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The day after the elections, an article in the Washington Post began this way:

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œTuesdayÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s midterm election results gave President Biden a much-needed political boost, as his partyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s better-than-expected performance enabled him to avoid a damaging setback and tamped down Democratic calls for him to consider ending his presidency after one term.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

This month, an article in Newsweek referred to a CNN poll, taken after the midterms, that supposedly showed a ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œsurgeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� in BidenÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s job approval rating. In that poll, 46% of respondents approved of BidenÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s performance in office while 54% disapproved.

ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s true that there has been some improvement. In a CNN poll from October, just 41% of respondents approved of the job that Biden was doing as president and 59% disapproved.

But the presidentÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œboostÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� was just 5 percentage points. ThatÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s not enough to change the fact that his approval rating is still underwater. So much for what Newsweek generously called a ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œsurge.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

HereÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s the real story: No matter what weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re hearing from the media, there is only scattered evidence that Biden is in a much stronger position with voters after the midterm elections. There is also little evidence that, if he is politically better off today than he was a few months ago, itÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s because of the outcome of the midterms.

Those dots donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t connect. No matter how badly some Democrats would like them to.

Usually, while Republicans fall in line, Democrats tend to fall apart.

Today, the opposite dynamic is at work. As Republicans fall apart, thanks to the fact that former president Donald Trump is seeking another term, Democrats are feeling pressure to fall in line ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” behind Biden. The goal is to scare off any potential Democratic challengers and condition Democratic voters to accept Biden as their partyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s 2024 standard-bearer.

HereÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s what Jim Messina, who managed President Barack ObamaÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s re-election campaign, told The Post:

ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe can put aside any silly talk about primaries or new candidates in the presidential [race],ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥� Messina said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œJoe BidenÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s focus on democracy and abortion with a positive message on the economy was the winning game plan.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥�

Not so fast. Many polls show that only about 35% of registered Democratic voters want Biden to seek reelection, even if they donÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t have a strong alternate candidate in mind to replace him. That was true before the midterm elections, and it still seems to be the case.

A recent CNBC All-America Economic Survey taken at the end of November found that a majority of Americans, from both parties, didnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t want Biden to run for a second term in 2024. The survey found that just 19% of respondents said they supported a Biden reelection bid. And 70% of those polled, including 57% of Democrats, said they didnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t want Biden to run. Most of the folks who felt that way cited the presidentÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s age as a major reason. Biden is now 80 years old.

ItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s obvious that the media is pulling for Biden. But that doesnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t mean theyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re allowed to pull a fast one on the public.

Anyway, Americans are too sophisticated to fall for that brand of spin. Many of them rejected a lot of what Republicans were offering in this yearÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s midterm elections: unqualified Senate candidates, extreme rhetoric, unworkable policies, personal attacks, TrumpÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s lingering and outsize influence over the party.

Even so, they have refused to obediently salute the idea that Biden should be the Democratic nominee in 2024. The fact that they turned their back on Republicans doesnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t mean theyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re turning toward Biden.

This gives me renewed hope for the political process. Just because the media and the political parties canÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t seem to deliver honesty, nuance and common sense doesnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t mean voters canÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t find their way to these things on their own.