Senate GOP brags about poll showing Biden is more popular than they are

The National Republican Senatorial Committee circulated a poll on Wednesday, suggesting it was proof that Americans are unhappy with President Joe Biden. But that survey showed him with a majority approval rating — well above their own levels of support.

The committee, which is the official campaign arm of the Senate Republican minority, put out a press release titled, “NEW POLL: Majority of Americans Disapprove of Biden’s Amnesty and Open Borders Agenda.” Citing a Politico/Morning Consult survey released Wednesday, it observed that “only 39% of voters approve of Biden’s handling of immigration and a whopping 50% disapprove.”

“As the Biden administration continues to bungle the response to the crisis they created at the Southern Border, Joe Biden’s approval rating on immigration continues to free fall,” the press release claimed. “It takes a stunning level of incompetence to have numbers this bad.”

It included an attack on several Senate Democrats up for reelection in 2022, claiming they were “too weak to demand that Joe Biden fix his border crisis.”

But if 50% is “whopping,” the National Republican Senatorial Committee omitted that the same poll showed an even more whopping 52% of those surveyed indicated their approval of the job Biden is doing as president overall — versus just 44% disapproval.

It also made no mention of Biden’s majority or plurality approval for his handling of most other issues. The poll found 49%-32% support for his handling of jobs, 50%-39% support for his handling of health care, 47%-40% support for his handling of energy, 47%-41% support for his handling of education, and 56%-38% support for how he’s handled the coronavirus pandemic.

Contrary to the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s claim, the poll did not actually ask any questions specifically about Biden’s handling of border security or undocumented people. But it did ask about how to handle undocumented immigrants currently in the United States and found strong majorities actually support what Republicans deride as “amnesty.”

Some 44% of those surveyed said undocumented immigrants “should be allowed to stay and become citizens if they meet certain requirements.” Another 16% said they “should be allowed to stay and become legal residents.” Only 30% backed the GOP view that they “should be removed or deported from the United States.”

When asked about Dreamers — “young people who were brought to the United States when they were children, often with their parents” — 57% favored a pathway to citizenship, 16% favored a pathway to legal residency, and just 17% favored deportation.

The House has repeatedly passed legislation to protect Dreamers, but Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and his Senate Republican caucus have blocked its passage in the Senate.

The Politico/Morning Consult poll also found that Biden and congressional Democrats are far more popular than Minority Leader McConnell and his fellow Republicans.

Former President Donald Trump’s approval rating was 44% favorable, 54% unfavorable — well below Biden’s.

McConnell’s approval was at 26%, compared to 53% unfavorable — a net 27 points underwater.  Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer net approval was 11 points higher than his GOP counterpart.

Asked broadly about “Democrats in Congress,” 44% had a favorable view and 48% an unfavorable one. But asked about congressional Republicans overall, just 38% had a favorable opinion, compared to 53% unfavorable.

A spokesperson for the National Republican Senatorial Committee did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the poll’s other findings.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.