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 When our economy is strong, that typically
correlates with the U.S. president having a good job approval rating. But even
though the country added 431,000 jobs in March, and unemployment has hit a
pandemic-era low of 3.6 percent, Joe Biden’s favorability with the American
people continually hovers in the low 40s – which isn’t good.
With the midterm elections looming this fall, a lot of Democrats are wondering
what the president and his allies in Congress can do to restore trust with the
American people. After all, unless President Joe Biden’s poll numbers improve,
it is more likely than not that Democrats will suffer serious losses this
November, ceding the House and perhaps even the Senate back to Republican
control.
One potential theory about why Biden is suffering from such low approval
ratings, is the concern that the president, his administration, and many
Democrats are out of touch or focusing on the wrong issues. Or in other words,
focusing on policies that prioritize the progressive elements of the Democratic
Party, but are issues that most people either disagree with or simply don’t care
much about.
For example, as the American people struggle with record high gasoline prices,
the Secretary of Energy touted the importance of a recent $5 billion government
investment in charging stations for electric vehicles, often called EVs. It’s
not that EVs – over time – won’t play an important role in our effort to reduce
our dependence on oil. It’s just that prioritizing EVs is not a lifeline for
working-class Americans trying to make ends meet. After all, the cost of the
average EV is nearly $52,000.
Looking closer at this issue, my organization just commissioned a poll on the
attitudes of the American people on EVs. Unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, the
poll found that most people are struggling with the price of fuel at the pump.
We found that 91% of respondents are either “very concerned” or “somewhat
concerned” about the high costs of gas and oil. Sadly, 44% of respondents said
high gas prices are “making it hard to make ends meet.”
When we asked people how Congress should prioritize spending, issues that were
most appealing were increased funding for “ending childhood hunger,” “fixing our
roads and bridges,” and “for police training and hiring.” Coming in dead last
among respondents: “More funding for increasing the number of electric
vehicles.”
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Here are some other key findings of the poll:
Only 7% of respondents strongly support adding “an additional charge on people’s
electrical bill to help fund the building of charging stations for electric
vehicles”
Only 14% of the 1,000 respondents say they are “very likely” to purchase an EV
in the next two years
For those not likely to buy an EV in the next two years or more, expense was the
top concern
To get gas prices down, the most popular solutions are: “Temporarily stop
charging state and federal taxes on gas,” “Increase the number of permits for
drilling for oil and gas,” and the president’s recent decision to release
gasoline from the strategic reserve was popular with just over half of the
respondents
But, to combat these high gas prices, only 26% of respondents think “we need to
do whatever we can to get as many electric vehicles on the road as quickly as
possible, including the federal government subsidizing the costs of the cars and
building the infrastructure for charging stations”
While Democrats are struggling today, the good news is that the American people
are not hiding the issues that they prioritize and find meaningful. There is
abundant polling out there that shows strengthening the economy, confronting
inflation, and the pandemic and the cost of health care are issues that are at
the top of people’s minds.
As the leader of a group advocating for politically moderate policies, I urge
the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats to listen to the voters and
focus on their priorities. If Democrats respond to the needs of the nation, then
I think we can both do well in the midterms, but more importantly, help our
fellow Americans make ends meet during these challenging times.
Hank Naughton is the president of the Centrist Democrats of
America and a former Massachusetts state legislator who chaired the House
Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. |
