Public Opinion On The Parties And The Issues

Once again we have a poll on what the American public thinks of the two major political parties. It is the YouGov Poll done between May 20th and 23rd of a random national sample of 2,000 adults (with a margin of error of slightly less than 3 points).

It shows that the public is not happy with either political party -- but they are a lot more disappointed in the Republican Party than the Democratic Party. While the public gives the Democrats a 1 point margin in favorability (47% to 46%), they give the Republicans a 35 point deficit in favorability (28% to 63%). That should scare the hell out of Republicans running for re-election -- especially those in districts that are considered close.

Why is this? We can get a clue from the charts below. While the Republicans wants to give more tax cuts to the rich, the public wants taxes raised on the rich. While the Republicans want to keep the minimum wage as it is (or eliminate it altogether), the public wants it raised significantly. Those are issues on which the Republicans stand in opposition to a majority of Americans.

And on two other issues (free college tuition and a single-payer health insurance system), the Republicans stand in opposition to a plurality of Americans. The only issue the GOP does OK on is building a wall between the U.S. and Mexico -- and even on that issue the public is split right down the middle.

We can expect the Republicans to try and win in November by demonizing Hillary Clinton. It's the only choice they have. They are on the wrong side of the issues.