… Partisanship and polarization have been on the rise over the last 30 years. There are fewer competitive House districts, largely drawn by Republicans, which has meant more ideological purity in Congress and more hard-line, and, at times, ugly, in-your-face politics. It’s all mixed together to make for a toxic […] Read more »
Fox’s obsession with Biden’s polling misses the point
“Biden’s approval rating hits all-time low,” Fox declared last week. Before that, its headlines read: “President Biden near record low approval among key groups.” “Biden approval sinks once again.” “Biden approval ratings remain well underwater, far below most recent presidents.” “Biden plagued by negative approval ratings ahead of second State […] Read more »
Can Biden Win Over the ‘Meh’ Voters Again in 2024?
For the first time in memory, low approval ratings of a sitting president didn’t cause a disaster for his party in a midterm election. Many Democratic candidates in 2022 succeeded in winning over voters who “somewhat” disapproved of Biden — a group I dubbed last fall as the ‘meh’ voters. […] Read more »
How polls can mislead about polarization
By definition, a political pollster is not a “normal” or “average” person. Political pollsters, like most political creatures, are usually deeply embedded in the divisive partisan atmosphere. We take in all the information, and then we try to design questions to probe the “normal” people about this atmosphere, of which […] Read more »
Long shots for president? How about no shots
The political world is aflutter with recent polling showing voters of all partisan stripes saying President Joe Biden should not run again. He is too old, asserted observers who have been making the same argument for months. Polls also showed — and this may knock you off your seat — […] Read more »
Don’t Panic About Biden’s Approval Ratings
In the wake of President Biden’s announcement that he will seek re-election, there have been many stories assessing his chances of winning. Most if not all of these stories point to Biden’s low approval ratings as a danger sign, as they are well below the ratings of presidents in previous […] Read more »