Fewer Americans now say Trump bears a lot of responsibility for the Jan. 6 riot

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A little more than a year after the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, Americans remain deeply divided about the events of that day and the ongoing congressional investigation into what happened.

Last year, in the immediate wake of Jan. 6, about half of U.S. adults (52%) said Donald Trump bore a lot of responsibility for the violence and destruction committed by some of his supporters that day. Today, 43% say this. …

The new survey was conducted Jan. 10-17, prior to several developments involving the Jan. 6 investigation and Trump’s actions following the 2020 election. CONTINUED

Bradley Jones, Pew Research Center

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Don’t bet on the GOP coming to its senses just yet

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… Yes, I understand that some people are angry with the establishment, believe Democrats are a threat to our economy and culture, and yearn for the 1950s. Some uneducated Americans even like Trump’s vulgarity and name-calling.

But Trump continues to get crucial support from people who are educated — the kind of people who, if they rejected Trump, would weaken him, encourage critics within the GOP, and turn the party back to a reasonable brand of conservatism. …

That may change, of course. But most Republicans who find Trump repugnant have already signaled their opposition to him, and the party apparently lacks a large contingent of people — in the grassroots, in elective office and in the national party’s leadership — for whom character, integrity and the truth are important. CONTINUED

Stuart Rothenberg, Roll Call

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Americans Are Frustrated With the Pandemic. These Polls Show How Much.

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A wave of polls taken as the Omicron variant crested across much of the United States shows new signs that the public’s resolve to combat the coronavirus pandemic is waning.

The surveys depict an increasingly frustrated and pessimistic nation that is as worried by the specter of an endless pandemic as it is fearful of the disease. While a majority of voters remain concerned about the coronavirus, the balance of recent polling suggests that the desire to return to normalcy has approached or even overtaken alarm about the virus itself. CONTINUED

Nate Cohn, New York Times

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Biden’s real Supreme Court choice: Bridge-builder or truth-teller?

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Whoever President Joe Biden nominates to the Supreme Court is likely to spend at least the first decade, and possibly much more, of her tenure on the losing side of many key rulings decided by the court’s conservative, Republican-appointed majority.

That stark prospect, though rarely discussed, looms as perhaps the most important factor that will shape the term of Biden’s selection, who he has promised will be the first African American woman named to the high court. And it’s stirring debate in liberal legal circles about the judicial approach the President should be seeking in his nominee. At its essence, the choice reduces to a single question: Should Biden pick a conciliatory “bridge-builder” or a confrontational “truth-teller”? CONTINUED

Ronald Brownstein, CNN

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Biden Approval Rating Crashes As Democrats Cool, Investors Turn Negative

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President Joe Biden’s approval rating dived to the lowest of his presidency, close to President Donald Trump’s standing as he exited office, the February IBD/TIPP Poll finds. …

The February IBD/TIPP Poll finds that Biden’s approval rating fell 4.8 points to 44.4 over the past month. That index measure indicates that 44.4% of adults surveyed approve of Biden’s job performance, excluding those who were unsure or declined to state an opinion. Biden’s 44.4 approval rating from IBD/TIPP reflects the disapproval of 48% of adults, while 38% approve of how he’s handling his job. CONTINUED

Jed Graham, Investor’s Business Daily

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Low Satisfaction With U.S. Gov’t Regulation of Businesses

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At the end of President Joe Biden’s first year in office, Americans’ satisfaction with the government’s regulation of businesses and industries has fallen eight percentage points to 28%, the lowest point since 2016 when Gallup first began tracking this measure annually. Dissatisfaction is at a new high of 60% and includes 29% of U.S. adults who prefer less government regulation, 18% who favor more and 13% who are dissatisfied but say it should remain about the same. …

After rising 15 points last year, Americans’ dissatisfaction with the size and influence of major corporations is statistically unchanged at 74% but is by one percentage point the highest reading dating back to 2001. CONTINUED

Megan Brenan, Gallup

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