The Public Isn't Happy About GOP Victory

[babylonsister]

Buyer's remorse? This ticks me off; what were they thinking 2 weeks ago?


The Blasé Mandate
By CHARLES M. BLOW
Published: November 12, 2010



Democrats still searching for a silver lining to the waxing they took last Tuesday can cheer up a bit. According to a new poll, the public may already be experiencing a bit of buyer’s remorse about the choices they’ve made, and Republicans seem to have unrealistic expectations about what their leaders will be able to accomplish.

A poll released Thursday by the Pew Research Center found that people are considerably less happy about the Republicans’ victory than they were about the Democrats’ victory in 2006 or about the Republicans’ victory in 1994. They also approve much less of the “Republicans’ policies and plans for the future” than they did of the Democrats’ plans in 2006 or the Republicans’ plans in 1994. (I must say that that question threw me a bit because I didn’t know that Republicans had “policies and plans” for the future. Silly me.)

About 60 percent of the respondents thought that the Republicans in 1994 and the Democrats in 2006 would be successful in getting their programs passed into law. This year, just more than 40 percent believed this about the Republicans. In fact, unlike in 2008 and 2006, more people than not believed that relations between Republicans and Democrats in Washington would now get worse.

That doesn’t sound like a ringing endorsement to me. It sounds like a Congress of Low Expectations.

more...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/13/opinion/13blow.html?ref=opinion

[Xipe Totec]

1. Bagger's Remorse n/t

[Smarmie Doofus]

2. There's gotta be a better way. N/T

[Bjorn Against]

3. No surprise at all, the only reason Republicans won is that this is not a real democracy

The system is designed to limit people's choices on the ballot, if people get upset by their current batch of leaders they are only given a single option to replace them with. People were not voting for the Republicans in this election, they were voting against the incumbents. If the Republicans think that their election victories mean that the majority of people actually support their policies then they are in for a very rude awakening. Voters are disgusted, and both parties need to learn that most people are not voting for their candidates they are voting against the opposition party's candidates.

[global1]

4. I Asked The Question The Day After The Election.....

How soon would 'voters remorse' set in?

Well it didn't take long - did it?

Now the Dems need to figure out a strategy to use this voters remorse to their advantage.

Any ideas or suggestions?

[Jackpine Radical]

7. I think the Dems need to stay the course--

that is, continue their headlong rush to the right.

[liberal N proud]

5. They will be even less pleased once the new session starts

And the GOP further gerrymanders congressional districts.

[MBS]

6. I agree with this. . voters really don't know what they want

They just don't like the ways things are, and they're flailing around,yelling or hitting at any target they see. Someone a few months ago noted that voters were in a "nihilistic" mood. . that still seems to be the mood of the country. Trouble is (see: 2010 election results), neither crankiness nor cynicism nor ignorance nor despair nor anger solves even one problem. Dems need somehow to channel this anger, and move it into a positive direction.

[ibegurpard]

11. that's the answer right there

[otohara]

8. I Don't Understand The 65+ Crowd

do they think they'll get rich if Social Security is privatized?

[and-justice-for-all]

24. They get confused easily...

and the ads they are fed really fucks them up. It does not take much to scare a senior and to get them to vote against themselves, pukes take advantage of them all the time to get their vote, it is sad how the pukes and bahhers manipulate them.

[totodeinhere]

32. It's ageism to say that seniors "get confused easily." They don't get confused any more or less

than any other age group. I could just as easily say that young people get confused easily since so many of them did not vote in the last election, but I won't say that.

[and-justice-for-all]

33. LOL...ok...nt

[icnorth]

36. I am 67 and

you just P.M.O. ;-)

[BlancheSplanchnik]

29. how about rephrasing, like, "65 yr old BAGGER crowd"

something a little more accurate. I know a couple of +80 year olds who would be right at home here with you (well, unless you spill insulting remarks about the 65+ crowd at them).

They are both perfectly sharp and feel about the reich wing the way we do. Just as mystified and repulsed by such ignorant anti-humanism.



"Baggerism" is more about innate personality traits like conformity, authoritianism (fearing the strong/exploiting and abusing the weak), tunnel-vision, lack of long-term thinking...... that kind of stuff. But not so much specifically about age.

[stubtoe]

9. It's because the economy didn't get instantly better after the election.

We Americans are very demanding, want it all right now, and have extremely short attention spans.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

17. The voters expected new jobs on November 3rd and they didn't get them

and they are still not getting them. Yes they wished they had voted for the Democratic Party.

[ibegurpard]

10. public wanted to send a message

and did the only way they could
i talked to a number of people who thought the teabaggers were too far out but were happy to see the system "shaken up."

[w4rma]

12. It happened because the DLC took control and gave us BS.

The public knows that these BS DLC policies aren't going to help us, now or in the future, either. Notice that half of all of the DLCers in Congress are now GONE. They are being purged as they need to be.

[polichick]

26. Yep - it'll be ugly for a while but maybe the party will get back to its principles. nt

[Historic NY]

13. Luke warm tea turns cold.....

elections have consequences.

[Historic NY]

15. Boner hasn't come through with the jobs this week again!

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

14. Then they should've fucking voted. nt

[struggle4progress]

16. +

[AspenRose]

21. Thank you!

:nuke: :banghead:

[Scurrilous]

18. K & R

:thumbsup:

[AC_Mem]

19. If they sat this vote out

Then they need to shut their mouths and suck up the results. I'm sick of arm chair critics who bash the President and democrats but don't do a damned thing to change anything.

THIS is the consequence of not standing United for what we voted for in 2008. We will all suffer because people stayed home.

It just frustrates me, I'm sorry. I have family members who whine about everything but didn't get off their asses to cast their vote, while I'm out there volunteering and driving people to the polling places.

[lunatica]

20. I hope the teabaggerati suffer a profound remorse for the next 2 years

I hope they suffer the karma in full measure of what they've done.

[AspenRose]

23. Unfortunately we'll be suffering right along with them

:-( and :mad:

[Peacetrain]

22. You know, you just want to throw you hands in the air.. and say "you got what you deserved"

the only problem is we got it too..I just do not understand people

[craigmatic]

25. Their win isn't politically organic. The majority of the voting population didn't come out.

It was funded by shadowy right wing groups. In 2012 we have to be more motivated and increase the turn out again and put dems back in power.

[polichick]

27. Maybe we need to hold our leaders' feet to the fire now...

...so people aren't even more disappointed in 2012.

[craigmatic]

28. Perfect time to do it because nothing else is going to get done anyway.

[old mark]

30. Proving again that the American people are dumber than dog shit...nt

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

38. #insert "Don't insult dog shit" remark#

[Mimosa]

31. Younger people who turned out in 2008 didn't vote this year.

As a poll watcher during both elections I noticed a huge demographic difference.


I think the Party didn't work to get the younger and hispanic voters out this time. Or maybe the younger voters don't get interested in House and Senate races.

[pstokely]

34. Most house and senate races don't have the high profile of a presidential race

They came out to see Obama or John Stewart because they're celebrities but their low ranking freshmen congress critter isn't. Most house and senate races too them were just two white guys running.

[LatteLibertine]

35. This is one of the things driving me away from politics

We could stop corporate rule through our government if the people voted their economic interests, however a large portion don't.

I've lost faith in "the people" more so than the government. If the people had their shit together we could get rid of corporate lackeys in the government.

[Dr.Phool]

37. The problem is choice. Hemlock or arsenic.

Pick your poison.

We need more and better choices, and proportional representation. Winner takes all, just isn't working.