A new ABC News/Washington Post poll shows that President Joe Biden has thus far failed in unifying the nation. His approval level stands at just 52 percent, one of the lowest polling results for a president since 1945. An NBC poll shows 80 percent of Americans view the country as still deeply divided. The result reflects not just our hardened politics but also the decision of Biden to move forward with a hard-left agenda as well as legislation that is muscled through on a handful of votes. There has been little evidence of an effort to reach consensus or compromise. Nevertheless, the poll is surprising. After all, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is polling at 56 percent and would still win reelection despite allegations that he engaged in rampant sexual harassment, bungled the pandemic, and hid embarrassing data on deaths from Covid-19.
Biden’s popularity is lower than any modern president except for Gerald Ford in 1974 at 48% and Donald Trump at 42% in 2017. ABC reports that “[f]or the 14 presidents from Truman to Biden, the 100-day average is 66%.”
I have been disappointed in Biden’s failure to lead from the middle. I did not have the same expectations for Trump to change his divisive style or policies. However, Biden was once known as a moderate who could make tough calls. I had occasion to meet with Biden as a senator and liked him. I was hoping that that Biden would reappear after the election despite disappointing moments on the campaign trial.
Biden pledged after the election to be honest with the public and make tough calls. He has not fulfilled that pledge. On issues from the effort to end the filibuster to a raw effort to pack the Supreme Court, Biden has remained silent. He has repeatedly shown an unwillingness to confront the far left of his party that seems to be driving legislative and policy initiatives. He has not made the tough calls and that failure of leadership on issues like court packing has put the party at odds with the majority of voters in some areas.
I never understood why Trump did not moderate his rhetoric or politics as every poll showed that he was continuing to lose critical women and suburban voters. Biden seems equally blind to the costs of pursuing the same strategy from the left. He is still doing ten points better than Trump but that is still barely a majority of voters in support of his new presidency. Given his more presidential demeanor and moderate language, Biden should be doing much better. However, his party has gone “all in” on an agenda that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has acknowledged exceeded the expectations of her allies on the far left.
The statement of AOC seems to echo in this poll which found that 40 percent of voters were concerned that Biden was too liberal — the highest of recent Democratic presidents. Another 53 percent were worried that he was expanding the government too much. Only 52 percent favored his handling of the economy and only 37 percent approved of his work on immigration. (He received strong marks for his pandemic relief efforts and move to increase corporate taxes).
The poll also shows a sharp partisan divide with only 13 percent of Republicans supporting Biden (another departure from past modern presidents who generally saw greater support from the opposing party, except for Trump). What may be a greater concern is Independents usually offer sizable majorities for a new president at 100 days — 75% for Reagan and 67% for Obama. Only 47% of independents approve of Biden’s work. Again, he is closer to Trump who saw only 38% support at the same point.
The polling may also reflect the declining trust in the media. The media has been largely in the tank for Biden in refusing to run certain stories, running hit pieces against his opponents, and downplaying controversies. Despite overwhelmingly favorable news coverage, it has not translated into overwhelming polling numbers. That may reflect how the public is now either distrustful from the media or self-contained in siloed news chambers. Many news outlets now tailor their coverage to viewers from the left or right — reaffirming preexisting bias and avoiding conflicting stories. Thus, most of the media may follow the same narratives on stories but they are largely reaching the same audience — the classic problem of singing to the choir.
There was a time (not long ago) when the media was viewed as left-leaning but still trustworthy on basic stories. Polling shows that such trust is now gone. The result is that there is no trusted and shared source for information. Our divisions remains unchanged and only deepened by both our politics and press.
Biden will have to decide if he wants to continue to cater to the extreme of his party or whether he will belatedly tack toward the center. Trump refused to moderate his statements or his policies. Biden is better on the rhetoric but he has continued the same divisional politics. Indeed, at least Trump was honest about his inflexibility and defiance. Biden continues to voice the sentiments of compromise but there has been little evidence of a willingness to compromise on many issues. That may succeed if the Democrats can hold their slim lead in both houses. However, like Trump, his first 100 days has been tailored to satisfy the far extreme of his voting base rather than seek broader support through a more moderate agenda.
Jonathan TURLEY is a shameless LIAR who highest priority is now MONEY. TURLEY like TRUMP is desperate for DOUGH!
We have a President who promised to unite the nation but 80 percent of the people still consider the nation to be heavily divided. One of Biden’s key promises during the election was to unite the nation. In a call to the Democratic voters on this forum, I ask for a list of things that he has done to bring us together. It shouldn’t take you long to comprise such a short list.
Just start with in no way democratic and in every way socialist fascist. In case wondering why their polls are so low,.
My $2,000 was short still waiting on the balance due.
Biden is the New Hubert Humphrey – a worthless old political hack
Only polling 10 points higher than Trump for equivalent 100 days.
Turley, since you went on the payroll of the Hate Network, you are becoming so sadly predictable. Biden has already beaten Trump in polling, yet, you argue that he is somehow a failure at uniting the country. Hell, all of the Capitol insurrectionists haven’t even been arrested yet, and only one has pleaded guilty. Our wounds are still fresh. Trump still won’t stop telling the Big Lie. With all of the division Trump has caused in this country, the pandemic crisis he mishandled and all of the abuse of migrants at the border, Biden has still done a wonderful job. Trump, Obama and Bush didn’t inherit the mess Biden has been stuck with. The problem at the border is that the coyotes have told the gullible Hondurans, Guatemalans, etc. that Trump is gone and that if they get their kids over the fence, they get to come to the U.S.. The border crisis is the main sticking point for most Americans, and Trump is responsible for causing this crisis, too. Biden isn’t going to cage babies and young children or separate families, and that’s not wrong.
If the polls are reporting bad numbers for Biden, it’s to push a narrative. I mean does anybody really believe in the numbers anymore? So what’s the narrative? The narrative is it’s time for Biden to go so we can have Kamala take over. He was only ever a Trojan Horse anyway. Nothing is reported in the news by chance. Cuomo only got criticized because he is a credible contender for 2024 instead of Kamala or whatever awful terrible horrible candidate your team wants to shove down our throats. I don’t even know what to say. I feel like I’m listening to a child complain that Santa didn’t come down the chimney with a bag of unity. There is no Santa and there is no Biden. There is an empty shell of a human being whose strings are being pulled by outside forces. It’s not that hard to understand.
What are you thinking??? You say Biden does this and feels that!! We all know he is just a puppet who just reads what is before him. He can’t remember what he said 5 minutes ago.
You quote Biden’s ratings as similar to Trump’s but you forgot to factor in the dramatic difference in treatment by the Press and the lies the Press perpetrated on President Trump from the moment he entered the presidential race. Meanwhile, the Press actually lied FOR Biden and examples are numerous including: NPR and Hunter’s laptop and tax issues , covering up Biden’s multiple lies about the border crisis, the GA election law lie, his first public speech where he said the virus was “met with silence” The Press has hidden the incompetency of Biden and the incompetency and far left agenda for years. If the Press told the truth, Biden would have ratings as close to the toilet as is possible.
Excellent point about the press.
That fat slob does not deserve the title “President” because he cheated to get into office with the help of Russia, and his motivation was the perceived power and glor. And, media were not unfair to him. He is and has always been defective as a person–lazy, narcissistic, dependent upon his family, all flash, show, glitz, a misogynist, racist and serial bankrupter of businesses. Six bankruptcies prove this. His properties are all under water and he owes hundreds of millions of dollars. He’s trying to sell off some of them to prevent foreclosures.
There is NO Hunter laptop scandal that “the press” is hiding, either. This is a story concocted by the Hate Network. The virus was met with lies by Trump, and he still tells the Big Lie every chance he gets. Biden is not incompetent, either, and no one is hiding the nonexistent incompetence.
Every time you write, you regurgitate what you heard on Fox, OAN and Newsmax, and it’s not true. You are not “highly educated”, either.
Well said
Natacha, your fat shaming again. Don’t you care that fat people have feelings too. Your lack of morals are showing.
100% TRUTH.
It’s also telling that social media platforms, filled with idiot leftists, still bash the Right/Trump because they cannot name anything positive the Fraud in the WH has done that benefits all Americans.
The glaring naïveté in this piece, as numerous loyal readers have pointed out, is that you omit the same skepticism towards polling as you do towards the media. These numbers are puffery. The far more rigorous methodology of pollster Richard Baris proves this.