Biden's approval rating at 37%? We need to ask ourselves why
Photo Credit: The New Yorker
Issue #494 The Choice Thursday, February 8, 2024
The big story today according to NBC, Forbes, and others is a recent Gallup poll showing President Joe Biden at his lowest approval rating yet, 37%, due to Biden’s overly strong support for Israel since October 7, the beginning of the Israel/Hamas war. At least that’s what the poll says:
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Joe Biden’s job approval rating among Democrats has tumbled 11 percentage points in the past month to 75%, the worst reading of his presidency from his own party. This drop has pushed his overall approval rating down four points to 37%, matching his personal low.
At the same time, Biden’s approval among independents has declined four points, to 35%, while Republicans’ rating remains unchanged, at just 5%.
Biden’s immediate and decisive show of support for Israel following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas appears to have turned off some in his own party, resulting in Democrats’ worst assessment of the president since he took office. Biden’s overall approval rating likewise matches his personal low. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict comes at a time when Americans remain pessimistic about the economy, the Biden administration is struggling to deal with increasing numbers of migrants attempting to enter the country, and debate continues about how much aid to provide to Ukraine in its war with Russia.
This is a narrative that has been gaining considerable traction in recent months, which would explain the poll findings as well as the fascination of the media with this issue. And it is not a narrative that should be dismissed, nor would I completely dismiss the poll. I don’t doubt there is a lot of dissatisfaction with how much the President has supported Israel - just as I would expect the same level of criticism, if not more, if Biden had NOT supported Israel. Because this isn’t the kind of situation where the President can come out smelling like roses. Not so long as the war continues.
But here is the thing I can’t quite figure out; with all the major accomplishments that President Biden has achieved here at home - accomplishments that people can see and feel every day such as the record enrollment in Obamacare and all the visible civic improvements that are occurring thanks to the Infrastructure Act - how is it possible that so many Americans completely disregard all of that so they can disapprove of Biden because of how poorly they think he is handling a war overseas where American lives aren’t even involved? And don’t get me wrong; Americans should care about what is happening to the Palestinians, but since when has foreign policy trumped domestic bread-and-butter issues?
I believe it is because we are bombarded with news stories about how bad things are in Gaza -and how mad folks are at Biden for not doing more. Just like we are bombarded with stories about Biden’s age, and about how strong Trump still is with his base compared to Biden. And Hunter Biden’s court case. And on and on.
But barely a peep about what President Biden has accomplished. Because the media is trained to pursue bad news over good news because bad news is often sexier and it sells better. Even if the good news is more important and more relevant to people’s lives.
Whoever answers these polls can only answer based on what they know - and don’t know. And who do you think is most responsible for both?
The “Comments” feature has been disabled. Instead, let’s discuss these facts in our community on Substack Notes. You can also read other Substack publications without subscribing to them when you join Notes.
This post is free to read/listen to for three days after publication. To have 365 24/7 access to all our posts and podcast episodes and financially support “We Are Speaking” for no more than $5 per month, please subscribe at the paid level. You will receive a 7-day FREE trial!
