President Joe Biden may still consistently enjoy high favorability ratings, but there's more to it, much more to it. In his write-up for Yahoo! News, Andrew Romano did not mince words about a recent Yahoo News/YouGov poll. The polls are shifting, and not in a good way for the Democrats.
"Biden's approval rating falls, as both Republicans and Democrats grow more concerned about crime," Romano warned.
The poll was conducted June 22-June 24, with 1,592 U.S. adults.
A majority of Americans, at 55 percent, see "violent crime" as a "very big problem" That's more than those who see "the economy" as "a very big problem," which is at 41 percent, by double digits.
When it comes to Democratic talking point of the "coronavirus pandemic" and "race relations," only 36 and 39 percent, respectively, saw it as a "very big problem."
If the fact that a majority of Americans don't think it's a problem doesn't make you think, Romano has more:
Even more striking is the fact that the number of Americans who consider violent crime a very big problem rose 6 percentage points over the last month, and Republicans (among whom the number increased from 56 to 65 percent) weren’t the only ones contributing to that increase.
The write-up also suggested a correlation. "Growing concerns about violent crime coincide with some of Biden’s weakest job-approval numbers to date," with his approval down from 54 to 50 percent, and his disapproval up to 43 percent, from 37 percent in April. "For Biden, that 7-point gap between approval and disapproval is the narrowest in any Yahoo News/YouGov poll since the start of his presidency," Romano notes.
And the numbers just keep climbing on the crime concerns, from members of Biden's own party no less. A majority of Democrats, at 53 percent see it as "a very big problem." A strong plurality of Americans also disapprove of the way Biden is handling crime, 47 to 36 percent.
As Romano writes on that issue:
Among Democrats, disapproval of Biden’s approach to crime increased by 3 points (to 17 percent). And while plenty of Democrats still approve of his handling of crime (68 percent), that number is noticeably lower than his approval among Democrats on nearly every other issue, including COVID-19 (91 percent), the economy (83 percent), foreign policy (81 percent), race (81 percent), climate change (81 percent) and immigration (70 percent).
Romano also has some further insight on what Americans attribute the cause of crime to be:
Republicans and Democrats continue to disagree sharply, however, about what is causing the spike in violent crime and what can be done about it. Democrats who believe violent crime is increasing cite “rising gun sales” (66 percent) and “systemic racism” (62 percent) as the top reasons for this; Republicans (69 percent) and independents (62 percent) cite “the racial justice movement” itself.
Likewise, more Democrats believe law enforcement is “too tough on most offenders” (37 percent) than believe law enforcement is either not tough enough (21 percent) or “about right” (15 percent). Nearly all Republicans say police are not tough enough (52 percent) or “about right” (29 percent).
President Biden, to much criticism, blamed the crime surge on guns, likely appeasing his base, but nobody else. So much for a "unity" president.
There's also a nuance to it:
Either way, the politics around crime seems to be shifting, and Biden may have to do more to stay ahead of the issue. Majorities of Americans now say they are more worried about crime in their communities (51 percent) than police brutality against minorities (37 percent); that violent crime is increasing because of “the racial justice movement” (56 percent); and that police are either not tough enough on offenders (31 percent) or about right (20 percent). Most Americans (57 percent) also say they are worried about “the breakdown of law and order in American cities.”
In light of Biden's remarks on guns and violent crime, Josh Wingrove and Jordan Fabian's headline for Bloomberg warned "Biden Offers Crime Plan as Polls Hint at Political Vulnerability."
What's even worse for Biden is that Wingrove and Fabian cited a previous poll from Yahoo!/YouGov to issue their warning. Again, recall how Biden is doing worse since the last poll. "Polls signal growing unease over crime, a potential liability for Biden and Democrats in next year’s midterm elections," they wrote.
Neil Patel made such a prediction in a column published in Townhall on Friday.
Joe Biden may want to get with the times, especially with the mid-term elections in 2022 fast approaching. It's almost certain that Republicans will take the majority, at least in the House. It's just a matter of how much.