NEWS AND OPINION:
So are some voters suffering from buyer’s remorse? Could be. Consider these findings from an ABC News/Washington Post poll released Sunday. Opinions of former President Donald Trump appear to be changing for the better since he departed the White House.
These opinions have “improved in retrospect” among U.S. adults, the poll analysis said.
“When he reluctantly left office in January 2021, 38% approved of his work as president, essentially the same as President Biden’s rating now. But today, looking back, 48% say they approve of Trump’s performance when he was in office — matching his peak as president,” the poll analysis noted.
“Essentially as many, 49%, now disapprove, down from 60% when he left the White House. Comparison with Biden may be a factor. Among the 56% of Americans who disapprove of Biden’s work in office, a wide 75% say that, looking back, they approve of Trump,” the analysis said.
See more numbers and the poll particulars in the Poll du Jour at column’s end.
Tim Scott has a say
“America is not a country in decline. But under President Biden, we have been a country in retreat,” declared Sen. Tim Scott in a campaign message released Monday, which compared two previous presidents.
The last time we saw this movie, it was in the 1970s when Jimmy Carter had us retreating from our values, retreating from hard work. Ronald Reagan restored our work ethic, and he inspired this nation as the next president. Today, I believe America is standing at a time for choosing,” the South Carolina Republicans said.
“We can choose grievance or greatness. We can choose victimhood or victory. I know my choice. I’m going to fight for freedom, hope, and opportunity. We need a new Reagan revolution in America,” Mr. Scott said in closing in the written message.
DeSantis takes on Newsom
Yes, of course the second big Republican primary debate is on Wednesday, showcasing the political prowess of the GOP candidates as the gear up for the 2024 presidential election.
But that’s not the only debate garnering attention.
Fox News primetime host Sean Hannity will moderate a “red vs. blue state debate” between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is also a GOP presidential candidate, and Democrat California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Nov. 30.
The 90-minute debate will take place at a location to be determined in Georgia and is set to air on Fox News at 9 p.m.
“I’m looking forward to providing viewers with an informative debate about the everyday issues and governing philosophies that impact the lives of every American,” Mr. Hannity said in a written statement shared by Fox News with the Beltway.
“Hannity first raised the prospect of a debate with Governor Newsom during his exclusive sit-down this past June, following which, Governor DeSantis officially signed on to participate in July. This will mark the first time the two prominent governors will face off in a debate,” the network said, also in a statement.
The shutdown jitters
Americans continue to monitor political dramas, particularly those political dramas that could affect their pocketbooks.
“The possibility of a government shutdown is becoming more real for many Americans this week, and Google queries about what it would mean for people in their everyday lives were spiking on Monday morning,” reported Nicole Lyn Pesce, a news editor for Market Watch.
The topic “government shutdowns in the U.S.” dominated Google search trends on Monday morning, according to the Google Trends page, which monitors user activities in real-time.
“In the four hours before the workday kicked off at 9 a.m. Eastern time on Monday, search interest in how a shutdown would affect Social Security, veterans’ benefits and the U.S. dollar began to spike. Many of these queries were marked as ‘breakout’ queries, meaning that search interest in them was more than 5,000% higher than in the previous search period — in this case, 5,000% higher than four hours earlier,” Ms. Pesce said.
“As Google explains, this means they ‘had a tremendous increase, probably because these queries are new and had few (if any) prior searches.’ For example, many of these queries were not nearly as popular even one week ago,” she wrote.
“But now the shutdown is nigh. At issue in Washington is a disagreement between House conservatives and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who reached a spending deal with President Joseph R. Biden earlier this year. Conservatives want lower spending levels, and if there’s no agreement on either a longer-term or short-term budget by midnight Saturday, Sept. 30, the government will partially shut down Sunday, Oct. 1,’ Ms. Pesce advised.
Rescuing the cities
Who is responsible for the weakened state of many American cities? One author has the answer, and the title of his new book tells all: “What’s Killing America: Inside the Radical Left’s Tragic Destruction of Our Cities“ by Jason Rantz was released Monday by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon and Schuster.
The author is a Seattle-based talk radio host who has witnessed this trend in that city — which is his hometown.
“For those of you who share my concerns about the state of our cities, it’s important to understand why the Radical Left believe what they do, how their policies are failing and what alternatives exist to combat and counter their agenda,” Mr. Rantz writes.
“We’ve been complacent for far too long, assuming the craziest elements of the Radical Left were confined to both coasts and that their ideas wouldn’t sweep the country,” he later noted.
“It’s time to take a closer look at what’s going on in our country. These policies are what’s killing America,” warned the author, who describes himself as “Seattle’s fresh, contemporary conservative voice.”
Poll du jour
91% of U.S. adults view current food prices as “not so good or poor.”
87% view current gas and energy prices as not so good or port.
75% view the incomes of “average Americans” as not so good or poor.
74% view the current state of the U.S. economy as not so good or poor.
57% rate the current unemployment rate in the U.S. as not so good or poor.
Source: An ABC News/Washington Post poll of 1,006 U.S. adults conducted Sept. 15-20.
Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin.