If James Carville were dead, he’d be rolling over in his grave – because when it comes to Joe Biden’s low-and-going-lower poll numbers and bleak-and-looking-bleaker reelection prospects, it’s not just the economy, stupid.
Two new public opinion surveys released in recent days show Biden in an increasingly tight spot as he campaigns for reelection. The Washington Post/ABC News poll released over the weekend shows Biden trailing former president Donald Trump by 52-42 percent among registered voters, while the NBC News survey shows the two in a dead heat at 46-46 percent.
It’s what’s inside the topline numbers that reveals the real story, and proves it’s not just the economy, stupid – while the economy’s performance under Joe Biden’s watch is clearly a huge problem for many, and definitely has a negative impact on Biden’s overall approval and re-elect numbers, the polls reveal there are other negatives also driving Biden’s numbers down.
First, though, the economy: The Post/ABC News poll shows Biden upside down on the economy, with only 32 percent of registered voters approving of his performance, against 63 percent who disapprove; the NBC News poll shows Biden in only slightly better shape, with 37 percent approval against 59 percent disapproval on his handling of the economy. Anyone who’s tried to buy a new car or a new house since Biden took office understands what’s driving those poor numbers.
Interest rates on mortgages and auto loans have reached highs not seen since a Bush was in the White House. Mortgage rates for “top tier” borrowers on 30-year loans have hit 7.5 percent, a level not seen in at least 22 years – and, consequently, Americans are applying for mortgages at the lowest rate since Bill Clinton’s first term.
It’s more than just mortgage and auto loan rates, though. Since Biden took office two and a half years ago, inflation has reached 40-year highs and made everything significantly more expensive, robbing families of purchasing power – by one estimate, “it costs $734 more each month to buy the same goods and services as two years ago for households who earn the median income.” That works out to more than $8,800 per year in added costs, just to buy the same stuff. How many families got a $9,000 raise last year, just to keep pace with Biden’s inflation?
As bad as that 32-63 approve/disapprove number on the economy is, it’s not Biden’s worst approval in the Post/ABC poll – that “honor” is reserved for his approval rating on “the immigration situation at the U.S.-Mexico border,” which comes in at a gasping-for-oxygen 23 percent approval rating, against a 63 percent disapproval rating.
Given that Customs and Border Patrol just released the August 2023 “land border encounters” data, showing 232,972 encounters on the southwest border – the worst August ever – that 40-point net negative approval rating on immigration is no surprise.
Those encounters on the southwest border – about five times the monthly average during the last year of the previous administration – add up: Since Biden took office, more than 6 million illegal immigrants have invaded our country.
Further, crime still has not returned to its pre-COVID levels. Say the authors of one recent study, “Motor vehicle thefts continued their upward trend through the first half of 2023. There were 33.5% more motor vehicle thefts from January through June 2023 compared to the first half of 2022. … Violent crimes remain elevated compared to 2019 … There were 24% more homicides during the first half of 2023 than during the first half of 2019 … Motor vehicle thefts more than doubled (+104%)…"
You don’t have to personally be a victim of crime to be affected by it – just ask the residents of all the major cities that have recently seen retail stores closing down because the cities won’t get a handle on rising crime. According to data from the National Retail Foundation, the 2022 National Retail Security Survey revealed a 26.5 percent increase in organized retail crime – and last year, retailers lost about a hundred billion dollars due to crime and theft. Starbucks, McDonald’s, Target, Walmart and a host of other major outlets are responding by shutting down and leaving to go to areas where they can do business safely.
We’ve only begun to scratch the surface. Biden’s policies blocking domestic energy development, promoting taxpayer-funded social experimentation in the armed forces, having the FBI launch surveillance programs against Catholics and pro-lifers, and weaponizing the government to cajole and coerce social media platforms into censoring disfavored speech, among others, also work to drive his approval numbers down.
Biden’s poll numbers are cratering because on his watch – and, more importantly, because of his implementation of leftist policies – America itself is cratering.
And the polling makes it clear – while the poor performance of the economy is an important factor in driving Biden’s approval numbers down, it’s not just the economy, stupid.
Jenny Beth Martin is Honorary Chairman of Tea Party Patriots Action.