The Gross Domestic Product numbers for the third quarter came out today, and they show that the economy grew at a strong 4.9% this last quarter. That’s the strongest growth since 2021 with inflation easing. You would think that Democrats are in seventh heaven over the prospect of Joe Biden leading them in 2024.
But the latest Gallup poll shows something entirely different.
“President Joe Biden’s job approval rating among Democrats has tumbled 11 percentage points in the past month to 75%, the worst reading of his presidency from his own party. This drop has pushed his overall approval rating down four points to 37%, matching his personal low,” reports Gallup.
Biden has also lost ground among independents, declining four points to 35%.
After ranging from 49% to 57% during the first eight months of his presidency, Biden’s approval rating has been mired in the low 40s for much of the past two years. Including the latest 37% job rating and an identical reading in April, Biden’s approval has fallen below 40% four times in the 33 readings Gallup has taken since he took office.
It’s more than possible that the fall off in Biden’s numbers with Democrats is tied to his strong support for Israel. The Gallup poll from March shows that, for the first time, more Democrats are sympathetic to the Palestinian cause than the Israelis.
Although the survey is not designed to allow for statistically reliable estimates for any subset of the three-week polling period, the daily results strongly suggest that Democrats’ approval of Biden fell sharply in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas and Biden’s promise of full support for Israel on the same day. Biden’s current 75% approval rating among Democrats is well below the 86% average from his own party throughout his presidency.
Let’s understand this phenomenon clearly. Biden has lost support among his own party for giving full-throated support to Israel and condemning Hamas for some of the most gruesome atrocities in modern history.
Biden’s immediate and decisive show of support for Israel following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas appears to have turned off some in his own party, resulting in Democrats’ worst assessment of the president since he took office. Biden’s overall approval rating likewise matches his personal low. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict comes at a time when Americans remain pessimistic about the economy, the Biden administration is struggling to deal with increasing numbers of migrants attempting to enter the country, and debate continues about how much aid to provide to Ukraine in its war with Russia.
As recently as January 2014, nearly 60% of Democrats supported Israel. That number is down to 38%. I agree that not supporting Israel does not make one an anti-Semite. But when coupled with a near majority support for Palestinians, a troubling picture emerges. Can you support the Palestinian people and not support Hamas? Or Hezbollah?
It takes a tortured intellect to be able to do that.
It’s getting very late in the day for another Democrat to step forward to run if, as seems more and more likely, Joe Biden will step down. Biden may anoint Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor, but there are several potential candidates who would almost certainly object and mount their own campaigns.
Is the phone ringing in Gavin Newsom’s office?
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