I received a report from Gallup on Biden’s overall job approval, currently at 42%. That got me thinking, in today’s modern political era of polarization, the great divide, the super, mega, ultra-high partisanship, does a president’s overall job approval mean much if anything in today’s modern political era? Especially considering the results of the 2022 midterms. First, let’s look at previous presidents prior to what I term is today’s modern political era of polarization, the great divide, the super, mega, ultra-high partisanship. Comparting a president’s overall job approval to the job approval the opposing party or the party that is out of power.

Bill Clinton 55% overall average job approval, from Republicans 32% average job approval
G.H.W. Bush 61% overall average job approval, from Democrats 45% average job approval
Reagan 53% overall average job approval, from Democrats 40% average job approval
Carter 46% overall average job approval, from Republicans 31% average job approval

Approximately a third of the opposite party approved of the job the president was doing. Now the ratings for today’s modern political era ratings beginning in 2004 which I think is the time today’s modern political begin.

2004-08 G.W. Bush Overall job approval average 37%, from Democrats 8%, from Republicans 85%, from independents 32%
2009-2016 Obama overall job approval average 47%, from Democrats 85%, from Republicans 9%, from independents 46%
2017-2020 Trump overall job approval average 41%, from Democrats 6%, from Republicans 90%, from independents 37%
2021-today Biden overall job approval average 44%, from Democrats 86%, from Republicans 5%, from independents 41%

What stands out here is the opposing party approval of any of the above presidents is in the single digits. That’s a far cry from the average third of the opposing party approving a president’s job performance pre-modern political era of polarization, the great divide, the super, mega, ultra-high partisanship.

You can make of this what you will. I think what this means in today’s modern political era is a president’s overall job approval will always be 5-10 points lower than what it was previously or prior to today’s modern political era. Biden is sitting at 44% overall job approval today, that job approval would be at 50% or so in the previous political era in my opinion. This modern political era means many other things besides a sitting president being shortchanged on his job approval numbers. Many other and more important things, but those can be addressed later if need be or wanted.

It's high past time that we start electing Americans to congress and the presidency who put America first instead of their political party. For way too long we have been electing Republicans and Democrats who happen to be Americans instead of Americans who happen to be Republicans and Democrats.