The Premise Poll reveals only 33% Americans approve of Joe Biden’s job performance and only 18% believe the country is headed in the right direction
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was recently interviewed by Premise CEO Maury Blackman on his “Great Minds Think Data” podcast. Gingrich discussed a wide range of topics including how political issues become primary drivers of election outcomes, the upcoming midterm elections, and the United States’ current standing as a world leader.
At the outset of the interview, Gingrich predicted the congressional midterms would amount to a red wave for the GOP in both chambers, and he pointed to the key political problem the Democrats face in the closing weeks of the midterm elections, saying about the Biden administration’s response to the key national issues of crime and inflation, “And I think that’s part of what’s characterized where we are right now is that the team in charge can’t actually explain that this is all working, and that gives them a real challenge about what to campaign on.”
The former Speaker and architect of the “Republican Revolution,” the transformational 1994 election that put the GOP in unified control of Congress after a 40-year drought, asserted the U.S. electorate was moved by the politics of life versus the “politics of politics.”
Gingrich illustrated this dichotomy during the podcast, commenting, “I have a friend, for example, who has not bought steak for a year, because it’s just too expensive for their family budget. I have other friends who have really been hit by the cost of gasoline because they commute a long way to work. You have people who are very worried about crime because in their neighborhoods, they know people who have been attacked. So I think that’s what I mean by the politics of life, worrying about your child, worrying about what’s happening in your neighborhood, worrying about what affects you.”
One of the tentpole issues that Democrats are campaigning on – abortion rights – straddles both spectrums of political decision making, and Gingrich acknowledged key to political gamesmanship was framing the opposing position as more extreme. Gingrich also noted his belief that abortion should remain a state issue rather than a national law, appearing to oppose such national legislation sponsored by U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
The Dobbs decision, Gingrich said, led to a battle of extremes, explaining, “In the case of abortion, it actually comes down to a question of who is seen as more extreme…And ironically, in the most recent polls, the Democrats actually come off as more extreme than the Republicans.”
As the conversation shifted to international affairs, Gingrich supported the administration’s Ukraine strategy, although he thought the United States was too slow to act and believes Middle East policy needs to refocus on Saudi Arabia and Israel and not support Iranian ambitions in any manner.
Blackman asked for the former Speaker to opine on the most recent Premise 2024 Presidential tracking poll for Republican candidates. In June, former President Donald J. Trump had firm command of the party with 65% support from Republicans for his third campaign, with Florida Governor Ron Desantis coming in with only 15%. Today, that lead has shrunk to 44%-30%. Gingrich commented that Desantis has enjoyed “great press and done some very smart things.” Trump, according to Gingrich, has an “extraordinarily passionate base” but needs to expand his policy-oriented leadership or else he could look like the past rather than the future.
These results are based on responses from 2,102 Americans collected between October 13th and October 16th via the Premise smartphone application. Premise randomly sampled its opt-in panel members, stratified on Age, Gender, Region and Education, based on the 2019 American Community Survey (ACS). The results are weighted by Age, Gender, Region, and Education benchmarked against the 2019 ACS estimates. Respondents were compensated for their participation.
Maury Blackman is the Chairman and CEO of Premise Data, an on-demand insights company powered by smart phones that serves private and public sector companies globally. The company’s polling data is frequently featured in leading publications. Launched in the summer of 2022, Great Minds Think Data has featured leaders such as Lanny Davis, former attorney for President Bill Clinton, Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, Former DNC Executive and Political Director John Rendon, and Chief Strategy Officer of the Human Rights Foundation Alex Gladstein. Blackman resides in San Francisco. He’s a 2-time CEO, 2016 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year winner, investor, board member, advisor, and 11-time Ironman finisher.
SOURCE Maury Blackman, CEO of Premise Inc.
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