February 28, 2024

"Trump unites Republicans to a much greater degree than Biden unites Democrats."

"Trump, for example, wins the support of 90 percent of Republican voters, among whom only 5 percent say they will vote for Biden. At the same time, Biden wins just 82 percent of Democratic voters, and 12 percent say they will vote for Trump. It appears that Trump’s lead over Biden is based in large part upon his ability to unite Republicans, and then to attract a fair number of Democrats to his side. Trump, surprisingly, is now the consensus candidate and Biden the divisive one."

I'm reading "Is Trump the new consensus candidate?/On Trump’s widening lead in the polls" by James Piereson (The New Criterion).

Piereson is looking at a new Harvard-Harris poll that has Trump over Biden 48% to 42%. And Trump leads Biden 42% to 39% among independent voters.

42 comments:

Bob Boyd said...

Biden sucks.
It's not complicated

Sebastian said...

"And Trump leads Biden 42% to 39% among independent voters."

Include Althouse when she comes off the fence, and he's gonna be at 42.0001%.

n.n said...

Hope and - Change -

Bob Boyd said...

Who could the Dems replace Joe Biden with who does not also suck? That's the challenge.
The Democrat Party is a vacuum pump.

tim maguire said...

The polls essentially show a dead heat. The RCP average has Trump ahead by a couple points, but several polls are outside the margin of error of other polls, which is hard to square with the notion that the polls mean something.

I find it disconcerting that the race is essentially tied despite how plainly unfit Biden is and how successful Trump was when he was president--until COVID came along, America under Trump was prosperous and the world was increasingly peaceful.

For that I blame the voters. It would be nice if Trump were a less detestable person, but the real shame is voters who value no more mean tweets above the health and welfare of billions of people.

RideSpaceMountain said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
RideSpaceMountain said...

"And Trump leads Biden 42% to 39% among independent voters."

Taking that into account, Trump actually unites everyone to a much greater degree than Biden unites everyone.

This will get worse. This will grow beyond the margin of "the most extensive and inclusive voter fraud organization in the history of American politics" (Joe Biden) they've put together. They have to replace Biden at this point. They will.

Mason G said...

"Trump, surprisingly, is now the consensus candidate and Biden the divisive one."

Really? You mean people *don't* want more hate and war and are tired of inflation and watching our country being invaded while the people in charge do nothing?

Big Mike said...

@Althouse, why are you surprised? People who were much closer to the bottom of the economic ladder then a retired university professor remember 2018 and 2019 with a degree of fondness, meanwhile Gallup’s “direction of the country” poll may be down from it’s peak of 83% “wrong direction” last spring, but it’s still hanging around 80% wrong direction. It’s dawned on people that the effect of the “Inflation Reduction Act” was to increase inflation, and that makes ordinary people pretty angry to be fooled.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

This is also reflected in the enthusiasm gap. About 30% more Republican voters showed up to the MI primary than Democrat voters, although party registration slightly favored D.

D.D. Driver said...

"Trump, for example, wins the support of 90 percent of Republican voters, among whom only 5 percent say they will vote for Biden."

Huh? Not according to primary voters he doesn't.

Original Mike said...

Not a problem. Trump will be in jail. At least, that's Biden's plan.

Virgil Hilts said...

I'm not sure the deep state will allow him to become president.

Ice Nine said...

This would matter if Biden were going to be Trump's opponent. He, of course, is not going to be.

What, do we think the Democrats are unattentive, or witless, or anything other than merciless and historically politically resourceful, or something?

Narayanan said...

just realized that erstwhile Trump coiffure = the adorable Dennis the Menace!

D = Mr Wilson

Mr Wibble said...

Its going to be absolutely hilarious if Biden gets the full Trump Effect: he wins the presidency only to end up defeated and humiliated by Trumps resurgence, and seen as a failure by history. Meanwhile, he will have set Trump up to be not a moderately successful president, but one of the most important political figures in the past hundred years.

RMc said...

Trump is an old weirdo that can actually speak in complete sentences and is kinda entertaining. Biden is an even older weirdo who can't and isn't. (If the Dems really want to win this fall, they'd better get ol' Joe out of the race...at gunpoint if need be.)

Dude1394 said...

Trump is taking all of the corrupt democrat lawfare for every American, even the democrats who are willing to destroy the country for power.

FullMoon said...

As in 2016, many voters are not enamored with Trump, but rather despise his competitor.

Upon reflection and current situation, many, including leftist commenters on this blog, acknowledge Trump did much better than anticipated and the majority of the world's citizens were generally more happy than any time this century.

tim in vermont said...

Joe Biden has declared himself a “Zionist” which may win him some Republican votes, but it is going to make it all but impossible for Muslims to vote for him. It’s an interesting bed he has made for himself.

Yancey Ward said...

"I find it disconcerting that the race is essentially tied despite how plainly unfit Biden is"

That is the demographic reality. If you could hypothetically rerun the 2000 election between Bush and Gore, Gore would win with 330 electoral votes with today's electorate. There isn't a GOP candidate other than Trump who can even win the electoral college with a minority vote. Any other GOP candidate will struggle to just win Florida, Ohio, and Iowa in a close race.

Yancey Ward said...

"Huh? Not according to primary voters he doesn't."

You see that above? That is an idiot who can't even think beyond one step.

The point, which should be fucking obvious to anyone with an IQ above body temperature, is that Haley voters in the primaries that are actual Republicans will still vote for Trump in November, which is what the party poll result is showing. Of course, this doesn't even deal with the fact that a good fraction of Haley voters are, in fact, Democrats messing around in the Republican primaries.

Michael said...

Actually, it is the Biden Administration that is uniting the Country - in opposition to itself.

Oligonicella said...

It's still too early to fret it. It is, however, amusing to watch people make predictions predicated on information we know is partial with some revealed as propo being overturned even as I type this.

tommyesq said...

It would be nice if Trump were a less detestable person, but the real shame is voters who value no more mean tweets above the health and welfare of billions of people.

Plus, while we didn't get anymore mean "Tweets," we still got stuck with lunatic Joe's demonization of half the country. Trump crapped on individuals, but never suggested that the average, run of the mill democrat was evil the way Biden does to republicans.

lonejustice said...

Sir Roger Scruton deserves to be remembered for many good things, and not least for this:\

[Donald Trump] is a product of the cultural decline that is rapidly consigning our artistic and philosophical inheritance to oblivion. And perhaps the principal reason for doubting Mr. Trump’s conservative credentials is that being a creation of social media, he has lost the sense that there is a civilization out there that stands above his deals and his tweets in a posture of disinterested judgment.

Sebastian said...

Look, I like Scruton, but this is just stupid: "the principal reason for doubting Mr. Trump’s conservative credentials" etc.

Exactly which president had had "conservative credentials" in protecting "civilization" in a "posture of disinterested judgment," whatever that is, since, well, Calvin Coolidge? Anyone in the UK since Winston?

William Voegeli said...

"Trump unites Republicans to a much greater degree than Biden unites Democrats." It would be at least equally correct to say that Biden unites Republicans to a much greater degree than Trump unites Democrats.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Now the a-hole liars who call themselves democrats are saying Trump is to blame for Biden's open border.
What a-holes.

Yancey Ward said...

Lonejustice, conservatives in my lifetime have conserved exactly jack-shit. When Trump came along, it was obvious to any true conservative voter that it was time to try something else. Without Trump, Hillary Clinton would be finishing up her 8th year as President right now, and SCOTUS would be 6-3 progressives in complete control.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Biden is an asshole. Biden is a liar. All those who surround him - all liars.

smart people get this.

gilbar said...

of course, that is STILL within the regular margin of fraud..
once they finish counting the 102% of the vote, that will be for Biden.. Trump will be toast

Drago said...

LLR-democratical lonejustice channeling the effete R. Scruton (the limeys can shove their knighthoods): "And perhaps the principal reason for doubting Mr. Trump’s conservative credentials..."

We had 4 years of a Trump presidency by which to judge him. Your mewlings have zero effect.

Case closed.

As Belichick would say: We're on to Super Tuesday.

Readers of Althouse blog will have to excuse lonejustice. Of all the LLR-democratical disinformation pushers on Althouse blog, lonejustice has proven to be the runt of the litter.

Drago said...

Virgil Hilts: "I'm not sure the deep state will allow him to become president."

I remain firmly convinced they will not and cannot and will not allow his campaign to continue to its conclusion.

They cant afford to take that chance. They will remove him, one way or the other.

Josephbleau said...

If you go thru the slide deck, this Harvard Harris pol is brutal for democrats. Immigration and inflation are the biggest problem for 30 pct each. Abortion 9pct and climate change 10 pct. Plus 60 pct for Israel funding and for completing the destruction of Hamas, wow. Majority of Blacks think we are in a resession or will have one by next year.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Lone Justice:

Joe Biden is a product of the cultural decline that is rapidly consigning our economic vitality and constitutional norms to oblivion. Blind justice is gone. Our nation is in decline solely because of Joe Biden. Perhaps the principal reason for doubting Mr. Biden's credentials is that being a creation of a life in politics, protected by the corrupt press, he has lost the sense that there is a civilization filled with ordinary people who are struggling. Biden stands above on his white pedestal - oblivious to the pain caused by his debt-hiking, tax-hiking, Lying, Middle class-killing, inflation and open borders. His posture is old and decrepit, and one of disinterested judgment, a protected, angry, horrible, arrogant toxic husk.

*Fixed.

Jon Ericson said...

Such a frightening viewpoint and poll!
Better stick with WAPO and NYT.
They tend toward more comforting viewpoints and polls.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

"As for Nikki Haley, the import of her performances in New Hampshire and South Carolina looks to be a mirage. According to this new Harris Poll, Trump has an overwhelming lead over Haley among Republicans at the national level: some 78 percent of GOP voters prefer Trump compared to just 14 percent who support Haley. This strongly suggests that many of those votes for Haley in the New Hampshire and South Carolina primaries came from crossover Democrats, most of whom are likely to vote for Biden in the general election. In view of these preferences, there is no chance that Haley can succeed in wresting the Republican presidential nomination from Donald Trump."

Democrats for Haley.

Rt41Rebel said...

That’s the problem with identity politics, eventually the splintered groups under the umbrella realize they are competing with each other for power and resources. Trump has only one group under his umbrella, Americans of all stripes that simply want a more prosperous nation, regardless of identity.

Rt41Rebel said...

Biden never thought he had a political career after 2016. Obama sat Joe down and told him it would be Hillary, and she’s good for two terms. So Joe figured it was time to cash in on his clout, and no one would notice. He would have been correct if not for Trump, and all of the sudden, Joe was called back up and installed as POTUS. The Dems wanted the Bernie agenda, but knew that Bernie was too progressive to be elected, but knew that a compromised “moderate” would serve the same purpose.

So here we are, the Dems propping up a corrupt and dead man walking as their candidate, with an unremovable idiot as the heiress.

You hate to see it.

mikee said...

Trump does not unite Republicans. Opposition to Democrats & Biden unite Republicans against them, and Trump is the only viable opponent to them, the rest of the Republican candidates being compromised by their previous performances in losing gracefully rather than fighting to win.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Biden is also a plagiarist.