Why Trump’s ratings are sinking even as the economy soars

[mystery-ak]

Opinion
Why Trump’s ratings are sinking even as the economy soars

By Rich Lowry

September 13, 2018 | 7:55pm

President Trump is showing it’s possible to preside over a period of peace and prosperity, and still be notably unpopular.

Over the past several months, Trump has opened even more of a wedge between the largely benign material conditions in the country and his own political standing, which is precarious and appears to be sliding backward. This isn’t how it’s supposed to work.

Republican politicos believed, reasonably enough, that last year’s tax cuts would stoke growth and create a good-news backdrop for Republicans in the midterms. The substantive part of this theory has worked swimmingly, with headlines just over the past week about middle-class incomes increasing over $61,000 for the first time, blue-collar jobs growing at their fastest clip in 30 years and small-business confidence reaching an all-time high.

The only flaw in their theory is that the drumbeat of good news has coincided, lately, with a drop in Trump’s numbers. In much of the recent polling, he’s dipped back under 40 percent after a steady, monthslong run of being at about 43 percent in the RealClearPolitics polling average.

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https://nypost.com/2018/09/13/why-trumps-ratings-are-sinking-even-as-the-economy-soars/

[goatprairie]

Trump will never get the 33% of the country that hates all Republicans whether they act like Trump or act like they're adults.
He will not lose many of the 33% of the country that votes for Republicans despite the never Trumpers because most Republicans realize the alternative, Dems, are a lot worse.
He has to attract the middle 33%. He must figure out how to do so. A booming economy won't do it by itself.

[Jazzhead]

Trump will never get the 33% of the country that hates all Republicans whether they act like Trump or act like they're adults.
He will not lose many of the 33% of the country that votes for Republicans despite the never Trumpers because most Republicans realize the alternative, Dems, are a lot worse.
He has to attract the middle 33%. He must figure out how to do so. A booming economy won't do it by itself.

That's a question for 2020.  For 2018, the task is for GOP Congressional candidates to attract the votes of those who like what's happening with the economy but dislike Trump's chaos-driven, self-absorbed and un-Presidential style.   And in that regard,  it hurts that Trump's numbers are going down while the President sucks all the positive air out of the room by insisting that the elections be a referendum on himself.

So, our Congressional candidates want to run on the economy, amid the cacophony of both the Dems and Trump himself telling voters instead to render a verdict on the President.   I think that's a recipe for disaster,  with each of Trump and the Dems whipping up their bases while tugging those in the middle to base their decisions not on the good news of prosperity but on the chaos in Washington.   

[Concerned]

Trump will never get the 33% of the country that hates all Republicans whether they act like Trump or act like they're adults.
He will not lose many of the 33% of the country that votes for Republicans despite the never Trumpers because most Republicans realize the alternative, Dems, are a lot worse.
He has to attract the middle 33%. He must figure out how to do so. A booming economy won't do it by itself.

I certainly agree that Trump will never get the hard core Democrats.  Similarly, he won't lose his hard core base, which probably does represent about 33% of the country.  He does need to attract the balance of the folks, the moderates and independents.  I agree that a booming economy alone won't do it nor will only appealing to his base (which appears much of his strategy to date).  It'll be interesting to see how, and even if, Trump is able to govern and communicate in such a way that actually appeals to those moderates and independents.

[TomSea]

The editorial is most likely true generally....but all the same, I don't trust the polls completely.