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Voters’ opinions of the Republican Party are now at an all-time low. According to a new WSJ/NBC poll (PDF), Americans’ esteem for the Republican Party is at the lowest level ever found in the 21 years they have asked the question. When asked to rate their feelings about the Republican Party the results were:
WSJ/NBC (PDF) (8/5-9)
Opinion about Republican Party
Very Positive 6
Somewhat Positive 18
Neutral 28
Somewhat Negative 24
Very Negative 22
The American people have a significantly lower opinion of the Republican Party now than they did at the height of the the 2006 or 2008 elections in which Democrats made large gains. Fortunately for Democrats, while popular opinion about the party has taken a beating, voters still view it more positively than they do the Republican Party. The Democratic Party rated total positive 33 percent to total negative 44 percent, while the Republican Party had total positive 24 percent to total negative 46 percent.
If Republicans fail to make massive gains this year while there are extremely high unemployment rates, it will probably be due to how damaged their brand remains. Even if people are upset with the Democratic Party, the Republican Party is currently seen as a very poor alternative.
On the other hand, if Republicans do make huge gains and take control of the House, it will be an impressive display of Democratic Party failure over the past two years and a demonstration of how damaging a bad economy is for the incumbent party. Democrats should be seriously re-examining their current legislative, policy, and political strategy. They need to ask themselves how they could possibly be losing in the generic ballot to a Republican Party that voters hold in historically low regard.
39 Comments
Can they fall below Zero?
Oh joy, Rs are hated even more than Ds. I’m sooo comforted.
The Dems were net positive at the beginning of 2009. Just imagine if the Coward-in-Chief had done his job and put the blame where it should have been from the beginning. Well, heckuva job.
I can see the writing on the wall. Any losses by Dems this fall will be blamed on the economy. Nothing to see here folks, move along. This had nothing to do with Obama–he’s just a victim here like the rest of us. It was all George Bush’s fault.
The Republicans are the only hope the Democrats have. And vice versa.
Per TalkiongPointsMemo: http://polltracker.talkingpointsmemo.com/contests/us-cong-generic-ballot
So, it may be that the public disapproves of the Republicans but will still vote for them.
Even if you hate the Republican party the big question is Dem have let unemployment hit and stay at 9.5%
The answer to that is simple. Americans like Democratic ideas, but they can’t find a candidate who embodies them.
Right down there between Harry and Nancy.
Harry Reid 11 31 -20
The Republican Party 24 46 -22
Nancy Pelosi 21 45 -24
Fine Company.
This may be true, but Rs will line up to do what RushGlenn tell them to do, which is to vote R.
Not that I take any joy from this. Both parties suck big time and use each other for cover. The whole kabuki show is just too depressing for words.
Haters’ Ball.
It must be the dirty hippies fault.
There is a big difference b/w the left and the right. Many on the left hold their leaders accountable. The right march in lockstep behind their leaders no matter the destination. Crazy doesn’t change its mind.
We don’t have a conservative party and a liberal party. We have a conservative party and a fascist, whacked out, pseudo-religous, pandering nutjob party. And I’m not going to continue to carry water for those with a D behind their name, just because they have a D behind their name. I hate Obama, and dislike the Dems, because he refuses to return us to the rule of law and constitutional government. To me, that is non-negotiable. And I’m not going to clap louder and shut the fuck up. And there are many more like us. I was shocked on a political thread on a very popular, news accumulator type site, to read Obama voter after Obama voter say the same things that you read here. The D’s are in for a rude awakening.
So stock up on magnetic ribbons.
Reps vs. Dems, liberals vs. conservative, right vs. left, blah blah blah. Can’t we just can it and start over? Is another round of this nonsense going to do any good?
and here I have been thinking that all along it has been the democratic leadership in congress that is to blame. The senate leadership has been totally abysmal. The rethugs managed to get most of their bills thru the senate when they had far fewer than 60 votes back during the bush rethug experiment. Yet here comes Reid with his magical 60 votes and he can not do shit without pandering to the rethugs. The entire sentate leadership IMO is the biggest reason that the democrats find themselves in the place that they are.
But for gods sake don’t get me started on polls and how congress seems to be writing bills and voting because of them. Polls are by far the biggest danger to keeping our republic form of govt. We are not a direct democracy like England. We do not operate with whatever the current mood of the people is. We are supposed to be a republic, we elect people to office to vote for us, they did not read the tea leaves(polls) for over 200 years and our govt worked one hell of a lot better than it does now.
Polls are going to be the downfall of our govt. Governing by polls is stupid. Following the whims of the sheeple is just about the dumbest thing that the democrats could do. And from where I sit it looks like the democratic majority in the senate is doing exactly that. Trying to appease the sheeple by following whatever the current poll says.
Sorry for the start of the rant, I could go on for days, but I will stop here. For now.
They listen to Obama. And the worst Senators, the ones who have sided with the GOP to water down and stop the progressive legislation, are actively protected and rewarded (money, public praise, condemning anyone who challenges them) by the Obama administration.
So the Senate has done what Obama has wanted them to do. If those that have been the most destructive to true change were disciplined rather than supported by Obama, then you could blame the Senate.
Hispanics will be voting lock-step in tune with the Democratic Party and participate loudly while in the choir singing. As such, this is a “good” sign for the Democrats for this election cycle.
However, come January “all bets are off” for the Democrats in 2012, and perhaps, President Obama will be walking off the national stage with the chagrin written all over his face. Thus, Obama ‘surrendered’ his agenda and Legacy to the Senate Democrats. Consequently, two things will have to occur in January of next year among the Senate Democrats, in order to keep the Hispanics in the Democratic-fold.
First, Hispanics will expect that the “process” to reduce the filibuster to a level of “Fifty-Five Max” must take place. Secondly, the Senate Democrats must get off the “Diva-Jollies” Machine and establish a Progressive Caucus. For in doing so, Hispanics will be afforded the opportunity to see and recognize “our friends” and “political allies” given that currently, Lieberman and Nelson of Nebraska, Baucus and others, are not considered to be in our ‘camp’.
In closing, the “Native American/Chicano/Hispanic/Latino “stereotype”, is the “backbone” of America’s progressive community and closely followed in this camp is our best buds,the Democratic Women. Moreover, achieving these two notable successes, will permit President Obama to survive and possibly achieve the Senate’s “goals” that will add to the Obama Presidency.
Jaango
Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
Clone Alan Grayson. QED.
I am totally with you. I was counting the days until Bush’s departure, clinging desperately to the last shred of my sanity, hoping to hold out just a little while longer because this nightmare would all be over as soon as we had a Democrat in the White House.
Needless to say, my sanity is gone and all that is left is this pathetic, shriveled shell of a patriot ranting into the ether in hopes that someday I will recover from all of this torment.
Americans like
Democraticliberal ideasif the ‘democrats” ever had any ideas, they have forgotten them.
Thanks for the laugh! More like oil-soaked shrimp dinner.;-)
“Needless to say, my sanity is gone and all that is left is this pathetic, shriveled shell of a patriot ranting into the ether in hopes that someday I will recover from all of this torment.”
I had to laugh or I would either break down in tears or run in circles shrieking. I totally agree; same here. Really a d*** shame!
“…his magical 60 votes and he can not do shit without pandering to the
rethugsblue-dogs.”One more time, with 60 votes, no rethugs needed. Lieberman should have been taken to the wood shed and horsewhipped when he came out against the public option. The blue dogs would still have been a problem but they would have been much less vocal about it.
The only glimmer of hope (lol) in this dreadful poll for Obama and the Democratic party. Never mind the skewed sample: +9 for Dems.
Gee, do you think that the negative feelings towards the GOP might have something to do with overpolling Democrats? Barack Obama won the popular vote in 2008 with just a seven-point margin, and yet the partisan split in this poll without leaners is 30/21 for Democrats, with 42% identifying as independents. That’s an absurd sample; it doesn’t even match the electorate in November 2008, let alone the electorate of mid-2010.
Got links to back up your statements or just blowin’ smoke as uaual.
With all due respect Jon, the road to abject failure and a November defeat leads right back to the source…ObamaRahm, and his minions. Did they inherit a bucket of shite, yes! Did they really do anything to change that, NO, they made the bucket bigger and repainted with a jackass…
They have insisted on thinking that they can sell lies as sustenance to the amerikan people, and when people like the ‘professional left’ pointed out their failures and deception, they have responded like petulant and spoiled children, because that is exactly what they are!
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/wsjnbcpoll-08122010.pdf
There is well documented growing dissatisfaction with Obama among Hispanics. Gallup’s most recent analysis of support for Barack Obama, shows Hispanic voter approval has slid 12 points since the beginning of the year. Gallup believes that the problem stems from Obama’s stop-and-start focus on comprehensive immigration reform.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/139379/Hispanics-Approval-Obama-Drops-2010.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=syndication&utm_content=morelink&utm_term=Presidential%20Job%20Approval
The problem might not be immigration reform at all… Obama’s demagoguery on Arizona’s SB1070 should have them flocking to Obama.
In light of Harry Reid’s most recent comments, perhaps Hispanics are not in ‘lock step’ and finding their own voice.
http://sisu.typepad.com/sisu/
No, no. Linking to the poll linked to in the first sentence of the post isn’t what I’m talking about.
Show me these figures.
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1039/post-election-perspectives
The 2008 election was not a base election. Independents broke decisively for Obama, favoring him by a 52%-to-44% margin over John McCain. Obama also won an overwhelming 60% of self-identified moderates.
According to Pew, while the political landscape shifted, showing an increased Democratic party-affiliation in 2008 it was dramatically more Democratic (39% Democratic vs. 32% Republican). This is only +7.
Furthermore, according to Pew, Dem voter id has dropped from 39% in 2008 to 31% in 2010.
http://people-press.org/reports/pdf/606.pdf
As we know independents has been steadily fleeing from Obama and the Democrats.
The first is an analysis based on exit poll data and I’m not going to search through 142 pages of the second to look for your figures.
The good news?
Whichever party wins by default–WALL STREET STILL WINS!!!!!
Page 46.
Most Americans do not feel that EITHER party adequately represents their views. I happen to fall into this category.
Furthermore, according to Rasmussen:
“Most U.S. voters believe the Democratic congressional agenda is extreme, while a plurality describe the Republican agenda as mainstream.”
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 57% of Likely U.S. Voters think the agenda of Democrats in Congress is extreme. Thirty-four percent (34%) say it is more accurate to describe the Democratic agenda as mainstream.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/august_2010/57_of_likely_voters_describe_democratic_congressional_agenda_as_extreme
Of course, it’s easier for people to make that distinction with Democrats, who have control of Congress and therefore have their agenda on display, while Republicans have no access to the floor and have to push their agenda through other means. The country has taken a long, hard look at that Democratic agenda, and has seen it for what it is.
Page 46.
Indie@29
Hispanics were avidly chasing for open access to the VA, Medicare, and Indian Health Services for ‘medical care delivered’.
On immigration reform, Hispanics just wanted an “up or down” vote on the respective floor of the House and Senate. Republicans did not figure into this schematic. We wanted to know who among the Democrats were to be recognized as friends and allies. Nothing mor and nothing less.
And as to Jobs, OJT contracts for the unemployed, would have rounded the circle, but did not come to pass.
Consequently, a ratio of 0-3, for do nothingness, came to pass. Thus, this January, will determine the actual ‘price point’ for Democratic Party participation. And if you haven’t noticed, Hispanic members of Congress are now hiding under the bed, and correctly so.
Jaango
Yeah, a Republican agenda.
If Dems lose in November it will be less a function of a shitty economy than a man who lied to everyone to get what he wanted regardless of the damage to his party and this country.
So it’s obvious that the midterms will be fought out in the 28% range of “neutral” respondents.
Since turnout is lower in a midterm election, all the other side has to do is get better turnout for the people who are willing to pull the lever for them.
The multiple tragedies of the Bush Administration all began because the Republican operation in Florida was able to get a couple hundred more people out among its target voters than the Democrats did.