READING TIME: 4 minutes
SUMMARY: While we’re all full of Schadenfreude over the Epstein files, the SCOTUS tariff decision, and the ICEstapo, we should remember that Congressional Democrats have a popularity problem. While it is only one poll, it tells us that the mid-terms are not a shoe in for Dems. Americans actually trust Trump about as much as Congressional Dems on immigration and the economy.
KEY WORDS: Congress, Democrats, Mid-Terms, Trump, Immigration, Mass Deportation, Economy, Tariffs, Prices, Presidenting
COMMENTS: What do Democrats need to do to improve their chances of taking back both the House and Senate in the Mid-Terms?
Who do you trust more to address the problems facing the US? (A) The Democrats in Congress (B) Donald “The Angry Canckle” Trump or (C) Neither?
Who do you trust to do better with immigration? (A) Donald The Orange Caricature Trump or (B) the Democrats in Congress?
Should all undocumented immigrants be deported regardless of criminal status?
If you said the public is evenly split among the Human Canckle, Congressional Democrats, and neither, then you’d be correct.
If you said respondents were EVENLY split on whether ALL 14 million undocumented immigrants should be deported, then you’re a better prognosticator than I am.
And, if you thought slightly more Americans trusted the Racist-in-Chief more than Congressional Democrats, then maybe you’re playing a metacognitive game or looking at the answers.
In looking over the results of the hollow WaPo, ABC (American Bended-knee Collaborators), and Ipos pol, I alternated between anxiety attack and shitting my pants. It felt like Election 2024 all over again. In the run-up to the last election, I’d been smugly telling myself and anyone else who’d listen that there was no way the American electorate would return the Corrupt Chaotic Authoritarian to the White House, not after the 6 January Insurrection and shambolic #COVID19 response that left two million real live Americans completely and irrevocably dead. Just like I’m confident that the 2026 mid-terms will be a repeat of the 2018 and 2022 mid-terms only on meth.
Then along comes the poll that reminds us that Congressional Democrats are only slightly more popular than tertiary syphilis, they are still worse than syph for the average American.
In other words, if we want Democrats to take control of the House, we’ve got a lot more work cut out for us and taking control of the Senate is a task of Himalayan proportions.
Let’s take a look at the results of the poll.
The Ipsos Poll
The poll was published on Sunday 22 February but conducted 12 – 17 February. They used a representative sample of the adult population — not a voting or likely to vote population it is important to note — of 2,589 individuals.
Handling of the Economy:
52% disapprove; 40% approve. And 48% say the economy has worsened in the past year versus 29% saying it has gotten better. Still, 40% think the Grifter-in-Chief is doing a good job on our economy? How is that possible?
64% disapprove, 34% approve of his tariffs (the poll was done before the SCOTUS tariff decision). That’s more like it, but thirty four still seems high to me.
65% disapprove, 32% approve of Trump’s inflation rate. You’ve got to be kidding me. Thirty-two percent of those questioned were okay with prices? No wonder the marauding Oligarch got elected.
While it all splits as you’d predict along party lines with over 90% of Republicans squeaking out through clinched teeth that everything is great and over 90% of Democrats gleefully shouting that it is all wrack and ruin. A very sobering fifty-ish percent of independent mumble that the economy has worsened and 72% that tariffs are bad.
And, while all of that can be good news for Democrats, it is the 32% that trust Trump over the 31% that trust Congressional Democrats to lower costs that is truly concerning. How does that work? A whole lot of iNdEpEnDeNtS that’s how.
Immigration, Mass Deportation, and Concentration Camps
You’d think that after the debacle in Minnesota, Chicago, and LA Americans would be all-in against ICE and mass deportation, but they ain’t. While 62% oppose ICE tactics and 31% approve, a whopping FIFTY PERCENT think all 14 million undocumented immigrants should be deported! That is support for mass deportation. And FIFTY PERCENT oppose abolishing ICE.
It is true that support for the nation’s BeBest Racist’s “handling” of immigration — whatever that means — has been falling, it still stands at an all too high 40% support and opposition at a not high enough 58%. And we’re split 38% to 34% favoring Trump to do a better job on immigration than Congressional Democrats.
Presidenting
Opposition to Trump and the Epstein class does not translate to support for Democrats. There is no comfort in the finding that two-thirds (64%) of respondents think Trump is out of touch with the average American. That still leaves a third (35%) saying he is. And, Ipsos reports that just under 40% like the way he is presidenting, but they don’t report that 60% disapprove, which leads me to believe that there is a substantial going meh, I dunno.
Vote Blue No Matter Who
There is a good proportion of readers who have been telling me since 2016 that Trump is popular and is going to win and I’ve argued with them every time. One of them was Ma Belle Femme who bet me my citizenship that Trump would win in 2016, and here I am applying for Canadian citizenship.
Regardless, it is time change our shorts and get to work. Whether you like the Democratic candidates running for office or not, it is time to vote Democrat no matter what. If a 6-3 SCOTUS, an economy wrecked by Trickle Down Economic and tariffs, concentration camps — CONCENTRATION CAMPS, for god’s sake — and the execution of American citizens in the streets hasn’t convinced you that Democrats are the only viable alternative, then I don’t know what will. I still prefer a pre-Dobbs America to a post, a pre-tariff America to a post, a pre-mass deportation America to a post, and a pre-oligarch America to a post.
Like it or not, Democrats are the only viable alternative out there.
Image Attribution
The image was found on Foundation using a Creative Commons search.
The Psy of Life 
What can the Democrats do to improve their chances of winning? For one thing, stop saying “undocumented immigrants” for illegal aliens. People don’t like Newspeak. The same goes for all the rest of the gobbledygooky language like “Latinx” and “LGBTQ+”, saying they can’t define “woman” because they’re not a biologist, calling everybody who disagrees with them “fascist”, etc. They sound like Martians, and snobby Martians at that.
Democrats also need to re-think their attitude about illegal immigration. Polling in 2024 showed a strong majority for mass deportations — even a slight majority among Hispanics. That support has dropped somewhat due to disgust at ICE’s grotesque mishandling of the situation — deliberate cruelty, disregard for law and due process — but that’s temporary. The majority of Americans are not going to tolerate millions of people permanently living illegally in the country. Ever.
Hostility to guns locks the party out of vast areas of the country where guns are an essential part of the culture. They need to re-think that stance too.
My point is that the Democrats are tied to some policies and cultural habits which are legitimately repulsive to many or most voters. They need to actually change those things to make themselves more appealing to the voters. Trying to browbeat people into accepting the Democrats as-is by lecturing and scolding them and calling them names ending in “-ist” and “-phobe” is the royal road to losing more elections.
Opposition to Trump and the Epstein class does not translate to support for Democrats
Why would it? When have the Democrats done better? The growing concentration of wealth in the hands of a tiny oligarchy, while life got harder and harder for most people, has continued uninterrupted for half a century. It made no difference which party was in power. This year a union in California is trying to get a measly 5% wealth tax on billionaires onto the ballot, and governor Newsom, a Democrat, opposes it. I don’t hear anyone pushing for really large-scale redistribution of billionaire wealth back to the working class who created it. Both parties are completely captured by billionaire donors.
The Democrats have made themselves into a party of do-nothings who are culturally repulsive to normal people. They can win elections when the Republicans make themselves so extremely horrible that people feel they have to hold their noses and vote for the Democrats as the only other option, but that doesn’t mean they’re happy doing so.
I’ll give the Democrats credit for one major thing that clearly and directly helped ordinary people — Obamacare. That’s the only example I can think of. In half a century.
You’re wise to not take this year’s election for granted. From 2022 to 2024 the Democrats kept overperforming in special elections and a lot of people, including me, expected a blue wave in November 2024. Let’s not get fooled again.
How well the Democrats do in future elections depends on what they choose to become. A party of economic populism, strong wealth redistribution, crushing the billionaire class, and cultural nationalism will beat the Republicans every time. A party of identity politics, wokeness, coddling criminals, sneering at guns and tradition, mentally-ill men in dresses using the girls’ bathroom, and pandering to billionaires just a bit less than the Republicans do, will only win elections when the Republicans hand them those elections on a silver platter.
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I actually have a hard time believing this. Trump & his crew are ASSHOLES. Democrats may be BLAH & they may be on the corporate teat but they’re rarely assholes.
Schumer is a charmer ~ I’ve met him ~ but he’s living in a world that no longer exists. I understand how people can be pissed at how he operates but most people have no idea how politics work ~ which is WHY there’s so many jerkoffs elected nowadays.
I have worked in politics ~ I was a writer for a NY assemblyman. I used to try to tell people how politics work but I was told so many times that I was an “idealist” ~HA! that’ll be the day! ~ that I’ve given up. The closest I get to talking politics nowadays is talking about sports.
I agree with the comment that Democrats need to get their act together. A lot of this has to do with the people electing them. Or the people who don’t bother to show up to vote. Lots of people have dropped out of the voting procedure & honestly ~ I don’t blame them. It gets tiresome voting against people rather than voting for people.
That said, I will be voting this November. Voting FOR Democrats. I want a Democrat in the NY Governor’s seat.
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It is sad that there are two choices….but what will a a ‘not Trump’ do to bring about sanity? chuq
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Just let those who do not like democrats worship at the altar of their self-induced psychosis and enjoy the consequences of their mis-informed choices. Good enough for them. You can’t reason with people whose crania are inhabited by dust, sand and vacancy.
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One thing is sure, that we are not a happy country, and neither major party has clear majority support and trust. For anybody running for Congress this year it is likely that the old dictum, “It’s the economy, stupid.”, may be the deciding factor. And now, we are being told that AI agents are going to take all our white collar jobs.
Democrats need to get their act together.
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