The Democratic Party’s plummeting ratings aren’t all they seem

The voters newly disillusioned with the Democrats still hate Republicans

For months now, we’ve observed a new trend in polling: the Democratic Party’s favorability ratings have fallen below those of the GOP’s. That’s hardly ever happened before. Democrats not only used to enjoy a persistent party ID advantage, and in recent history, its members were more satisfied with their party than Republicans were with theirs.

This new trend was ratified over the weekend by the blue-chip Wall Street Journal poll, showing Democrats falling to a net -30 favorability rating. Republicans, meanwhile, were underwater by just 11 points.

What is going on here, and what does it mean for next year’s midterms? Could this mean that Blue Wave 2.0 will prove to be a mirage? There are many ways things could go sideways for Democrats between now and November, but this isn’t one of them. In all likelihood, this won’t matter. Here’s why.