Biden came into office with lot of a good will from independents. Alas, a lot of that is dissipating under the press of events. At The Liberal Patriot, John Halpin explains the problems and offers some ideas for correctives:
"One year from now the traditional post-Labor Day election sprint for control of Congress will be in full swing. Luckily for President Biden and congressional Democrats, the election is not happening this November. Given the steady decline in the President’s overall job approval this summer – down 10 points from a high of 55.7 percent in early April to 45.7 percent in early September according to the RealClearPolitics polling average – the Democrats would surely lose control of one or both legislative houses.
The most worrisome aspect of Biden’s dropping popularity is the serious decline among Independent voters – those voters who turned against Donald Trump and drove Biden’s narrow victory in a handful of key battleground states in 2020. Morning Consult/Politico polling from early August, pre-Afghanistan, shows net approval of Biden among Independents (percentage approve minus disapprove) dropping from +25 at the start of his term to -5 by this summer....
[Independent] voters come in different political hues, but they tend to be economically populist, culturally moderate to conservative, and deeply concerned about security and protection on the home front.
Not surprisingly then, as seen in the August Morning Consult/Politico research, Independent voters seem increasingly skeptical of Biden’s handling of cultural issues like immigration and guns, economic issues like jobs and energy policy, and national security. They tend to give him more credit on the coronavirus pandemic, although the Delta surge is now causing complications on this issue as well....
The sum total of this research is that Biden and Democrats now face massive headwinds with these all-important voters ahead of midterms that will be decided in districts and states that either voted Trump or narrowly voted Biden. Democrats therefore need to face up to this stark reality and start taking steps to shore up their standing with Independent voters over the next few months.
Step One. Pass and defend the infrastructure bill and a “pro-worker, pro-family, pro-America” budget. ...
Step two. Make the withdrawal from Afghanistan a positive turn for America and not a depressing defeat....
Step three. More “No malarkey”, less culture war fillers....
[I]f Biden and Democrats want a fighting chance ahead of the midterms next year, they need to recapture the center of American politics and put forth a pragmatic and strong vision for national renewal that fits the perspective of Independent voters and middle-class Americans who ultimately will determine its outcome."
Read the whole thing at The Liberal Patriot!
THELIBERALPATRIOT.SUBSTACK.COM
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