What the Voters Want and Why They will vote so Wrong

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

This is a very extensive Washington Post poll:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/documents/2010-09-02Trend_Tuesday.pdf

Going through the results one gets a good sense of where voters are.

Do they like the Republicans? No. On many issues Dems have a slight advantage. The public is split on Obama. The public is split on who they trust to fix problems.

This is weird. I doubt we have EVER seen a poll result like this:

5. Which political party, the (Democrats) or the (Republicans), do you trust to do a better job handling (ITEM)?

Democrats Republicans
a. The economy 42 40
b. Health care 44 39
c. Immigration issues 37 40
d. The situation in Afghanistan 38 42
e. The federal budget deficit 38 44
f. Taxes 39 45

Neither party has a big edge on anything. And that runs through the whole poll set... a listless 50-50 "who the fuck cares" electorate.

The public has given up on the idea that either party can do anything. It's all a rough tie in a race toward zero.

6. Do you think Obama's economic program is making the economy (better), making it (worse) or having no real effect?

Better 30% Worse 33% No effect 36%

The plurality winner is no effect, an impossible answer but a powerful expression of a total loss of faith in the ability or willingness of government to do anything.

There is very little overwhelming disfavor for Democrats relative to Republicans except on one question:

Which party will you vote for? (likely voters)

Republican 53% Democratic 40%

So what does this tell us? That Democrats are going to get absolutely crushed in November because people want something big to happen.

People have seen the Dems in action. They are not impressed. And they are so desperate that they want dramatic change of any sort in any direction.

Throw a bomb. See what happens. Maybe it will be better.

In light of this, the correct move for Dems is to propose wild and crazy things... huge changes, dramatic and startling.

[phantom power]

1. "huge changes, dramatic and startling."

That is indeed the correct move. It was the correct move two years ago. The thing that keeps me up at night is that the Dems are terrible at this, and the GOP is great at it.

:(

[Lost4words]

2. I am with you on that!

we HAD a mandate, but the admin just wanted to get along, got milquetoast?

[mrcheerful]

4. The problem stems from the Democratic party's tendency to speak to truth and fact

Where as the R party just says what they want no matter how crazy their ideals are and nit wits thinking that R's being honest. Also don't forget how since VN Dem's have been painted as soft on national security by the R's and folks seem to still hate it that the Dem's protested then dropped funding for the VN war just as Americans were on the verge of victory, R history rewrites are good for that. Your also are forgetting about how Iran/Contra broke people actually were over joyed when the R's gave the Reagan staff medals instead of prison sentences. This is what Dem's face every time every election year no matter what good they do.

[LibDemAlways]

3. The economy sucks. People figure Obama's been in office close

to two years, and they aren't seeing the kind of change they voted for. They'll vote R because they have short memories and because they just want to punish the party in power.

If Obama had moved boldly and seized his mandate, we'd be in a different place. All of the cozying up to Repukes has got him nowhere, and now we're in very real danger of a Repuke Congress that will waste its time trying to impeach him. Way to go.

[Cal33]

12. The Repubs. are successful in reducing the Dems. to inaction

even when the Dems. have control of both houses in Congress. Can you imagine what
they couldn't do when the Repubs. will control both houses? They'll steamroll
over the Dems. just as Bush used to do. And Obama is not the type to use the veto.
He'll probably just yield - for the sake of bipartisanship.

If the Repubs. should win also in 2012, they could very well succeed in throwing out the
Constitution altogether. End days of our democracy?

[LibDemAlways]

15. R's go for the jugular. They act like they are the majority

party no matter how many or few seats they have. They don't back down.

Our Democratic Party "leaders" seem to think the best way to deal with them is to make nice when, in fact, a whole bunch of major ass kicking is in order. Instead, we're the ones who get our asses kicked. It's pathetic.

[Cal33]

16. The Dem. leadership doesn't realize that Neocons, and

psychopaths in general, respond only to 2 things. 1. The profit motive.
and 2. Fear of punishment. They respond to nothing else, because there
is no empathy in them for anything else. That's why they so often (1) use
bribery and corruption, and (2) use the tactics of fanning up fear in the
American population in order to gain their political goals. These are the
two things they respect, and I suppose, they assume that everyone else is
the same as they are.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

17. Yeah, it's not real complicated

[mike_c]

5. re: your concluding statement....

"In light of this, the correct move for Dems is to propose wild and crazy things... huge changes, dramatic and startling."

This is what many on the left have been saying since 2002. Then the issue was democrats distinguishing themselves from republicans by proposing genuine ALTERNATIVES to republican ideas and policies rather than simply accusing republicans of doing a poor job meeting their common objectives, and claiming that dems can meet those same objectives better. It's a hollow message and one that has haunted the democratic party since at least the early 1990s, IMO.

It's just as true today as it was then. The best course for the democratic party is to distinguish itself from the republican party to the maximum extent possible, and to do it by articulating a completely different vision of America's future, informed by liberal ideals, and to describe a unique national policy that will get us there. For example, if the republicans want to run on national security issues, don't try to out do them on national security or war like John Kerry attempted in 2004-- describe an alternative vision in which Americans are partners for world peace rather than global bullies who need to protect themselves all the time. And so on.

One of the reasons I feel so disappointed by the democratic party is their utter failure to do this when the opportunity was-- and remains-- so ripe. The nation is TIRED of the same policies and failed national objectives. It is time for REAL change, not just changing the trimmings.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

7. +1

[LibDemAlways]

10. Excellent post. Judging by

Obama's speech today, the argument is "As bad as things are, under the R's they will be worse." That's not what people want to hear. That's not what they voted for in '08.

Articulate a big vision and go for it. Back up nice speeches with bold actions. Lead. Fight like hell for the ordinary person and stand up for Democratic values. That's what people are looking for - leadership and purpose. Give it to them and be rewarded.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

6. The voters wanted change - they got politics-as-usual.

Obama ran as a centrist but promised "change" which is an oxymoron. It was a slogan that turned out to be as meaningless as it was intended to be.

[Stinky The Clown]

9. "as meaningless as it was intended to be"

Yup

[leftstreet]

11. +1

[Stinky The Clown]

8. You're conclusions are spot on. This is a total rejection of incrementalism and bipartisanship

People wanted BIG change. Instead they got BIG ....... uh ...... big ...... erm .......

You get the idea.

[EFerrari]

13. We need a moratorium on foreclosures.

Americans have been left holding the bag for Wall Street betting against itself -- and in especial, Americans who tend to vote for DEMOCRATS -- people of color, women, working people, young people.

Mortgages and credit cards. If Obama DID SOMETHING about this, we could walk it in.

[Hannah Bell]

14. public has given up on the idea that either party can do anything": mission accomplished.

[maxsolomon]

18. Americans expect magic.

Magic isn't real. Rewarding obstruction will lead to more obstruction.

The public has given up expecting change because our system is designed to prevent change and protect wealth. Period.