The latest Gallup poll finds President Biden’s 42% approval rating is the lowest for any president in October of their first year going back to Dwight Eisenhower in 1953 — except Donald Trump, who was at 37%.
Virginia Looks Like a Toss Up
A new Roanoke College poll in Virginia finds Terry McAuliffe (D) barely ahead of Glenn Youngkin (R) in the race for governor, 47% to 46% with 6% still undecided.
The downticket races are also within the margin of error.
Biden’s Approval Sinks to New Low
A new NBC News poll finds 42% of adults say they approve of Biden’s overall job as president — a decline of 7 points since August, with much of the attrition coming from key parts of the Democratic base.
What’s more, the survey finds that 7 in 10 adults, including almost half of Democrats, believe the nation is headed in the wrong direction, as well as nearly 60 percent who view Biden’s stewardship of the economy negatively just nine months into his presidency.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“I think I’m going to take it to my grave. It took me a while to reconcile that it was not all my fault.”
— Huma Abedin, quoted by The Guardian, on how a laptop belonging to her and then-husband Anthony Weiner contributed to Hillary Clinton’s defeat in 2016.
Biden Failing to Sell His Agenda
ABC News/Ipsos poll: “Although a majority (55%) of the public is following news about the negotiations at least somewhat closely, about 7 in 10 (69%) Americans said they know just some or little to nothing about what’s in both bills. Fewer than half (31%) said they know a great deal or good amount.”
How ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Became Cheer for Republicans
Associated Press: “Americans are accustomed to their leaders being publicly jeered, and former President Donald Trump’s often-coarse language seemed to expand the boundaries of what counts as normal political speech.”
“But how did Republicans settle on the Brandon phrase as a G-rated substitute for its more vulgar three-word cousin?”
Quote of the Day
“I think you have to say an F, and not an F+. It would be an F. It’s a failed administration. It’s a disaster. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
— Former President Donald Trump, in a Fox News interview, when asked to grade President Biden.
Flipped
Coming soon: Flipped: How Georgia Turned Purple and Broke the Monopoly on Republican Power by Greg Bluestein.
“The untold story of the unlikely heroes, the cutthroat politics, and the cultural forces that turned a Deep South state purple.”
Flipped: How Georgia Turned Purple and Broke the Monopoly on Republican Power
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Bluestein, Greg (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 352 Pages - 03/22/2022 (Publication Date) - Viking (Publisher)
Delta Surge of Covid-19 Recedes
“The Delta wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is past its peak, with new cases, hospitalizations and deaths declining in most states. The approaching holidays and winter months will test whether the U.S. can sustain that momentum,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“New Covid-19 case numbers in the U.S. are close to levels recorded near this time last year, with a seven-day average at about 72,000 a day, Johns Hopkins University data show. But the trajectory is opposite. Last fall, cases were rising while hospitalizations and deaths, trailing indicators, were starting to follow.”
26K New York City Workers Miss Vaccine Deadline
“More than 26,000 New York City government employees, including firefighters, police officers, and sanitation workers, flouted the deadline for Mayor Bill de Blasio’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate,” Gothamist reports.
Russia Troops on Ukraine Border Prompt Concern
“A renewed buildup of Russian troops near the Ukrainian border has raised concern among some officials in the United States and Europe who are tracking what they consider irregular movements of equipment and personnel on Russia’s western flank,” the Washington Post reports.
“The renewed movements of Russian forces in the area come as the Kremlin embraces a harder line on Ukraine. Russian officials from President Vladimir Putin on down have escalated their rhetoric in recent months, attacking Kyiv’s Western ties and even questioning its sovereignty. Putin has warned that any expansion of NATO military infrastructure on Ukrainian territory represents a ‘red line’ for Moscow.”
Vermont Weathers Spike In Covid Cases
Boston Globe: “Throughout the pandemic, Vermont has been a beacon for the country, with its highest-in-the-nation Covid-19 vaccination rate, and often one of the lowest infection rates, too. On several days last summer, the state reported close to zero new Covid cases.”
“But since August, Vermont has been grappling with an alarming spike, often topping 200 new cases per day. The unexpected turn has triggered a sharp debate — at least by Vermont’s polite standards — over how forcefully to respond. The surge has leveled off in recent days but the case count remains high, tied with Maine for the most per capita in New England.”
Virginia Race Is Test for Both Parties
New York Times: “Terry McAuliffe’s strategy of relentlessly linking his Republican rival, Glenn Youngkin, to Donald Trump represents the best test yet of how much of a drag the former president still exerts on his party in blue and purple states. At the same time, Mr. Youngkin’s fancy footwork regarding Mr. Trump — avoiding his embrace without alienating him or his base — and his attacks on Mr. McAuliffe over the role of parents in schools will indicate if GOP candidates can sidestep Trumpism by drawing attention to what they argue is Democratic extremism on issues of race and gender.”
“Far from such old standbys of statewide races as property taxes and teacher pay, the issues in Virginia reflect the country’s canyonlike polarization and what each party portrays as the dire threat posed by the other.”
Dan Balz: “On this final weekend, many Democrats remain nervous. The most positive are at best cautiously optimistic. Their hope is that a state that has been trending Democratic for a decade will provide enough underlying momentum for McAuliffe to fend off Youngkin’s challenge.”
Trump Does the Racist ‘Tomahawk Chop’
Donald and Melania Trump enthusiastically participated in the controversial “tomahawk chop” for the Atlanta Braves at the World Series game against the Houston Astros last night.
Pandemic Still Makes Campaigning Difficult for Democrats
NBC News: “While Republicans more or less kept up their normal ground game throughout the pandemic, Democrats last year halted all in-person operations for months during the height of the presidential campaign.”
“Even now, in Virginia’s critical gubernatorial race, some progressives say they’re still having a difficult time getting people to volunteer in person, though vaccines have helped ease concerns.”
Cuomo Accuses Sheriff of Leaking Grand Jury Secrets
“An attorney for Andrew Cuomo on Saturday suggested the county sheriff’s office that has filed a misdemeanor sex complaint against the former New York governor leaked secret grand jury testimony to the press,” Reuters reports.
Abortion Rights Hang In the Balance
“The Supreme Court will face a bramble of unsettled legal questions when it reviews Texas’s most-restrictive-in-the-nation abortion law Monday, but the inquiry itself is evidence of a changed court whose view of abortion as a constitutional right is in doubt,” the Washington Post reports.
“Monday’s hastily scheduled hearing opens the most dramatic month for reproductive rights at the Supreme Court in three decades. That was when a surprising majority of Republican-nominated justices did the unexpected and affirmed rather than renounced the right to abortion established in Roe v. Wade in 1973.”
“Such an outcome this time around — as the court considers the Texas law and, on Dec. 1, a Mississippi ban on abortion after 15 weeks, far earlier than current Supreme Court precedent allows — would be a bitter disappointment for antiabortion activists who feel this is their chance.”
Quote of the Day
“Nobody has yelled at me at a Chipotle in like a year. It’s awesome.”
— Former Rep. Steve Stivers (R-OH), quoted by Roll Call, on resigning from Congress.
