When a Reuters-Ipsos poll this week put the approval rating for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh five points underwater at 31-36 percent approval/disapproval, congressional Republicans must have thought to themselves, Hey, not bad!
After all, the approval rating for Republican lawmakers has been stuck in the 20s (and even below) in just about every poll for years. This summer, Quinnipiac actually had congressional Republicans at a rather generous 27-66 percent approval—39 points underwater—and those were some of their finer numbers in quite some time. (By comparison, Democrats fared slightly better at 30-63 percent approve/disapprove in that Q poll).
And Donald Trump, well, frankly, he's the rock star of the bunch, with most recent polls putting him in the mid-to-high 30s over the past few weeks. In Five Thirty Eight's aggregate, Trump's at 40 percent and 13 percent underwater—stupendous by GOP standards!
In fact, it seems to have gotten to the point where the GOP sweet spot for anything is being underwater with only 30-some percent support of the electorate. Just look at their tax giveaway to the rich. Weeks before Republican lawmakers rallied to pass their tax bill, it was the most unpopular tax bill since the early ‘80s with an approval rating of 32-46 percent (14 points underwater). By this summer, it was still underwater and in the 30s in several polls and now the Real Clear Politics average puts it just several points underwater at 39 percent approval.
Man, what congressional lawmakers wouldn't do for that type of popularity!
So if you think Republicans are balking at the fact that the only other Supreme Court nominee to have underwater approvals at this point in the process was Harriet Miers—who withdrew her name from consideration—think again. Congressional Republicans have grown perfectly comfortable with doing terribly unpopular things with impunity. They couldn’t care less.
Check out Gallup’s comparison of nominees.
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