What do low approval ratings actually mean?

[struggle4progress]

By Philip Bump
August 21 at 1:37 PM

~snip~

Franklin: No matter how late in a term, approval ratings in the mid-30s or below are a signal that the president lacks widespread support and normally Congress becomes less willing to advance those legislative priorities.

~snip~

Franklin: Presidential approval at the midterm is one of the strongest predictors of how many seats the president’s party loses (as they almost always lose seats in midterms). The lower the approval the more seats the party typically loses. Only two postwar presidents have faced midterms with approval below 40 percent, Truman in 1946 at 33 percent in Gallup’s final pre-election poll, and George W. Bush in 2006 at 38 percent. Democrats lost 55 seats in 1946, and Republicans lost 34 seats in 2006.

~snip~

Enten: The big difference is Hillary Clinton isn’t on the ballot in 2018. Trump and House Republicans won the vast majority of voters who didn’t like either presidential nominee in 2016. Now, Republicans are the only game in town.

~snip~

Omero: His ratings with Democrats have been terrible and are unlikely to improve. We can’t just blame it on “partisanship” because aside from encouraging the Rhode Island Teacher of the Year to <include>his fan into an official photo, Trump hasn’t done a single thing to reach out to Democrats. Everything he does is a base play, and voters outside his base have gotten that message loud and clear. This is beyond simply “the climate.”

~snip~

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/08/21/we-asked-the-experts-what-do-trumps-low-approval-ratings-actually-mean/?utm_term=.a45e6809cf9c

[Cicada]

1. Trump approval on Election Day was similar to now

I worry that those who approve vote and that those who disapprove don't vote

[Gothmog]

2. The GOP can safely ignore trump and trump's idiotic proposals