The party of President Donald Trump is taking a beating in the polls. The latest Quinnipiac poll finds that 52 percent of those surveyed favor a Democratic majority in the House, and only 35 percent a GOP majority. Among independents, only 30 percent favor a Republican majority. Numbers for the Senate are nearly identical.
It is no mystery why the Republicans are in such disfavor. For one thing, most people really don’t like policies many Republicans have adopted:
“Undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, so-called ‘Dreamers,’ should be allowed to remain in the U.S. and apply for citizenship, 79 percent of American voters say in a Quinnipiac University National Poll released today. Another 7 percent say Dreamers should be allowed to stay but not apply for citizenship, and 11 percent say Dreamers should be required to leave the U.S.
“Support for allowing dreamers to stay and apply for citizenship ranges from 64 percent among Republicans to 92 percent among Democrats. ...
“American voters oppose 63-34 percent building a wall along the border with Mexico. Republicans support The Wall 78-19 percent and white voters with no college degree are divided with 47 percent supporting The Wall and 49 percent opposed. Every other party, gender, education, age and racial group opposes The Wall.
“Looking at marijuana, voters say 58 — 36 percent, including 79-17 percent among voters 18 to 34 years old, that marijuana use should be made legal. Voters also support 91-6 percent the legalization of medical marijuana.”
Even the tax plan is nothing to crow about if you ask voters. (“Voters disapprove 52-32 percent of the recently enacted Republican tax plan. Support is 76-7 percent among Republicans. White voters with no college degree are divided, with 41 percent approving of the tax plan and 38 percent disapproving. White men are divided at 46 percent approve of the plan and 43 percent disapprove. Every other listed group disapproves. ... The wealthy will benefit most from this plan, 66 percent of American voters say, while 22 percent say the middle class will benefit most and 4 percent say low income people will benefit most.”) Republicans might want to stop running ads bragging about the plan voters dislike by such a big majority.
Instead, Republicans might want to take a stronger hand in restraining the president, even on foreign policy, where presidents normally get a great deal of leeway. On North Korea, an astounding 61 percent they do not have confidence in Trump, while only 36 percent do.
Those Republicans who have not yet thrown in the towel and announced their intent to retire might stop irritating voters with unpopular, unnecessary and wasteful initiatives. Forget the wall, don’t devote resources to arresting pot smokers and stop using “dreamers” as a bargaining chip. Step up to the plate to make clear that war with North Korea requires congressional authorization. They should avoid the lure of cuts to domestic programs — and certainly not make the case that they don’t have the money to spend. Voters will quickly figure out that the giveaway to the rich should not be paid for with cuts to services working- and middle-class Americans need.
Oh, and they might decide to run as far from Trump’s racism as they can get. Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah, whose parents were from Haiti, struck the right note. “My parents came from one of those countries, took an oath of allegiance to it, and took on the responsibilities of everything that being a citizen comes with,” she said in a written statement. “The president must apologize to both the American people and the nations he so wantonly maligned.”
Republicans might want to issue a resolution condemning the remarks. That might suggest they have a spine and are not all Trump acolytes.
However, a possible rebuke does raise an interesting question. If, as Love said, Trump’s comments are “unkind, divisive, elitist and fly in the face of our nation’s values,” why, during a campaign in which he said equally if not more offensive things, did Republican politicians support him?
Jennifer Rubin | The Washington Post
Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Post, offering reported opinion from a conservative perspective.