Democratic Party approval sinks to lowest in 25 years

You may think that with all levels of the US government helmed by a political party that seems to exist solely to vote against its constituents’ best interests, everyone would be flocking to the other side in retaliation. But a Democratic sweep of Congress and the White House doesn’t seem to be on the horizon:

Favorable views of the Democratic Party have dropped to their lowest mark in more than a quarter century of polling, according to new numbers from a CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

Only 37% of Americans have a favorable opinion of Democrats, down from 44% in March of this year. A majority, 54%, have an unfavorable view, matching their highest mark in polls from CNN and SSRS, CNN/ORC and CNN/USA Today/Gallup stretching back to 1992.

The rating includes low favorable ratings from some core Democratic groups, including nonwhites (48%) and people under 35 years old (33%). The numbers come amid recent feuds and divisions in the Democratic Party, as former interim chair Donna Brazile's new book has unveiled new questions about infighting during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Meanwhile, the Republican Party is sitting even lower with a 30% approval rating. Considering the numbers above, this isn’t much cause for celebration – being the second-most-hated political party isn’t exactly worthy of a bumper sticker, unless you’re the ironic sort.

The US is ruled by two parties that don’t have the support of the electorate. This doesn’t strike me as sustainable. It isn’t helped any by party leaderships on both sides that are utterly disconnected from what their voters want and who seem almost willfully deaf to their criticism. Sooner or later, something needs to change.

And if tonight’s elections results in Minneapolis, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Virginia (again, redux) and elsewhere are any indication, that change may be coming. It turns out voters respond when they have more options than the typical milquetoast centrists that’re usually foisted upon them. Whether the Democratic brass will learn anything from this and devise a new game plan is another matter.

(via @ggreenwald)