'Republican wave': Panel of journalists sounds alarm for Democrats ahead of 2022 midterm elections

A panel of journalists sounded the alarm Sunday over the Democratic Party's increasingly bleak outlook heading into the 2022 midterm elections.

Last week, a new CNBC poll found President Joe Biden's job approval stood at just 38%, while only 35% of Americans approved of the state of the economy. The survey also found significant losses of support among those Americans who helped elect Biden: Americans of color, woman aged 18-49, and Americans younger than 35.

What did the journalists say?

On NBC's "Meet The Press," the panel of journalists explained how the poll exposed the issues "powering the Republican wave this November."

The most critical issue, host Chuck Todd pointed out, is young Americans and their perception of the economy. The CNBC poll found that 87% of Americans ages 18-34 rate the economy "fair/poor," while just 12% rate it "good/excellent."

"Voters under the age of 35, who have never experienced inflation in their lifetime ... they're used to, like, when 'Oh, there's a new gadget, well, in six months it'll be cheaper' — not more expensive! This is a whole different world," Todd explained. "If you want to buy a house for the first time, you're paying a higher interest rate than your parents have ever paid. Never mind food and gas. This is a huge part of the Dem coalition."

Amna Nawaz, chief correspondent of "PBS NewsHour," agreed with Todd.

"It's not great. It's not great. You're talking about one of the key groups that not only helped Democrats win back control of Congress, you know, propelled Biden into the White House, but are also going to be in play in larger numbers than ever before in the upcoming midterms," Nawaz explained, adding that voters who were optimistic when Biden entered office are now pessimistic.

Ruth Marcus, a deputy editor at the Washington Post, pointed to Nevada as ground zero for Democratic pains.

"This is a state that has gone for the Democratic candidate four times in a row. ... It's a state that Biden won. Now his approval rating there is below the overall poll: It's at 35%," Marcus said. "And most scary, and perhaps most ominous, is the peeling off of Hispanic voters in Nevada. Slump of approval rating from 73% a year ago to 52% now.

"You just read that if you're a Democratic candidate or pollster, you read it and gulp, 'What is going on here?'" she added.

Eugene Daniels of Politico said Democrats are not appealing to voters because they're only talking about what they've accomplished in the past, whereas "voters are thinking, 'OK, but what are you doing now? What are you doing for me lately?'"

Matthew Continetti, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, summarized the panel's concerns by explaining the economy, education, and crime are the "trifecta of issues that's powering the Republican wave this November."

Meet The Press Broadcast (Full) - April 17youtu.be