General Discussion

Narrowing it to active politicians definitely helps his numbers by filtering out massively popular figures like Obama, but it doesn't change the underlying reality of the data.

Having a 46% favorability rating means he's essentially the "least unpopular" person in an incredibly polarized field. It's a testament to his high floor of support, but it's a huge leap to treat a 46% score as a green light for a national mandate.

The fact of the matter is that the country remains heavily fragmented. If 54% of the country is not on board (and you lack the broad support of Black voters) you don't have a clear path to "kick GOP ass like never before."

Also, it's important to note that in modern politics, politicians with a lower national profile or hyper-loyal regional bases (like an independent Senator from a small state for example) will often carry better net favorability metrics because they don't take the everyday national media beatings that presidents, vice presidents, and congressional speakers do.

As I said earlier... your enthusiasm for him is admirable, but it doesn't change reality.