According to the Punchbowl crew, Republicans see Biden as "a weak president and most House Democrats as socialists trying to use tax dollars to prop up their razor-thin majority. They feel like it’s 2010 all over again, and many of them are openly talking about being in the majority in Jan. 2023." Last week, Morning Consult's latest polling for Politico showed Biden's job approval rating at 60% among registered voters (36% disapproving). Voters were then asked which congressional party they trust more to handle a dozen issues that voters say are electorally salient:
The economy- Democrats 45%, Republicans 39%
Jobs- Democrats 46%, Republicans 37%
Health care- Democrats 52%, Republicans 30%
Immigration- Democrats 45%, Republicans 38%
Climate change- Democrats 54%, Republicans 23%
The environment- Democrats 54%, Republicans 25%
Energy- Democrats 48%, Republicans 33%
Education- Democrats 49%, Republicans 30%
National security- Democrats 41%, Republicans 39%
Gun policy- Democrats 44%, Republicans 38%
Protecting Medicare and Social Security- Democrats 52%, Republicans 29%
Coronavirus- Democrats 51%, Republicans 26%
Voting rights- Democrats 49%, Republicans 33%
GOP obstructionism looks like a bad path to be going on right now. Asked if Americans should continue to social distance for as long as is needed to curb the spread of coronavirus even if it means continued damage to the economy or if Americans should stop social distancing to stimulate the economy even if it means increasing the spread of coronavirus, 69% of registered voters said to stick with social distancing and just 21% picked ending social distancing policies (the preferred GOP "solution"), which is already in effect in the states like Texas, Florida, Wyoming, Mississippi, the Dakotas and other politically backward Trumpist states. 58% of registered voters said they oppose governors rolling back COVID-19 health precautions and 35% said they approved.
Favorable/unfavorable opinions of various politicians among registered voters:
McConnell- 21% favorable, 60% unfavorable
Pelosi- 39% favorable, 50% unfavorable
Schumer- 34% favorable, 39% unfavorable
Pence- 41% favorable, 49% unfavorable
Trump- 37% favorable, 59% unfavorable
House Republicans- 33% favorable- 57% unfavorable
House Democrats- 50% favorable, 43% unfavorable
Kevin McCarthy- 23% favorable, 40% unfavorable
Kamala Harris- 52% favorable, 40% unfavorable
And that leads us to Biden's and the Democrats' next big initiative-- the Build Back Better infrastructure program, which is more than just repairing the nation’s ailing bridges, roads and airports and investing billions in new projects like broadband internet but also includes tackling climate change and its effects, which "includes investments in electric vehicle charging stations, zero-emission buses and zero-carbon electricity generation by 2035, and directing dollars to minority neighborhoods and contractors, part of a pledge to increase racial equity."
Democrats have signaled they want to go "big, bold and transformational" and invest billions in creating and refurbishing affordable housing in any package and expand broadband internet access to all Americans, particularly in rural communities. Want to guess who will obstruct them every inch of the way? Yes, the increasingly unpopular-- but still shrill-- Republicans. They have their own priorities in the House
and in the Senate:
