Trump is losing his base and Democrats have lost the white working class, internal polling shows

[andym]

http://theweek.com/speedreads/716802/trump-losing-base-democrats-have-lost-white-working-class-internal-polling-shows
by Nicholas Kamm

The 2018 midterm elections are still 15 months away, and the 2020 general election is even further down the line, but the news is already bad. If you are a Republican, a new poll from Republican pollsters Firehouse Strategies has some sobering news about President Trump's falling support among his base, but Democrats also have some terrible numbers among white voters without a college education in a recent internal poll.

The Firehouse poll looked at likely midterm voters in four key swing states — Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio, and Pennsylvania — and found Trump losing support especially among Republicans, especially when it comes to perceived honesty. "Just 6 months in office, Trump is getting into dangerously low territory in key swing states," Firehouse partner Alex Conant tells Axios. Trump's base of support has shrunk to 28.6 percent who have a "strongly favorable" view of him, including only 44.9 percent of Republicans, versus 35.3 percent of voters in those four states who felt the same in April. If Trump doesn't repeal ObamaCare and overhaul the tax code by the midterms, an increasing number of voters say they won't vote for the GOP incumbent.

....
The Democratic poll, conducted by the Democrats' House Majority PAC, found that Trump is more popular than congressional Democrats and Republicans with the white working class, and that the GOP has an edge over congressional Democrats on everything but health care. On the economy and job creation, congressional Republicans held a brutal 35-point lead, but also bested Democrats on things like "will fight for people like you," "understands what it is like for regular Americans," and "will reduce the power of special interests in Congress." When House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and other Democrats "seek to make the case for a 'better deal,' they face an audience primed to disbelieve every word they say," says Thomas Edsall at The New York Times.

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The Trump polling is good news and as expected. The Democratic polling is disastrous. Something needs to be done-- the "better deal" is not selling. My hope is that Democrats put a large emphasis on new programs to promote small business and entrepreneurship in addition to the progressive goals to achieve universal healthcare and a living wage.

[cilla4progress]

1. Bernie

That is all

[LovesPNW]

2. +1000

Tiptoeing away.

[J_William_Ryan]

3. No, not Bernie

This is a problem that can be addressed only at the very local level; Democrats need to take back control of state and local governments.

[stonecutter357]

6. +1000

[Beartracks]

7. This. Right. Here.

The solution doesn't start in 2020, or even 2018. It starts NOW.

===========

[yurbud]

15. and then not be the concierge for business

[David__77]

4. At least they dropped "better skills."

That would be taken as a real slap in the face by many, I think.

[Beartracks]

5. Makes sense: Trump losing doesn't equal Dem shoe-in.

His disillusioned base is still likely to keep voting Republican, because Republicans.

==========

[get the red out]

8. And have been for a long time

But my hope is that they will vote Libertarian and hurt the Republicans just the same.

[Beartracks]

9. Fine by me!

My hope is that the Republican party itself is tarnished very badly, since its current incarnation is what brought us Trump.

============

[BeyondGeography]

10. Couldn't be the messengers, right?

Uh-uh, no way.

[leon8822]

11. Democrats have never won the so called white working class to a republican

[riversedge]

13. "interviews were conducted June 27 July 13, 2017."--When did the Better Deal come out? A few

weeks ago--before this poll. Granted, it does need to be sold.


This report covers the results of our research: 1000 total interviews in targeted House districts with a sample of likely 201
8
voters. All of the voters were White, over the age of twenty
-
four and did not have a college degree or higher education. The
interviews were conducted June 27
–
July 13, 2017. The margin of error for overall results is
±
3.10% and higher among
subgroups.
o
Undecideds (Undec)
are 24% of th

[yurbud]

16. Not during FDR, Truman, Kennedy, or LBJ?

[JI7]

19. That was before civil rights

[yurbud]

20. LBJ did Civil Rights early on--but you're right, that caused a rift with working class

oddly, white people didn't seem to mind social programs as long as "those" people didn't get help too.

[riversedge]

12. The better Deal has hardly been in the news -it is new at this point.

[andym]

14. I think this article points out that Democrats are not credited with being strong on business

which is completely unfair given the strong economy under Clinton and the recovering economy under Obama. But in addition to fixing health care (single payer?) and ensuring a reasonable wage ($15), Democrats don't make a strong ideological argument even for small business, which I think should be rectified. Democratic leaders should propose a host of programs beyond the good work done by the Small Business Administration to really encourage citizens to become entrepreneurs AND emphasize training for high tech jobs. These ideas are already out there, but they need to be emphasized as better than trickle down Reaganism and a real push should be made to make people aware. We need to marry Sanders socialism or Warren's progressivism with pro-small-business, but not pro-corporate policies that give working men and women hope for the future.
Universal health care, a living wage, small business entrepreneurship and anti-corporate abuses should make a powerful platform for the future

[yurbud]

17. people need to make money to buy the stuff businesses want to sell

it aint rocket science--unless you're paid not to get it.

[andym]

18. Right! And that's why Democrats need to promote ideas that lead to the creation of jobs that pay

well, as well as protections that workers earn a fair minimum wage. Actually, it's not like such policies don't exist, but they are buried deep within Democratic ideas of how to change the country for the better.

[yurbud]

21. We have to kill the "job creation" meme though--that implies jobs are charity...

Every person who has a job is making more for their employer than they are paid or they would be fired--period.

[FiveGoodMen]

23. "making more for their employer than they are paid"

That is one excellent point!

Bears much repeating.

[Blue_Tires]

22. Racism, plain and simple...