When the bottom will drop out

[struggle4progress]

By Dana Milbank
July 17 at 7:03 PM

,,, The new poll finds that only 36 percent of the public approves of the job Trump is doing, the lowest at the six-month point in any presidency over the past 70 years, when modern polling began. Only 25 percent support him strongly ...

... People who approve of his handling of the economy are 40 or 50 percentage points more likely to approve of him overall. While views of the economy closely correlate with partisanship, this means, all things being equal, that Trump’s overall approval rating should drop four or five points for each 10-point drop in views of his economic performance. Because Trump supporters are largely unconcerned with his personal antics, economic woes — not the Russia scandal or zany tweets — are what would doom Trump in public opinion.

... many of his populist promises are starting to look fraudulent. Remember that Carrier plant in Indiana that Trump claimed to have saved? It’s reportedly beginning to lay off 600 people. The Boeing plant in South Carolina that Trump visited in February to showcase his fight for manufacturing jobs? Layoffs there, too. Trump denounced plans by Ford to move production of the Focus from Michigan to Mexico. Now Ford is moving the work to China instead ...

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/think-trumps-poll-numbers-are-bad-just-wait-till-his-backers-realize-theyve-been-had/2017/07/17/80415204-6b3e-11e7-96ab-5f38140b38cc_story.html?utm_term=.0a8294645f56

[TomSlick]

1. I have heard a theory - I can't remember where -

That the critical time will between the end of the Congressional primary races and the general election. The theory is that GOP Representatives and (and especially) Senators can't be seen to attack Trump before the primaries for fear of the Trump base BUT once they move from the primaries to the general election, they will have to distance themselves from Trump - the Trump base simply isn't large enough (except in gerrymandered Congressional districts).

If, as I predict, the drip-drip-drip continues between now and November, 2018, GOP office holders may have to do more than merely distance themselves from Trump. They may actually have to do something about him. That being said, it would be better if the GOP stays firmly behind Trump and pays the price in the election.