The Boy Scout Speech and More

"The Boy Scout Speech
President Trump's speech to tens of thousands of Boy Scouts gathered at a jamboree in West Virginia drew "sincere apologies" from the Scouts' chief executive, Michael Surbaugh. Surbaugh extended his "sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree."

In the speech, Trump criticized both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama; also, he singled out congressional Republican lawmakers who were not in lockstep with him on healthcare legislation. He indoctrinated the Scouts with his "fake media" obsession and credited the Scouts for being among the millions who voted for him, although given the ages of the Boy Scouts, any of them voting for him would have been committing voter fraud.

Contagious Indignity
"[Trump] descends from the lineage of the Know-Nothings, the doomsayers and the fabulists, the nativists and the hucksters. The thematic shift from Obama to Trump has been from 'lifting as we climb' to 'raising the drawbridge and bolting the door.' " David Remnick asks "when has any politician done so much, so quickly, to demean his office, his country, and even the language in which he attempts to speak?"

"The atmosphere of debasement and indignity in the White House it appears, is contagious. Trump's family and the aides who hastened to serve him have learned to imitate his grossest reflexes, and to hell with the contradictions." (Source: David Remnick, "Dignity and the Fourth," The New Yorker, July 10 & 17, 2017).

Healthcare Polling
A NPR/Marist/PBS News Hour poll taken early in July, found that only 17 percent of adults approved of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). A slight majority approved of single-payer but backed off when presented with trade-offs. For instance, the percentage of approval dropped when presented with the argument that the system would "give the government too much control over health care," but rose to a strong 72 percent when presented with the premise that the system would "reduce health insurance administrative costs."  Thus, how single-payer is presented makes a big difference in the percentage of approval.  

A Gallup poll taken in 2016 showed 60 percent supporting a governmental responsibility to make sure that people have healthcare insurance.

Strong Approval of Trump
Many of the polls taken of President Trump's approval rating don't indicate what percentage expresses "strong approval" of him. A Washington Post/ABC News poll taken early in July found that 36 percent approved of Trump's performance but only 25 percent expressed "strong approval." 82 percent of self-identified Republicans approved of Trump, but 62 percent expressed "strong approval." 85 percent of self-identified Democrats  disapproved of Trump and 75 percent expressed "strong disapproval."

Generally speaking, when questioned on individual issues, about a quarter expressed "strong approval" of his performance.