Statistics can be revealing. Less obvious things are teased from the obvious. Biden’s poor poll numbers spell failure – “negative 33 to 54 percent” approval – Quinnipiac poll. But what else? This recent poll shows other things, important for 2022 midterms, 2024, and long term.
First, people are deeply unhappy, and consider America more – not less – divided after a year of the Democrat lock on power. That is revealing. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents – who agree on little, beyond where the sun sets – agree on twin facts: America is more divided now not less. And this equates to high danger, an internal threat to stability.
While voting Democrats seldom denounce Biden’s open borders, illegal aliens, rising homicides, inflation, energy costs, Critical Race Theory, and the rest, they are not stupid. They see danger.
How unified is the assessment, and what does it mean? Americans believe “the bigger danger to the United States comes from within,” 76 percent more concerned about “political instability” than external adversaries.
Fear for freedom and democracy, constitutional governance and institutions is almost universal. “Democrats say 83 – 13 percent, Independents say 78 – 19 percent, and Republicans say 66 – 29 percent that political instability in the U.S. is the bigger danger.” See, Political Instability Not U.S. Adversaries, Seen As Bigger Threat, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Nearly 6 In 10 Think Nation’s Democracy Is In Danger Of Collapse
Overall, “a majority of Americans, 58 – 37 percent, think the nation’s democracy is in danger of collapse.” That is shocking. “Republicans say 62 – 36 percent, Independents say 57 – 39 percent, and Democrats say 56 – 37 percent think … democracy is in danger of collapse.”
Pause to unpack this. While some worry that January 6th coverage, hysteria over COVID, loss of must-have legislation (really must-not-have) is the main issue, more is afoot.
Look at Democrat messaging. A series of hysteria-fanning gambits, attacks on American history, culture, economy, biology, faith, constitutional processes, all to save the world. Sky is falling!
People get tired of that, begin to worry that all the hysteria might be the problem, the real threat buried in unremitting appeals to fear, radicalism, and calls to “transform” society.
What do Democrats propose? For COVID, forget the 10th Amendment’s promise to limit federal power, instead push mandates that crimp rights like speech, worship, travel, employment.
To push leftism, Democrats undermine judicial independence, attacking the Supreme Court’s legitimacy, expecting them to expand Second Amendment rights and narrow abortion.
Beyond threats to make the Court “pay” (Democratic Majority Leader Schumer, NY) and “revolution” (Democrat Senator Shaheen, NH), Democrats try to justify “packing” the Court.
Back in the US Senate, following a nationwide push in over 30 states for election integrity, not racism, Senate Democrats boldly paint Republicans as racist, then pushed election federalization.
Compounding the insult, Democrats attack the “filibuster,” a 150-old tradition assuring big bills are never pushed on one vote, that all is “deliberative,” that a 60-member cloture vote occurs.
What else? Democrats push defunding police, demoralizing departments coast to coast, allowing crime, riots, and homicides to surge, reducing recruitment, retention, respect, and deterrence.
Beyond unconstitutional federal mandates, Democrats killed America’s energy independence, intentionally hobbling an entire sector, causing fuel prices to spike.
Unaffordable, unnecessary, power-concentrating legislation has run up national debt, creating the worst inflation – seven percent in December – seen in four decades.
All these mistakes – compounded by disenfranchising parents over education, political indoctrination, upending cultural norms, definition of men and women, basic understandings around sports, biology, math, family rights – scare people.
In effect, when you step back – attributing public fear to January 6th, or to insecurity from COVID, is not accurate. The real reason is Democrat policies, media hysteria, rolling histrionics – the intentional spread of fear – by some in Congress and this Administration.
What worries people are not traditional mistakes made by imperfect humans in our much-respected institutions, but disrespect for those very institutions – due process, constitutional rights, Supreme Court, Senate rules, American history, law enforcement, right to self-defense, room for public dissent, respect for faith, biology, fairness in sports, parental rights.
In short, the survey – with twists and turns – is not about Biden, who is hobbled, underperforming, struggling for capacity. It is about bigger issues, going to Democrats.
The unease people feel has many causes, but fear for the Republic can be traced – in a hundred ways – to leftism, radical ideas, disrespect for core institutions and rights.
Nutshell: All this should worry Democrats in 2022, 2024 and beyond. Americans are tolerant, generous, forgiving. But when you attack what they care about – kids, rights, life – watch out.
What else can be teased from the latest poll? When rhetoric becomes negative, not praising the “greatness,” principles, and institutions of our country, but ridiculing and tearing down – optimism recedes, doubts about the future rise.
That is what anti-American, anti-history, anti-police, anti-free market, anti-faith, anti-free speech, anti-states’ rights rhetoric does. “Just over half of Americans (53 percent) expect political divisions in the country to worsen over their lifetime,” only “15 percent expect” better.
The poll synthesizes, “A fear of the enemy within, not a foreign threat, punctuates a grim assessment by Americans of a democracy in peril and a future of deepening political divisions.”
Of course, threats within are often tied to threats without. The Chinese, Russians, Iranians, terrorists, anarchists, autocrats, and anti-democratic forces worldwide would love to see more of this – Americans turning on Americans, deriding democracy.
The silver lining is, whatever our political affiliation, a large majority of Americans do not want to be divided. They resent it, will punish at the polls those pushing anti-American power-concentration. They see danger. They are right.
Bottom line: While hysteria is hard to resist, those stirring it hard to stomach, and leadership failing, there is strength in Americans. We are about courage, grounded expectations, love of freedom. While polls of one politician ebb and flow – or ebb and ebb! – bigger things are afoot.