NEWS AND OPINION:
It’s an ongoing challenge for the White House, perhaps. New presidential approval ratings continue to sink into the tepid zone.
“Americans’ approval of President Joe Biden’s job performance has edged down three percentage points to 38%, just one percentage point shy of his all-time low and well below the 50% threshold that has typically led to reelection for incumbents,” reports Megan Brenan, a research consultant for Gallup.
“In addition, Biden registers subpar approval ratings for his handling of five key issues facing the U.S., including a new low of 28% for immigration and readings ranging from 30% to 40% for the situation in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas, foreign affairs, the economy and the situation in Ukraine,” she writes.
“Biden’s approval rating has not risen above 44% since August 2021, and his 39.8% average rating for his third year in office was the second worst among post-World War II presidents elected to their first term,” Ms. Brenan said.
“He has lost some ground among his party in recent months on immigration and the situations in the Middle East and Ukraine, though his overall rating hasn’t dropped among Democrats,” she noted.
“Looking ahead to November, history suggests that Biden has significant work to do to improve his approval rating among independents as well as Democrats if he is to win a second term,” Ms. Brenan advised.
The source of these findings is a Gallup poll of 1,016 U.S. adults was conducted by telephone interviews Feb. 1-20 and released Friday.
A PERTINENT PETITION
Sen. Ted Cruz continues to look after the Lone Star State with gusto.
“It’s no secret — our southern border is no border at all,” the Texas Republican said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
“It’s just one massive welcome sign from the Democrats for the millions and millions of illegal immigrants, the drug cartels, and the endless supply of Fentanyl that Joe Biden has allowed to pour into our country. And while the state of Texas is fighting back against Biden’s border crisis with our own National Guard, you won’t believe what the Radical Left is demanding Biden do now. They want the Biden Administration to ‘federalize’ and assume control of Texas’ National Guard!” Mr. Cruz said — exclamation point and all.
“All this so that Joe Biden can ensure our laws continue to be broken, our streets made less safe, and our border left wide open. As a proud Texan, a God-fearing American, and a senator who will always fight for you, I refuse to let this insanity go unchecked,” the lawmaker continued.
“That’s why I’ve issued a petition on behalf of the American people demanding that Joe Biden keep his hands off Texas’ National Guard that is our sole hope of getting the southern border under control,” Mr. Cruz concluded.
His outreach, by the way, was issued on behalf of the National Republican Senatorial Committee — a national organization “solely devoted to strengthening the Republican Senate Majority and electing Republicans to the United States Senate,” according to a mission statement.
Find them at NRSC.org.
SHOPPING EVOLVES
“A longtime San Francisco business is trying something new to curb what it says has been ‘rampant shoplifting.’ Fredericksen’s Hardware and Paint in Cow Hollow is now offering a one-on-one shopping experience. The idea is to separate actual customers from those looking to steal from the store,” reports KRON, a CW affiliate station in San Francisco.
“During certain hours, Fredericksen’s is now blocking off part of the store’s entrance and having people wait for an employee to help them instead of allowing people to just roam the store. The store’s longtime manager says it’s a move that was worth trying for the sake of the business, their employees and their customers,” the report said.
“It’s pretty bad. I mean, the dollar amounts are pretty significant, and with the tools and now we’re getting snatch-and-grabs when they take whole displays, so it’s getting kind of dangerous for the employees and the customers,” store manager Sam Black told KRON.
“We just want to make it uncomfortable for the thieves so they go somewhere else,” he said.
The store is now deploying locking systems to secure potential shoplifter targets, and now must “drill down” pots and pans to prevent the thieves from simply walking off with them.
San Francisco Board supervisor Catherine Stefani — who represents the Marina District — called the situation “tragic and embarrassing for our city, and it’s all the more reason to get serious about solving our police staffing crisis.”
“We need more police on our streets, and we need them now. That’s why I’ll hold a series of hearings in March to push our city agencies to fill the hundreds of vacancies at the Police Department as soon as possible — to stop the bleeding, reverse the damage, and finally protect our residents and small businesses,” she said in a written statement.
POLL DU JOUR
• 75% of adults in 28 countries support government spending on health care.
• 74% fear their government will do little to help them in the years ahead.
• 67% support government spending on reducing poverty and social inequality.
• 63% feel their country “needs a strong leader to take the country back from the rich and powerful.”
• 62% view “elites” in their country as a closely connected group of people with similar interests and views.
• 59% of people feel that when jobs are scarce, employers should prioritize hiring people of their country over immigrants.
• 58% feel their country is in decline.
• 57% feel their country’s society is broken.
SOURCE: An Ipsos online survey of 20,630 people in 28 countries from Nov. 22-Dec. 6, 2023 and released Feb. 15. “The sample consists of approximately 1,000 individuals each in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Spain, and the U.S., and 500 individuals each in Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, and Turkey. The sample in India consists of approximately 2,200 individuals,” Ipsos said in a written statement.
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• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.