SEPTEMBER 9 ― Opinion surveys over the past two weeks show that President Joe Biden’s popularity has dropped. An NBC poll saw his approval level fall from 53 per cent in April to 49 per cent in mid-August.
The issue most responsible for Biden’s overall decline is the pandemic. Indeed, over a four-month period the president’s Covid-19 approval number fell 16 points, from 69 per cent to 53 per cent. When the president’s party does manage to pick up seats in these elections it is, invariably, due to highly unusual events or conditions in the country.
And there is the unusually deep partisan split between “blue” and “red” voters owing to the partisan feud beginning with Trump’s presidency, continuing with his 2020 re-election defeat, and dragging on because of his refusal to accept the voters’ decision to oust him. Arguably, Biden’s performance during his first eight months has been fairly good. He has taken the lead in getting businesses and schools to promote mask-wearing — in spite of loud, often senseless opposition by governors and other leaders, especially in “red” states where Trump remains popular.More than 170 million American adults — 51.5 per cent ― are fully vaccinated, but the vaccination rate among Republicans is about ten per cent lower than among Democrats.