Why Biden’s Afghanistan exit wasn’t about good politics

In ending America’s longest war, President Joe Biden did something popular. It was never going to help him politically. That was true before damaging images of chaos and desperation filled American television screens last week. The reason is that public opinion about the Afghanistan conflict, as with most overseas events […] Read more »

How the political environment is moving toward Republicans

Republicans gained a seat in the Connecticut state Senate this week. They won a special election in a district that President Joe Biden won by more than 20 points in 2020. Any individual special election such as this one comes with its caveats, but the trend in special state elections […] Read more »

Biden job approval falls; handling of troop removal is negative but support for withdrawal remains

Most Americans have wanted to withdraw from Afghanistan for a while, and most still do. But not like this. Public reaction to what’s happened there is decidedly negative, with Americans now fearing wider repercussions from a heightened threat of terrorism. Back home, the public weighs in with rough judgments on […] Read more »

Why Americans may ultimately not care about Biden’s Afghanistan performance

… Americans have given their initial reaction to how Biden handled the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, and it seems to be negative. Whether or not it remains that way is yet to be seen. The events of the last week demonstrate that how Americans see a politician’s leadership still […] Read more »