Badly Bleeding

Three of the biggest national polls were released yesterday, and all three were brutal for Donald Trump (details here). All but his base blame him for the government shutdown -- which he said on national TV that he'd be proud to own as his own -- and this is clearly reflected in his more-terrible-than-ever poll numbers.

One poll has him at 40 percent support while the other two have him at 36 and 34 percent. All three saw significant erosion from last month's polls. His numbers amongst independents has really taken a beating, and the middle is where national elections are won or lost.

From a political standpoint, he's committing suicide in slow motion with this shutdown. He keeps digging in his heels but he's not winning over any converts.

I still suspect he's clinging to the shutdown to distract attention from the Mueller investigation and also from House committee investigations into him, his associates, and his administration. But if a big story breaks on either of those fronts, the media will be all over that with negative coverage and Trump will still be stuck with his shutdown.

This will not end pretty and it will not end well but it will end with Trump's standing all the worse because of it. It couldn't happen to someone more deserving.