http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cenk-uygur/the-republican-party-vs-_b_44129.htmlCenk Uygur
03.23.2007
The Republican Party vs. George Bush (46 comments )
I believe that people have dramatically underestimated how much damage George W. Bush has done to the Republican Party. A new survey out today begins to show the extent of the damage. In 2002, the number of people who identified themselves as Republican or Democrat was the same. Both parties had 43% of the population on their side.
In 2007, that number has become 50% for the Democrats and 35% for the Republicans. That is an enormous lead for the Democrats. The Pew Research Center says that is the biggest lead either party has ever had since they have been asking the question.
Before the 2006 elections similar numbers were coming out in favor of Democrats in generic questions about party affiliation. Conventional wisdom dismissed those numbers as irrelevant because they wouldn't affect specific Congressional races. The idea was that people hate Congress in general, but love their own Congressmen. Conventional wisdom was wrong.
Democrats picked up 36 Congressional seats that used to belong to Republicans. Republicans picked up none. Zero. That's a 36-0 blowout. The trend against the Republican Party is not some sort of theoretical statistical anomaly. It's real. And it's here to stay.
I suspect that right now if you asked the question, "Which party understands your concerns and has your best interests in mind?" the Democrats would crush the Republicans. The jury is in. Republicans are for the rich and connected and they don't care about the average guy.
You know who reinforced this idea over and over - Karl Rove, Dick Cheney and George W. Bush. How many no-bid contracts does Halliburton have to get, how many political cronies have to get jobs in place of qualified, decent people, how many tax cuts for billionaires do you have to pass and how many people do you have to leave to die in New Orleans before people get the message?
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