Poll Suggests Opportunities for Both Parties

[chimpymustgo]

Source: NY Times

Poll Suggests Opportunities for Both Parties
By JEFF ZELENY and MEGAN THEE-BRENAN
Published: September 15, 2010

Republicans are heading into the general election phase of the midterm campaign backed by two powerful currents: the highest proportion of voters in two decades say it is time for their own member of Congress to be replaced, and Americans are expressing widespread dissatisfaction with President Obama’s leadership. But the latest New York Times/CBS News poll also finds that while voters rate the performance of Democrats negatively, they view Republicans as even worse, providing a potential opening for Democrats to make a last-ditch case for keeping their hold on power.

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A case for Republicans: Voters are remarkably open to change, even if they are not sure where Republicans will lead them. Most Americans, including one-third of those in the coalition that elected Mr. Obama, now say he does not have a clear plan to solve the nation’s problems or create jobs. Democrats remain highly vulnerable on the economy.

A case for Democrats: They are seen as having better ideas for solving the country’s problems. The public steadfastly supports the president’s proposal to let tax cuts expire for the wealthiest Americans. And far more people still blame Wall Street and the Bush administration than blame Mr. Obama for the country’s economic problems.

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Voters do not perceive Republicans as having better ideas and disagree with them on the biggest economic issue of the campaign — whether to extend the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy — a sign the party has no real advantage on key pieces of their agenda, which makes it more necessary to run as a generic alternative to the party in power.

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Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/16/us/politics/16poll.html?ref=politics

[life_long_dem]

1. OK. That settles that.

[chimpymustgo]

2. I think (hope) the outlook for Dems is not as dire as the pundits insist.

[Warpy]

3. Considering the panic in the upper reaches of the GOP

over the number of teabagger candidates for the Senate, I seriously doubt the pundits are doing anything but a lot of upper middle class conservative wishful thinking.

Incumbents will likely still win because people still think their guy is OK, it's your son of a bitch who has to go. However, the only teabagger candidate with a chance is Miller in Alaska and the only Democratic incumbent on the way out is the execrable Blanche Lincoln.

Still, there might be a few surprises on both sides of the aisle. I simply doubt they'll all be in the Republicans' favor.

[life_long_dem]

5. I tried to reply to you earlier, but my post wouldn't go through.

So my condensed version is, I agree with you.

[kenfrequed]

4. We need to be making this case!

Why is democratic communication so bad at making the case to elect democrats? Are we going to tie our friggin hands and not use this ammunition because a few stupid blue dogs can't get the friggin message?

Screw 'em I say. The party should be running big and active on this and make this about the haves versus the have-nots.

[chimpymustgo]

6. And we've GOT to stick to letting tax cuts for the wealthy expire. We can WIN on that alone!