Poll: Trump's approval holding steady, but more say country headed in wrong direction
By LOUIS NELSON 10/17/2017
About thirty seven percent of the people polled approve of the way Trump handles his job as president, which remains the same as last month, whereas those that do not approve of Trump's job performance rose one percent to fifty seven percent. However, only forty six percent of people believes that the US is headed in the right direction, which is a decrease of seven percent from August. This drastic decline is primarily due to Trump's response with the hurricanes and his proposed tax reform package. If the trends continue, things may start to shape up for Democrats for the 2018 midterms.
Questions:
- Do tracking polls accurately represent the people's opinions and knowledge? Explain.
- Do you agree with how Trump is handling the hurricanes? If not, what course of action would you suggest he take?
- Based on these statistics, do you think 2018 will be an anti-incumbency election? In other words, do Democrats have a chance at taking over the House or Senate in 2018? Why or why not?
Trump said he would rate the way the U.S. is handling the hurricane a "10 out of 10." In Puerto Rico, the U.S. has contributed to getting the main cities and businesses back up and about 78% of gas stations are now functioning. However, once you look into the rural areas of Puerto Rico, it is clear they are left in the dark. They have had no support and some of them have not had any change since the hurricane hit. Trump needs to address this issue and try to provide more sanctions and help to rebuild the destroyed rural areas of Puerto Rico. With the approval rates resting around 37%, Democrats have a major advantage going into the midterm elections. Since the 2016 election, everything to do with how Trump has performed has dropped and it would seem as though Democrats have a good chance at taking over a few seats, but with the mass amount of gerrymandering from the 2010 census, it will still be hard for Democrats to claim seats in the House and Senate.
ReplyDeleteWhile Trump's questionable actions do not reflect well on the Republican Party, there is a very slim chance that Democrats could take over the House or Senate. Currently, Republicans hold almost 50 more seats than Democrats in the House and 6 more seats in the Senate. While some potential Democratic candidates in swing states hold promise, the extent of gerrymandering makes it nearly impossible for Democrats to get a majority in the House. The results of the 2018 election greatly depend on Trump's actions in the next 12 months and whether he acts is the interests of the people or himself.
ReplyDelete3. Although I feel like the 2018 election will have anti-incumbency sentiments, the Democrats will not be able to take back Congress due to Republican gerrymandering. The Republican state legislators have made it impossible for Democrats to gain an advantage in many congressional districts due to packing and cracking. In addition, Trump’s base of support has not strayed yet and will probably stay loyal for the rest of his term. Despite the president’s unpopularity and splitting factions of his party, Trump and the Republicans will most likely be able to keep control of Congress.
ReplyDeleteAs the past has showed, the president's party usually looses at least one part of Congress during midterms. I truly do think that the Senate can be flipped after mid-terms, especially if Jeff Sessions seat can be filled with a Democrat. If this were to be the case, the GOP would only have 51 seats in the Senate. Given that the House seats are almost equally divided, I feel like the Democrats have potential to fill those swing seats.
ReplyDeleteI believe that in 2018, the Democrats have a very strong chance of retaking Congress from the GOP. This move would be fueled by the electorate's disgust for the way Trump has been governing the country as well as the turmoil going on within the GOP itself. I think that enough of the citizens are fed up with what is going on after 1 year, so that by next year, the Democrats will be able to fight for seats in Congress previously believed to be untouchable.
ReplyDeleteI believe that after all the raucous Trump has caused in this last year may give the Democrats a good chance in regaining seats in Congress during the 2018 midterms. I feel like many people in our country have buyers remorse and regret their vote for President Trump due to his obscene behavior during the last few months. This gives Democrats to get back their seats in the House and Senate and better even out Congress in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think that polls do in fact represent take people's views into consideration. However, these polls are skewed in that they do not consider the political understanding of the people in general. One who does not follow the government's actions may not be fit enough to provide an accurate view. I do think that the Democrats have a chance at taking the Senate as they are now gaining momentum and strength against the heavily gerrymandered Republican party.
ReplyDeleteI think that tracking polls do represent or reflect people's opinions. I believe that despite Trump's actions and words, Republicans' support for him, his policies, and actions will not waver unless it affects them directly. This is evident in the fact that 37% of people still approve of Trump and the way he handles his job. Perhaps this is more of a reflection of their knowledge or what they choose to acknowledge or justify about their president.
ReplyDelete