Opinion

OPINION: Those Touting A ‘Blue Wave’ Should Knock On Wood

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Barry Bennett Founder, Avenue Strategies
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Knowing full well there is no movement in Washington more powerful than the “groupthink” movement, allow me to at least attempt to stall the herd.

Facts are pesky things, but in groupthink, they are often ignored as inconsequential. Futility being one of the things I am best at, sit down and digest for just a moment.

There can be no denying midterm elections are almost always trouble for the party in power. I believe this mantra is engraved in marble somewhere on a monument.

The buzz term “wave” has been used in the past to describe electoral events that were unforeseen. A perfect example is the “wave” election of 1994. Almost no one saw it coming. No one predicted it. It was a surprise result that ended up changing control of the House and the Senate.

The secret power of wave elections is that they are secret. Candidates are caught unprepared. Old-timers lose because they just don’t see it coming.

The much heralded “Blue Wave” has now been the talk of Washington politics for almost two years. There is not a single Member of Congress that doesn’t know a tough cycle is coming. If they don’t know by now, they deserve to lose.

Some are confusing energy for a wave. America has never been angrier or more divided.

There is not much debate about the rampant outraged fueled by politicians and media alike each day.

Never mind the facts, the groupthink crowd has already decided a wave completely aimed at President Trump is coming. I encourage my friends and neighbors to calm down and take a quick objective look.

A few weeks ago, CNN released a nationwide survey. I could tear apart the flawed methodology, but I won’t. Allow me to simply point out what they found. But before I do so, I would like to point out that the findings of this poll fueled many of my friends in the media and in politics to bolster their groupthink about the impending doom for President Trump.

The poll headline says, “Trump’s Approval Falls to 36 Percent.” Crystal clear evidence that the doom is coming. I will not even get into the blatant poll shopping that goes on in our so-called profession. The CNN poll was retweeted with screams that Trump Approval rating was at 36 percent and his unfavorable rating was 61 percent and the end was near.

Inside, the poll tells another story. Approval for the president’s economy is about 50 percent. Extremely high even among non-whites as well as with Democrats. Is it possible they like what he is doing even if they dislike him or his tweeting?

Here are some very interesting numbers that should cause concern to doomsayers. The same poll that says only 36 percent of America approves of Trump also includes these revelations:

  • Only 45 percent say Trump is LESS honest than the average politician.
  • Only 41 percent think he is MORE corrupt than the average politician.

It seems the anger is not just focused on Trump alone.  What else does this poll say?

Positive feelings about the economy are at a 17-year high. Not since 9/11 have Americans felt more positive about the economy. If you take the jobs that have been created since Trump took office and divide by the 435 congressional districts the average number of jobs created per district is over 8,000 new jobs.

Clearly, the poll headline doesn’t tell the whole story.

By the way, the last time the CNN poll showed Trump was at 36 percent approval was October 23, 2016. You may remember the “doom” then, as well. I believe the line was, “Clinton has a 100-percent chance of winning.”

The electorate today is far more complicated than our outdated polling methodologies. Universal outrage fueled by the “hucksters of hate” only compound the problem. The only constant is the inability of Washington to understand the people it governs.

Barry Bennett is the founder of Avenue Strategies.


The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.