Democrats in Congress Reach Record Lows in Approval

In the first month of the Trump Administration, Democrats seem to be following the old adage of French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau that “generals always fight the last war.” However, usually, the generals won the last war. In this case, Democrats lost both houses and the White House, but doubled down on hyperbolic rhetoric and false claims. The results are predictable: the Democratic Party hit an all-time low in approval, according to a Quinnipiac poll.

President Trump appears to be hovering around an approval rating of 45 percent, with a disapproval rate of 49 percent.

Democrats in Congress have a 68 percent disapproval rate with another 11 percent not offering opinion,” according to Quinnipiac.

For Republicans in Congress, 40 percent approve and 52 percent disapprove. That is the highest approval rate for Republicans in Congress.

I often note that while members of Congress often cite drops in the approval for the Supreme Court, the Court has always been far more popular than Congress.

The low approval is hardly surprising as figures like Hillary Clinton are still driving narratives, including false claims that are insulting to the intelligence of voters. Even Democratic loyalists are criticizing the messaging:

The problem is that these members rely on the same 30 percent of the Democratic base driving these same narratives. For many members, the sole concern is winning their primaries in blue districts. However, replicating the message will likely repeat the results from the last election.

Those members who sought to push the party away from past narratives were attacked, including Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton (Mass.) who was targeted for a possible primary challenge. It appeared to work. Moulton returned to the same hyperbolic language over the Nazi menace presented by the GOP.

The fact is that the party in power often loses in the midterm elections. The question is whether voters will embrace the same messaging rejected two years earlier.