The disturbing images and footage from Afghanistan appear to have an immediate political impact on Biden and the Democrat Party. Biden’s disapproval ratings have gone up in a recent national poll.
Biden is receiving fiery criticism from both political parties
A recent national poll released data showing that Biden’s disapproval rating is at 55%; this is way higher than people who approve his presidency, which falls only at 41%.
Joe Biden's approval rating dropped to its lowest in his seven month presidency as the U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed sending thousands in the country fleeing for their safety, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll https://t.co/Cw8kdP5DKA pic.twitter.com/wCBPEwK13H
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 18, 2021
For a week and a half, Biden has been facing fiery criticism from both political parties, due to the botched withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and the thoughtlessly unorganized evacuation attempts.
Due to the unplanned evacuation, U.S. forces are seen rushing to the war-torn country to evacuate as many Americans and Afghan allies as fast as possible; this follows after the swift takeover of the Taliban to the city of Kabul.
On the other hand, Biden has been receiving sharp criticism from both Democrats and Republicans for how he underestimated the power of the Taliban and overestimated the strength of the now fallen Afghan military.
Due to the disaster and chaos in Afghanistan, the approval rating of Biden is plunging, as two new public polls were released on Tuesday showing high disapproval ratings.
The 41% approval rating from the national poll conducted by Suffolk University is a dramatic drop for Biden’s approval a few weeks ago, where he would usually average 50% and higher.
A big factor in the drop of Biden’s approval rating is the handling of the Afghan crisis. Last month, Biden’s approval rating in relation to foreign policy likewise plummeted to merely 36%.
Biden’s rating got worse because of his “awful” performance
On top of the Afghan crisis, there are other issues that likewise concern Americans. Included among them are the unceasingly rising inflation rate, a spike in COVID cases, the crisis at the border, and handling of the U.S. economy,
David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk Political Research Center, stated that Biden’s approval ratings got worse because he is doing an “awful job” on the Afghan crisis.
Regardless of how the Afghanistan withdrawal shapes up politically for Biden in the near term and Democrats in next year’s election, the immediate situation for Afghans is dire. https://t.co/5wYYhDAyv5
— The New Republic (@newrepublic) August 24, 2021
Paleologos also added that Biden’s approval ratings on the economy and immigration are likewise down. The only issue that is somehow doing well is how Biden is handling the coronavirus pandemic. Yet, even so, his approval rating on that aspect barely reaches 50%.
The approval rating is a crucial gauge for the success of the president’s party as the midterm elections close in. It is usually monitored by the political strength and popularity of the president.
It should be noted, however, that even before the disastrous turn of events, the Democrat Party was already facing stiff political winds. They head into the 2022 midterm elections as they try to defend their slim majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
