Joe Biden's Downward Slide To Nowhere

As of July 19th, an average of 55.8% of all Americans disapprove of the job Joe Biden was doing. Just 37.9% gave him a favorable rating. The Rasmussen Poll for the week of July 14th, put that number at 60%. The latest Pew Report  has it at 62%.  Reuters has Biden hitting an all time low...not just for Biden, but for practically any president with an approval rating of 36%.

 At this rate, Biden may soon beat out President Trump who, at his lowest, polled an approval rating of just 33%. The highest Biden has polled thus far into his presidency 57%, which he hit shortly after being sworn in as President. His average to date is 41%.

It's worth noting that at this point in a presidency, the average approval rating is 56% (the average for a president in general is 51%). By comparison, Trump had a 41% approval rating at the same juncture of his administration while Barack Obama did slightly better with 46%. George W. Bush hit 73%.

President John Kennedy's approval rating at this point in his presidency was 69%. George H.W. Bush was at 68% and Eisenhower was 62%. Bill Clinton's approval rating was 43% while "the Gipper", Ronald Reagan, had a approval rating of 45%. Then too, fellow Democrat Jimmy Carter, regarded by most Americans as our worst recent President, had an approval rating of 42% at this same juncture in his presidency, thus outperforming Biden by approximately four percentage points.

However, Biden is still doing well among Democrats. Roughly 74% are happy with his performance thus far.  However, a mere 12% of Republicans think he's doing a decent job, while the majority of Independents---the nation's largest political bloc--- also disapprove of Biden's performance.

When looking at the nation by region, we find that 54% of those living in the Northeast have a negative opinion of Biden. In the Midwest, that number jumps to 64%. In the South, it's 57%. The place where Biden seems to be doing well is out West, especially in California (home of his arch-supporter, Nancy Pelosi) and Washington State, where his approval rating is 49% compared to a disapproval rating of 46%. A difference of a mere 3%, which is well within the 5% margin of error.

Interestingly, President Biden seems to be holding his own in America's urban centers where he has a 55% approval rate. Moving out into the suburbs, his approval rating drops dramatically to 37% while in the rural hinterlands his disapproval rating is 69%. 

As an aside, these numbers tend to match approval ratings in general for Democrats vs. Republicans. Democrats tend to do well in populated cities while Republicans and conservatives do well in the suburbs and farmlands. 

Among gender, 53% of men disapprove of Biden's job performance as do 58% of women. When it comes to age, Biden isn't doing much better. Those 18 to 39 have a 39% approval rating of Biden. That match those 40 and older.

However, his disapproval level is higher among those over 40 (56%) compared to those 39 and younger (54%). When it comes to money, 55% of those surveyed earning under $75K disapprove of how Biden is doing his job. Similarly, those earning more than $75K agree. 57% disapprove.

When it comes to vice presidents, Kamala Harris has proven to be nothing to write home about. Harris has managed to poll some of the lowest approval ratings of any Vice President in U.S. history. Her current disapproval rating is 52% (it's been as high as 58%).  Nevertheless, let's take a look at her numbers in a little more detail.

Among Democrats, Ms. Harris is following her boss's lead. 77% approve of her job performance. Meanwhile, a staggering 92% of Republicans think otherwise as does 66% of Independents. 

When we look at gender, surprisingly 49% of the women surveyed disapprove of the job the first ever female Vice President is doing. On the plus side, 45% think she's doing a good job. When it comes to the guys, overwhelmingly they disapprove with 62%. Is this a gender role issue I wonder? Since the women are so close in their opinion, why are the men so dramatically opposed? Could it be that they believe a VP job in politics is no place for a woman? If so, what does that say about a female President?

We may have a slight hint when we look at age. 62% of those over 65 disapprove of Harris. The 45 to 64 age bracket mostly agrees. 58% have a unfavorable opinion of Harris. These groups tend to be generally more traditional, especially among the older voters. However, it also includes the more liberal leaning Babyboomers. So what gives?

Among the 30 to 44 age group, which encompasses the socialist wannabe Millennials, the disapproval rating remains high at 49%, but the favorable figure isn't too bad with a 42% approval.  Finally, those under 30, which includes the very liberal Gen Z crowd, 47% don't seem to like the job Ms. Harris is doing while 42% do. Notably this segment also has the largest "no opinion" figure at 10%.

Kamala Harris is not only the first female Vice President, she is also the first mixed race Vice President in American history (she self identifies as black and South Asian), so perhaps then it's appropriate to look at how she does among the racial groups.

Among whites, Ms. Harris has an approval rating of just 34% with a 63% unfavorable rating. Hispanics are a close second largest racial demographic behind whites in America. In about ten years or so, they are expected to reach parody with whites. With the likelihood we will have a Hispanic President in the very near future, how do they feel about Ms. Harris? Well, 49% think Ms. Harris is doing okay while 45% have their doubts.

Barack Obama is considered to be the nation's first black president though technically he is biracial (his mother was white and his father was African Kenyan). Since Ms. Harris is part black, you'd expect that she would poll well among black voters, and you'd be right. 68% of blacks surveyed said they had a positive opinion of the Vice President while just 24% didn't.

Interestingly, at least from a statistical perspective, is that 49% of a racially "other" bracket disapproved of Ms. Harris's performance. Why that's interesting is that the "other" category includes not just Native Americans, but includes Asians and Pacific Islanders as well.

As a group, Asians and Pacific Islanders are highly traditional and very family oriented with a strong belief in a family hierarchy. So, perhaps they had a tendency to disapprove of a woman in what has traditionally been a "man's job"? Maybe. But then again, Hawaii had a queen. Her name was Liliuokalani, and she was the last sovereign of the Kamehameha dynasty. Other strong Asian and Pacific Islands female leaders have included Indira Gandhi, Corazon Aquino, and Yingluck Shinawatra.

Here in the U.S., female Asian and Pacific Islanders make up just under 7% of Congress, 2% of State Legislators, and roughly 3% of all mayors (of the top 100 cities). Not bad for being just 6.2% of the population! Nevertheless, Kamala Harris is not among the most popular of vice presidents and it has nothing to do with her gender or race.  

It's past time we move beyond race, gender, religion, and party for that matter when it comes to who we elect. When all other factors are considered, they are among the least important. Let's face it, Identity politics just doesn't work. We need individuals dedicated to serve our best interests. Not that of a partisan clique whose sole allegiance is to the power brokers on Wall Street and their K Street minions.

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How popular is Joe Biden?

 

Biden approval rating falls to 36%, matching record low:Reuters/Ipsos poll

Presidential Approval Ratings---Joe Biden

What Does America Think of Kamala Harris?

 

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