Liberal Patriot (Ruy Teixeira, John Halpin, etc., Democrats all) continue to beat the drum that the Democratic leadership must embrace positions held by more than 20% of the electorate if they seek to be a “big tent” party. That 20% is coincidentally quite close to the approval rating for Congressional Democrats reports by the Quinnipiac poll.
Some think that the Democrats’ problem is that they’re just not radical enough. I would venture that’s the view of Mamdani’s supporters in New York.
My own opinion is that while opposition to Trump might, as Mr. Rove says, be enough to gain some seats in the midterms, it won’t tell the 70% who disapprove of them anything about what they actually support.
All the Dims have to is shut up, and let Trump continue his own self destruction, Let his antics be the focus of attention. Thr less the voters know about Dim plans, the better for the Dims.
PS I voted for him three times, and I do not regret those votes. The Dims ran psychopaths each time. Evil party vs. stupid party, I vote for stupid.
I don’t believe that Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, or Kamala Harris are psychopaths.
Here’s Merriam-Webster’s definition:
Egocentric? Perhaps. I think that all politicians are. Antisocial? Doubtful. I’ve met a lot of politicians but never an antisocial one. Lack of remorse? Maybe. Absence of empathy? I don’t see it.
But, especially, I don’t think that any of the three are mentally unstable.
Hmm. No, none are psychopaths. But HRC and Barack Obama are just this side of evil. For their own political ambitions they took the nation through the Russia hoax. I know politics isn’t bean bag. But beyond the pale. Immoral.
Politicians aren’t model citizens. They can’t be. Else they don’t get elected.
But just wow. And what is now coming out about Biden?
I am a practical person. Life creates tough judgments. In my world I try to conduct myself as morally as I can. It’s just not that simple….