America Depends on the Mushy Middle | RealClearPolitics
How could so many alleged Democrats betray the cause and join ranks with the evil Republicans? And how is it possible because we all know it is that these folks, having seen the GOP light, might revert back to the land of the left-wing loons?
The answer is that, divided as we certainly are, the political narrative is not nearly as stark as our thought leaders pretend. Yes, a significant percentage of Americans are in warring camps. While Biden s approval rating among Democrats has slipped, 80% of them still approve of the job he s doing, according to Gallup. Republicans, meanwhile, continue in their fierce opposition: Only 11% of them approved of the new president when he took office and now just 4% do. Scott Rassmussen s recent poll found that 45% of Democrats believe Hillary Clinton won the 2016 election and 56% of Republicans think Trump actually prevailed in 2020.
But the political label long embraced by a plurality of Americans is not D or R but I Independent. This is the mushy middle that helped elect Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 and then delivered the White House to Trump. (Polls, like the Gallup survey mentioned above, often bulk up two-party numbers by assigning to-and-fro leaners to one side or the other.)