So much for all the happy “unity, unity” President Joe Biden promised in his inaugural address just 283 days ago.
Because according to Washington’s top Democratic pollster, the nation’s mood is best described with words and phrases including “mass depression,” “frayed,” “pessimistic,” and “dejected.”
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Said Celinda Lake: “Americans’ views on division in the country reflect a kind of mass depression at the ever-growing rifts that have come to define our new normal.”
Lake, who has worked with the Clintons, the Democratic National Committee, and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, aired her views about the splintering nation in a memo detailing the results of the latest landmark Georgetown University Politics battleground and civility poll.
She pointed out that despite Biden’s efforts, most see the nation near civil war, families divided over politics, and many fearful that the American dream is soon to be out of reach.
Her 12-page memo is especially insightful because it is written from the perspective of a strong supporter of Biden and Democrats and one who has hope that the president can unify the country, push through a major social agenda, and show that partisanship works.
The results of the survey, though, show a different story, which she dissected.
Among the key findings was a drop in support among Democrats for Biden. The survey, jointly conducted by Lake’s firm, Lake Research Partners, and the Republican Tarrance Group, found support for Biden among Democrats dropping from 96% in June to 84% today.
What’s more, he has lost ground with independents, a critical support group and a trend also playing out in the Virginia gubernatorial election set for Tuesday.
Among the issues people are depressed about are climate change, the withdrawal from Afghanistan, COVID-19, the economy, and immigration, she noted.
The civility survey is different from the better-known battleground poll and was suggested by Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service Executive Director Mo Elleithee to dig into issues fraying the country.
Lake noted in her analysis that civility is strained in the days since President Donald Trump left office, and Biden has failed to break bread with Republicans.
For example, she noted that some friends and families have struggled with politics. “While most Americans (79%) say they have friends that have different political views than their own, an alarmingly high 19% says they don’t,” said her memo.
And among families, “an alarmingly high 26% of Americans have family members with whom they are no longer able to talk to because of their views about politics and current events.”
Then there is the issue of unity and a feeling among some that Biden isn’t working hard enough.
She wrote, “Many voters believe Biden is making a good faith effort to restore unity and civility in America, but the intensity behind these views is middling, and they have dropped marginally since June. Currently, 17% of voters think Biden has worked extremely hard to restore unity and civility to our national politics, 16% believe he has worked very hard, 21% believe he has worked somewhat hard and 44% think he has not worked hard at all.”
Elleithee noted that neither party looked good in the poll. Republicans in Congress, for example, rated worse than Democrats.
“Heightened anxiety and hyper polarization lead to very volatile politics, and it’s clear that voters are punishing both parties,” said Elleithee. “Voters are once again sending a message that they are far more interested in compromise that delivers results than ideological bickering that doesn’t,” he added.
