Yeah, MA Rep makes sense. A lot of voters voted against Trump, just wanting to return to normalcy and a saner time. But they also voted Republican down ballot which resulted in a 13 seat house loss, 2 state legislatures and a governorship. I agree, they wanted the moderate Biden, the Biden as a senator and as VP. Not the new progressive winger.
But isn't this the same mistake most presidents make? They get elected, perceive it to be a mandate, they govern to their bases wishes which lead to heavy losses in the first midterm. One needs to remember Biden had no coat tails. He failed to bring along a single democrat in his 7 plus million vote victory. He is the first president who won the popular vote via the presidency to lose house seats since 1884, Grover Cleveland. Now Cleveland won the popular vote by a mere 58,000 votes, not 7 million.
To me, 2020 was nothing more than a rejection of Trump by the voters, especially independents. Not a mandate, not an endorsement of the Democratic Party's agenda and ideals. I'd say far from the latter. Independents gave Biden his victory. They went for Biden 54-41 over Trump. In Virginia Biden won independents 57-38 over Trump in 2020, one year later, Youngkin, Republican won independents 54-45 over McAuliffe. That's an 28 point swing in a one year period. From a plus 19 to a minus 9.
I think this question explains Biden's and the Democrats problem - 2. So far, would you say Joe Biden has had the right priorities, or that he hasn't paid enough attention to the
country's most important problems?
Independents responded 64-36 that Biden and company hasn't paid enough attention to the country's most important problems.
http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2021/images/11/08/rel7a.-.politics.pdfA hint here, it isn't the BBB. In my opinion it's rising prices and the appearance of empty shelves in stores. As Bill Clinton once said, "It's the economy, stupid." 38% of independents said this was their most important issue. COVID 18%, immigration 13% etc. Most important with only a choicer of one issue.
