The Democrats are engaged in an odd “anti-oligarchy” tour. Odd, because the Democrats are the party of the rich and the establishment. It would more accurately be called an “anti-populism” tour. Also, I don’t know how many Americans know the meaning of the word “oligarchy.” I think what the Democrats mean by “oligarchy” is Elon Musk. But in modern times, individual rich people have generally not been unpopular in America.
So it looks as though the Democrats have created a fantasy world and are doing their best to live in it. But what is happening in the real world that most of us occupy? Rasmussen’s likely voter polls are as good an indicator as we have, and they tell us a couple of things.
First, President Trump’s approval is holding up well. He currently stands at 51%:
While approval polls tend to be a lagging indicator, it seems that so far, at least, hysterical attacks on the administration by Democratic politicians and the press have not had much effect.
Of equal interest is Rasmussen’s current polling on the parties:
By a six-point margin, voters have a more favorable opinion of Republicans than they do of Democrats – in part because many Democratic voters are disaffected with their own party.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters view the Republican Party favorably, including 22% with a Very Favorable impression. Forty-four percent (44%) view the Democratic Party favorably, including 17% with a Very Favorably opinion.
The breakdowns are interesting. The Democrats continue to turn off men, 58% of whom view the GOP favorably, while only 41% approve of the Democrats. That is a huge spread.
Meanwhile, as we saw in the 2024 election, both age and race are fading as relevant factors. Every age group approves more of the Republican Party than the Democratic Party. With regard to race:
Fifty percent (50%) of whites, 42% of black voters, 56% of Hispanics and 66% of other minorities have a favorable impression of the GOP. Forty-three percent (43%) of whites, 60% of black voters, 47% of Hispanics and 22% of other minorities view the Democratic Party favorably.
Hispanics and “other minorities,” mostly Asians, are now the GOP’s biggest fans. And only 22% of “other minorities” view the Democrats favorably. I assume that the Democrats’ vicious anti-Asian discrimination has caught up with them. And what about the fact that 42% of black voters view Republicans favorably? Isn’t it going to be hard, in the future, for demagogues like Joe Biden to claim that Republicans want to “put y’all back in chains”?
All of that said, I wonder: who in the world is included in the 44% that approve of the Democratic Party? What are they thinking?
I think this is an important part of the answer:
While 54% of government employees have a favorable view of Democrats, the party is viewed favorably by only 43% of private sector workers.
Cutting wasteful government spending is popular with pretty much everyone except, for obvious reasons, government employees. The public sector accounts for around 14% of the work force, while 70% are in the private sector. The balance are self-employed or work for nonprofits. But many more than the 14% who work in the public sector are dependent on government spending. Contractors and service providers of all kinds cash trillions of dollars in government checks, and, as we have recently been reminded, many nonprofits also depend on government. On the other hand, obviously, not everyone who is paid by the government is a liberal. Soldiers, for instance.
All in all, I would guess that around half of the total support for the Democratic Party comes from people who have a direct financial interest in government spending. Which is one more reason why budget cuts are a good thing.
