The Numbers Have Shifted
A new Morning Consult/Politico poll released yesterday shows that the handling of the withdrawal in Afghanistan has had serious impact on President Biden’s job approval ratings…and not just limited to that issue.
The poll was conducted on Sunday and Monday of this week, just as the Tuesday deadline for troop withdrawal loomed and after the suicide bombing that killed 13 American military members, and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus only 2 points.
61 percent say that things in the country have “pretty seriously gotten off on the wrong track”, with only 39 percent saying things are going in the right direction…that’s how the question was phrased.
49 percent disapprove of the job Biden is doing as president overall, compared with 47 percent who approve.
More people disapprove, than approve, of the job Biden is going on the economy, national security, and gun policy. And a majority disapprove of his handling of immigration, Afghanistan, foreign policy generally, and coronavirus.
The Afghanistan numbers are interesting, because by a margin of 50-41 percent, those surveyed agreed we should have gotten out by September 11…but strongly disapprove of the way it was handled.
The most important issue for voters as they look to 2022 is the economy, with nearly a third (32 percent) noting that taxes, wages, jobs, unemployment and spending are at the top of their list, with security issues like terrorism, foreign policy and border security close behind, as 26 percent of those surveyed said that was their primary set of issues. Interesting that issues the progressives are pushing, such as energy, women’s issues, and student loans, only come in at low single digit numbers.
