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If you are wondering why Democrats are running a campaign to scare Americans about how terrible a Republican-led Congress would be, instead of running on their accomplishments and campaign promises, the latest Gallup poll has your answer. Gallup found that financial reform was the only issue out of those polled that received favorable marks from a majority of Americans.
Unfortunately for Democrats, the stimulus package, the automaker rescue, the new health care law, and the administration’s actions to save Wall Street are all rather unpopular, a majority of Americans disapproving of each. Besides the aforementioned financial reform, there is little that Democrats have done that the polls tell them they should crow about.
Not polled was the important student loan reform that Democrats passed as part of the health care reconciliation package. While the move to take private profit out of the student loan system is actually a very significant change (one I suspect would be very popular if anyone knew about it), the Obama administration has failed to promote it. From a political perspective, an accomplishment no one knows about is the same as no accomplishment at all.
Normally the party in power runs on their achievements. If those accomplishments are popular, the party in power is often does well, if they are unpopular, or there are no accomplishments, the party in power likely does very poorly.
With a bad economy and almost every major action taken by the majority party tracking as unpopular, Democrats are left with very little to run on. This is why the Dems are going with a “Sarah Palin is scary” or “Sharron Angle is scary” campaign, despite the failure of the Republican’s “Nancy Pelosi is a scary, West Coast liberal” 2006 campaign strategy. When you have nothing to run on, the final fallback position is arguing that you are less bad of two really bad choices.
As a side note, I think it is interesting that according to a 2009 Gallup poll and an early 2010 CBS News poll, 44 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana. That means slightly more Americans support legalizing cannabis than approve of most of the Democrats’ major actions since Obama took office. When people try to pretend legalization is a “fringe” issue, keep in mind fewer Americans approve of the stimulus package, the new health care law, or the auto rescue than support legalizing marijuana.
31 Comments
unfortunately, the d’s refuse to acknowledge this fact and are running on scary r’s instead of using this obvious get out the vote opportunity.
Financial reform bill: Audit the Fed & the derivatives regulation that Blanche Lincoln only put forward to save herself in her race against Bill Halter.
Let me think. What do these things have in common?
I’d rather smoke a doobie than vote for Warmongers D who trash the Constitution. I expected it from the R’s. I can’t stomach it from my own Party. Green Or Write In Public Option.
Maybe I’ll write in Joe Lieberman, since he seems to be the defacto decider on many issues including the Public Option and Tax Cuts for the Rich.
Easy one issues we pushed granted they were watered down but still its issues we pushed.
So who was doing polling on the issues Obama and the Dems ran on?
I will be among the first to admit that HCR was lame, but eliminating pre-existing conditions is major, as is subsidies for low income families, extension of S-chip, keeping children on the family plan until age 26. These are very helpful. I believe there is also a provision to restrict insurers profit margins, but it seems like a provision easy to skirt. The Rethugs manage to promote their (very few) successes, why can’t the Dems do it too? The Rethugs lie and revise history daily. In fact, they keep the left leaning commentators busy rebutting their lies instead of promoting Dem achievements. Dems don’t need to lie or revise history; they need to brag a little. It ain’t much, but the scheming, lying, revisionist Rethugs have managed to make the public totally forget the 8 year carnage of the Bush Administration!! That boggles the mind. Why can’t the Dems also point out that carnage as well as how obstructionist the Rethugs have been? The propaganda machine cannot be the exclusive province of Koch and Co.
King Makers and Leg Breakers folks we because we argue the issues,study them and pay attention more to issues that interest us have the pulse of society.
The TOP down MSM tries to create Popular support where there is none. The best they can do is spread hate the lowest of emotions.
We spread hope and dreams granted our Dreams but where is the Obama or GOP message of hope people are willing to argue about till 4 am?
Its a favor to the drug companies imagine what happens to oxy sales if pot becomes legal?
We walk out of these Primaries saying I told you so and wasn’t losing Ted’s seat enough of a wake up call?
Because outside of Bloggers like Jane and Marcy who don’t get on tv enough most Dems act like they were paid to take a dive?
Don’t know who many times a rejoiced when I saw poll data showing that voters were with the Democrats ‘on the issues’. Eventually I figured out that the Democrats would not come through for people ‘on the issues’. They would just hang us all out to dry and then ask for more money.
Because the last two years have been far worse than the 8 under Bush.
Eliminating preexisting conditions doesn’t really mean anything because there is no limitation on costs and there are any number of ways for the insurance companies to neutralize that apparent gain and turn it into more profits for themselves. Subsidies of low-income families are a good thing, but millions of low income families won’t be subsidized and there is no way that they will be able to afford the mandate so they will remain uninsured. As employers stop offering or contributing to health plans, many of their employees will lose coverage because they won’t be able to afford it. And then the IRS will be knock knock knocking on their doors. In short most voters are not impressed with any of the goodies you mention.
Toss in hatred for the mandate, the ban on drug reimportation, no public option, no cost controls and the disgusting bullshit Kabuki theatrical production that dragged on for months to cover up Obama’s backdoor deals by creating an excuse for not being able to pass a bill that the public wanted despite a majority in both houses, and the Democrats don’t dare claim any of the so-called goodies you mention because people will react with scorn and derision. Thus, the wiser course of action, which is to never mention HCR.
The Democrats really don’t have anything else to say except that they aren’t as crazy as the Republicans.
Unbelievable feckless incompetence and we absolutely must dedicate ourselves to dumping Obama as soon as possible. He is slow motion trainwreck that is as agonizing as it is infuriating to watch.
DUMP OBAMA NOW!
If the increased government regulation on
banking is so good, why can’t I get a loan?
Eli is upstairs!
Primary Results Liveblogging
I heard on one of the majors (ABC, NBC, CBS) that dem turnout is down in 11 states, relatively speaking -
I feel SO powerful!
cuz of me and MY negativity, few care about voting for dim-0-fuck $ell out$!
I bask in my glory!
rmm
Except for fraud and misrepresentation.*
*The two biggest excuses insurance companies use now.
Also, even if someone is insured, their insurance company can easily deny their claims:
I have a high-deductible plan. The few times I reached my deductible, my claims all started getting mysteriously denied. One time my treatment was even pre-approved and I was half-way finished. The first part got paid, I hit my deductible, the rest got denied.
Then I got to experience the joy of the appeals process. Customer service told me I could not find out why the claims were denied because that was handled by the claims department and I could only talk to customer service – and they couldn’t access that information.
I fear you are right about all the manipulation of costs that we will see from the insurers, but there is still that clause about only showing a small percentage of profit. Does this mean that the medical establishment will simply raise their fees and give a chunk back to insurers for their “cooperation”? The absence of controls and restrictons, the mandate, etc. are all very troubling, but again, why can’t the Dems bypass that just as Rethugs do? I remember something about WMD, Taliban contacts with Saddam, etc. that the Rethugs got away with. Would I be weakening my own argument if I conceded that the Rethugs have total control of MSM? Yeah, probably. I’m trying to find some way to get the Dems to toot their own horn, but it’s a tough one. Obama’s record so far is truly abysmal. Move to Italy? Hey, there’s an idea. Seems like the only solution.
Insurance companies remain legal monopolies and there are no price controls on added services that they offer, including that up-to-26 service, or coverage despite preexisting conditions. So I give it four years from the time the law is fully implemented, tops, before we go back to the drawing board completely.
Check this ray of sunshine out:
Sure beats moving to Ciudad Juarez.
Financial reform is total garbage,with Basal theatrics being the cherry on this rancid cake.With every structural safeguard in place to thwart the perils of integrity,I can’t imagine why the banksters still hate Liz Warren so vehemently.
It’s unfair that the Obama administration inherited the job of pulling the country out of the ditch. It’s unfair that Republicans sabotaged the tow truck. But politics isn’t about fairness. On Election Day, all that matters is we’re still stuck in that ditch.
Rep. Michele Bachmann has given us a preview of what will happen if the GOP regains control of the Congress. “I think that all we should do is issue subpoenas and have one hearing after another.”
This is starting to look like the repeat of the Clinton administration that we voted against!
“It’s unfair that the Obama administration inherited the job of pulling the country out of the ditch.”
Why?
Wasn’t he smart enough to know that that, unspinnably, is why we hired him?
“It’s unfair that the republicans sabotaged the tow truck.”
I beg to differ: Barack Obama came in with plenty of pull. You can forget the specific numbers of the those big congressional margins: he had an emotional mandate that makes George Bush’s two “wins” look like political dogpoop. All he had to do was confront the republicans every time they tried to stop him from mounting the salvage operation. Instead, he’s done wonderful rehab on them. That’s why the crazies are coming out of the woodwork; they understand the political and moral leadership vacuum with which he’s gifted them. No one else could have laid the groundwork for this kind of resurgence of conservative “principles”. Only Obama.
Anyone who thinks that he, and the democrats in congress, should be rewarded for it is in for a rude shock on Nov. 3rd.
“Dump Obama now.”
With you, Mason. :o)
He’s more valuable to us as a sacrificial political goat, than as a solver of our problems. I believe THAT train has left the station.
After the mid-terms he’s gonna be one hell of a lame duck. Bailing on him is going to be a political cottage industry. I think he might even just choose not to run, in 2012. It would be the most courageous and useful thing he’s done.
Along the same line, IF the repubs could take the Senate, I don’t fear some bogus impeachment move. I doubt they’re stupid enough to want to remove Obama from office. He’s too useful to them to run against, plus, they’d be giving Biden the chance for some kind of fresh start. They don’t want that. Why should they? They’ve got the hammer…Obama handed it to them.
I still cannot forgive Obama and the Democrats for what they did on HCR and FinR. I see Obama as a weak leader and closet right wing conservative who has made a mockery of the traditional Democratic Party.
Pre-existing conditions is a joke. If they do not want to cover you, they pay a one hundred dollar fine per day. Wow.
How you word the poll questions is just as important as the survey results.
Once upon a time I worked for Gallup as a telephone interviewer. Bad job, low pay, and was always arguing over the lameness of the questions. This question
is not nuetral, and is presumptive of an “Approve” response(who in their right mind except a Morgan Stanley trader would be against tighter regulation of banks after the TARP bailout?). Then again, it looks like most of the questions were weighted in favor of an “Approve” response. (interessment, ne c’est pas?)
A much better sample Question would have been:
How would you assess the attempts to increase government regulation of banks and financial institutions? Did you: 1. Approve 2. Disapprove 3.No Opinion
or
Were the efforts to increase govt. regulation of banks and financial institutions? 1.Successful 2. Not Successful 3. no Opinion
Then again, the PTB only want answers that reinforce their particular corporate world-view. If the DLC really cares about what happens in Nov. the should be having kittens now.
and will continue to use for the foreseeable future…
you make a great point, Tan. Obama’s post-partisanship, kumbaya, ” i won’t even use the truth against my Republican opposition, because that would be mean”, let’s hold hands and sing around the campfire schtic is exactly what gave those retards (especially the Tea Party nutjobs) new life.
What else did he do besides have a beer that summer with two grown men who behaved like children one morning in Cambridge, Mass., while the Tea Party organized, disrupted every meeting on HCR, and took over the debate?
(Oh yeah, i forgot: he was making backroom deals with Pharma and the Health Insurance syndicates on how he sold the middle and lower classes down the river.)