Whatever the Democrats are doing, the latest numbers tell us that it’s not really working. Here is the story:

Common wisdom holds that Democrats are likely to retake the House in next year’s midterms. Perhaps -- that’s what history would suggest.

But a recent poll shows that Republicans retain relative strength on important core issues.

CNN’s Harry Enten summarized those data well in a recent appearance: Looking at the Washington Post/IPSOS poll, Enten found that Republicans retained a lead over Democrats on which party voters trust more to handle the economy, crime and immigration.

The numbers aren’t close, either.

The GOP leads the Democrats by 7 percentage points on the economy, 13 points on immigration and a whopping 22 points on crime.

If those are the issues voters care most about next November, it’s hard to see the GOP losing control. Why toss out the party you trust for one that you don’t?

Those leads aren’t just the result of partisan Republicans rallying around President Trump, either.

The party leads Democrats on all three issues with independents, too.

It will be very hard for Democrats to prevail if they cannot close these gaps among the voters whose support is crucial for their hopes.

Of course, this is one poll, and there are likely to be others. However, the results make sense to me because the Democrats' positions on the economy, crime, and immigration are beyond reason.

Look at Chicago. They keep arguing that everything is under control, and then more people get shot. On ICE, they demonize a federal agency that picks up people with long criminal records. I don't see "abuelitas" or grandmothers being rounded up. It must be embarrassing for local leaders that we keep finding criminals or minors working on farms.

The economy will likely decide the next elections. Honestly, there is work to do on that, but this poll indicates that the public prefers what the GOP is doing. On the other two issues, it's Democrats just being anti-Trump because their strategy makes no sense.

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Image: Pixabay