The polls have continued to be brutal for President Joe Biden lately. A Monmouth University poll, released on Wednesday, showed that 40 percent approve of the president's job performance, while 50 percent disapprove. While that 50 percent number was the same last month, the 40 percent is slightly lower than last month's 42 percent, and thus a record low for Biden with this particular poll.
And yet the geniuses at the DNC War Room thought it fitting to tout this poll in a Wednesday evening email.
Wednesday INBOX: Boy oh boy, look at what the geniuses at the DNC War Room put out… I mean, technically the headline of “NEW POLLS, SAME STORY” is correct in that Biden is continuing to receive low marks from the American public… pic.twitter.com/bT0H3MTvVI
— Rebecca Downs (@RebeccaRoseGold) December 9, 2021
NATIONAL POLL: @POTUS @JoeBiden’s job rating:
— MonmouthPoll (@MonmouthPoll) December 8, 2021
40% approve (42% in Nov.)
50% disapprove (50%)
APPROVE by PARTY:
DEM – 86%
IND – 29%
REP – 5% https://t.co/fYCl2WEv7y pic.twitter.com/NgcVXYvKEB
The email touted support for Biden's reconciliation spending bill, also known as his Build Back Better Act. According to the Monmouth poll, 66 percent currently support the infrastructure bill that passed last month, while 61 percent support the completely partisan BBB Act.
NATIONAL POLL: Support remains high for Biden spending plans:
— MonmouthPoll (@MonmouthPoll) December 8, 2021
66% - Bipartisan Infrastructure deal #BIF
61% - #BuildBackBetter expansion of healthcare, childcare & other support
56% - Climate change funding in #BBB billhttps://t.co/fYCl2WEv7y pic.twitter.com/YXpPaYow5v
Even the graph that the DNC War Room touts shows that support has fluctuated. The 61 percent figure is tied for the lowest it has been; it was also at 61 percent in July 2021.
NATIONAL POLL: Drop in Americans saying it is easy to pay household expenses.
— MonmouthPoll (@MonmouthPoll) December 8, 2021
EASY TO PAY:
56% Groceries (??13 pts. from 2019)
42% Health care costs (??6 pts.)
45% Taxes (??6 pts.)
40% Mortgage/rent (??6 pts.)
46% Health insurance premiums (??1 pt.)https://t.co/fYCl2WEv7y
As highlighted by the headline from the poll write-up, "Rising Prices Are Top Kitchen Table Worry."
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According to the write-up:
West Long Branch, NJ – Paying everyday household bills, and inflation specifically, top the list of concerns American families say they currently face, with the number saying it is easy for them to pay grocery bills dropping by 13 points in the past two years...
About 3 in 10 Americans name either everyday bills (15%) or inflation specifically (14%) as the biggest concern facing their family right now. This far outpaces Covid (18%) or any other single issue as the top kitchen table worry in the country. This past summer, far fewer Americans named either rising prices or household bills as their biggest concern (16% in July 2021) and the amount of concern over household bills was even smaller just over a year ago (8% in August 2020).
“Concerns about inflation have taken center stage in discussions around America’s kitchen tables. And, as one would expect, many are placing the blame squarely on Washington,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
Regardless of which issue they name as their top concern, nearly half of the public (46%) says that concern has been hurt by federal government actions since the beginning of the year. Back in July, 34% felt that the federal government had hurt their family regarding their top concern at that time. The largest jump in those saying they have been hurt by government actions has been among Republicans (up 24 points to 82%), while there has been less movement among independents (up 6 points to 47%) and Democrats (up 3 points to 10%).
It's worth illustrating that this is one area in which Biden is doing far worse than his predecessor, former President Donald Trump:
The number of people who say their family’s top concern has been hurt by the federal government is higher now than at any point during Donald Trump’s administration (which ranged from 37% to 42% between 2017 and 2019) and nearly matches the first time Monmouth asked this question during Barack Obama’s presidency (47% in January 2015). The number who say their family’s top concern has actually been helped by the federal government stands at 25%. While this is down from July (31%), it is similar to poll results from January 2017 (27%) and higher than other polls taken during both the Trump and Obama years (14% in 2015, 2018, 2019).
The number of Americans who say it is at least somewhat easy for them to pay their grocery bills (56%) has dropped by 13 points in the past two years (69% in May 2019). This shift is far greater than declines in reported ease of paying for health care deductibles (down 6 points to 42%), taxes (down 6 points to 45%), paying for housing (down 6 points to 40%), and paying for health insurance premiums (down 1 point to 46%).
The poll was conducted via telephone from December 2-6 with 808 adults. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
