Democrats' attacks on Trump are failing, polls and focus groups find

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last updated 13 September 2017

Despite President Trump's epically dismal approval numbers, the Republican Party's infighting, and the Trump administration's multitude of missteps, Democrats still aren't a shoo-in for the 2018 midterm elections. Citing "data from a range of focus groups and internal polls in swing states," Politico on Wednesday delivered the bad news to Democrats that their attacks on Trump simply aren't working:

In focus groups, most participants say they're still impressed with Trump's business background and tend to give him credit for the improving economy. The window is closing, but they're still inclined to give him a chance to succeed.More than that, no single Democratic attack on the president is sticking — not on his temperament, his lack of accomplishments, or the deals he's touted that have turned out to be less than advertised, like the president's claim that he would keep Carrier from shutting down its Indianapolis plant and moving production to Mexico.Voters are also generally unimpressed by claims that Trump exaggerates or lies, and they don't see the ongoing Russia investigation adding up to much. [Politico]

Perhaps even more concerning for Democrats, their key messages about universal Medicare, free college tuition, and a higher minimum wage aren't resonating outside the base. Politico reported that people "tend to see those proposals as empty promises, at best."

Anson Kaye, a strategist at the media firm GMMB, warned that if Democrats don't wrap their heads around these facts fast and instead assume, based off of Trump's numbers, that the upcoming elections will be a landslide, they're "going to drive right into the ocean."