CNN Poll: Approval Ratings for Democratic Party and Republican Party Collapse

According to a new CNN poll, the Democratic Party is at its lowest approval rating since the early 1990s. Only 37 percent of Americans think positively about the party of Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer. That’s a 7-point drop from only seven months ago when Democrats were viewed positively by 44 percent of voters.

The most fascinating part of the poll is that Democrats’ approval rating is suffering not only among “middle-class whites” but also among “nonwhites” (where it’s now at an abominable 48 percent) and among those under 35 years of age (33 percent). In other words, the Democratic Party is quickly losing millennials and Generation Z.

Oh, and that’s not all. The poll also shows that even 33 percent of voters who describe themselves as “liberal” now have a negative view of that party.

The result of these low approval ratings? Even Democratic voters say they have little to no interest in the party and its agenda for the 2018 midterms:

Only 36 percent of Democrat voters said they were excited about voting next year, down from the 44 percent reported as recently as September.

The only good news for Democrats is that the same can be said for Republican voters. Only 37 percent of the GOP base say they’re excited to vote next year. That’s bad enough for President Trump, but there’s more:

Only 30 percent of respondents said they had a positive view of the GOP. That is down sharply from the 42 percent in March. The Grand Old Party faces a 61 percent unfavorable view.

Additionally, 52 percent oppose lowering the corporate tax rate, 56 percent oppose getting rid of the inheritance tax (often called a “death tax” by conservatives), and 52 percent aren’t happy with the president’s plan to eliminate state and local income tax deductions.

What does all of this mean? Voters are losing faith in the political system altogether or, at the very least, in the two major parties that, between the two of them, basically decide what happens in America. This may not sound like a big problem, but it certainly is. Healthy cynicism is important, but unhealthy cynicism means people lose faith altogether and no longer believe serious problems can be solved in a democratic manner. That sets the stage for increasingly more authoritarian candidates for president, Congress, and the Senate.