New Poll: BAD News For GOP!!
By anniepa
@anniepa (27955)
United States
October 20, 2009 5:05pm CST
I get the feeling many conservatives and Republicans are feeling rather confident - some may say even ARROGANT - about their chances of making big gains in Congress in 2010. After all, as I've been told here many times, Fox News is soaring in the ratings, Glenn Beck is the most popular commentator ever and Joe Wilson, of "You LIE!" fame, is American's hero.
According to the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll, they'd better not count their chickens before they're hatched! Not only has President Obama's approval rating rebounded to 57% and has the public option as part of health care reform also increased to the same number, but the GOP continues to have the lowest "identity" rating since 1983.
Read more here:
"Only 20 percent of adults identify themselves as Republicans, little changed in recent months, but still the lowest single number in Post-ABC polls since 1983. Political independents continue to make up the largest group, at 42 percent of respondents; 33 percent call themselves Democrats.
The wide gap in partisan leanings and the lack of confidence in the GOP carries into early assessments of the November 2010 midterm elections: Fifty-one percent say they would back the Democratic candidate in their congressional district if the elections were held now, while 39 percent would vote for the Republican. Independents split 45 percent for the Democrat, 41 percent for the Republican."
(End of excerpt)
Read it here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/19/AR2009101902451_2.html?hpid=topnews&sid=ST2009101902502
Any comments?
Annie
1 person likes this
15 responses
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
21 Oct 09
anniepa IMO it just depends on which particular poll you read. I prefer the Rasmussen Daily Polls as they do not favor one party over the other. Their Presidential Poll for Tuesday did NOT jump to 57% but FELL to a rating of -12
Daily Presidential Tracking Poll
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 28% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Forty percent (40%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -12.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll
1 person likes this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
21 Oct 09
Thank Rollo I probably have today's results in my unopened e-mail. Is this a sign that America is wakening up to what Obama is doing to our country?
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
20 Oct 09
So what this tells me is there are still a huge number of sheep out there willing to change one sheppard for another. So sad. Honetly folks, how is voting for the same two establishment parties even close to real "change"?
Sheep, all frikkin sheep, it's disgusting, people have learned nothing in the last couple years.
1 person likes this
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
21 Oct 09
Have a little faith Xfahctor. That's the only poll I've seen with numbers like that. Most polls have shown democrats losing a LOT of ground with republicans only gaining a little. Translation, people are ditching the democrats to be independent instead of going to republicans. I see this as another play by the media to make things look better for Obama and his cronies than they really are.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
21 Oct 09
My response show that the Rasmussen Daily Presidential Poll shows details of how Obama FELL to -12
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
20 Oct 09
Actually I am holding out hope that people will get sick of this two party BS and vote third party for a "change".
1 person likes this
@lilwonders456 (8214)
• United States
21 Oct 09
campaign reform would certainly help. But all it would really take is for people to realize that both sides are the problem and decide to vote them out. The repubicans messed things up when they were in charge in congress...the dems are doing it too. Too much wasteful spending...too much lobbyist money buying votes, not enough honest statesmen and women. We need to STOP electing politicans and start electing statemen. We have more than two choices. It is time people start exercising those "other" choices.
@EnglishTeaDuck (862)
• United States
21 Oct 09
I tend to agree with the poster who said the numbers don't mean much! These polls vary all over the place and who knows where the numbers really come from and how much they are skewed?
I can see, though, that it makes sense that people are not so much identifying themselves with either party but as an independent. It is hard to see the choice between the two, and people are tired of going back and forth on the same old arguments.
I speak as an observer, as I am a permanent resident, not a citizen and therefore cannot vote. But it reminds me of being back in England, where people got so sick of going back and forth between Conservative and Labor that they voted for a third party even though they were not going to get in.
1 person likes this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
21 Oct 09
xfahctor You are SO RIGHT in there being no lesser evil!
1 person likes this
@xfahctor (14118)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
21 Oct 09
You are on your way to becomming a citizen and as far as I am concerned, have every right to express your opinion and even advocate. Your right though, people ARE tired of the false choice between the lesser of two evils. I just wish people would start to realize there is no such thing as the lesser of two evils, there is only evil and to vote based on the lesser is to compramise and settle for.
1 person likes this
@pamalyons (27)
• United States
21 Oct 09
Consider this suggestion.
The entire Congress of the United States is corrupt. And I mean both Houses and I mean both major parties.
I realize that a few Members of each House are trustworthy, but, as a group they are absolutely the most corrupt bunch to ever disgrace our Nation.
In November of 2010 the entire House of Representatives will stand for re-election; all 435 of them. One third of the Senate, a total of 33 of them, will also stand for re-election. Vote every incumbent out.
And I mean every one of them. No matter their Party affiliation. Let's start all over in the House of Representatives with 435 people who have absolutely no experience in running that body, with no political favors owed to anyone but their own constituents. Let's make them understand that they work for us.
They are unanswerable to us and they simply have to run that body with some common sense.
Two years later, in 2012, vote the next third of the incumbents in the Senate out.
We can do the same thing in 2014 and by that time we will have put all new people in that body as well.
We, the People, have got to take this Country back and we HAVE to do it peacefully.
That's what the Framers of our Constitution envisioned.
I am also suggesting term limits on the New Bunch. 8 years for the representatives and 12 years of senators. No exceptions. The longer they stay in office the more power they get and they love it and will do anything to get re-elected.
Great suggestion!@anniepa (27955)
• United States
24 Oct 09
That would take the cooperation of the entire voting public and given the division in this country today I don't see that happening! Also, as I've said before, many people who want to replace the whole Congress think that about every member but their own.
Annie
@irisheyes (4370)
• United States
25 Oct 09
I don't think any party can grab the White House or a congressional majority without some sort of coaliton. Regan did it with the so called silent majority and Regan Democrats. Obama did it with the Liberal Democrats and the anti Bush Republicans.
This new and very vocal Republican party is too purist to form any kind of coalition. They are alienating half of their own party on Rhino lists and they certainly aren't reaching across any aisles. In the end the Dems, who are flexible, are much more likely to join up with the Independents. At the rate they are going, these right wing, hard line Republicans will never get enough of a consensus to put a candidate in the White House or have a congressional majority.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
26 Oct 09
That's what I'm thinking. There's so much in-fighting among the GOP now I can't see how they could unite on anything, other than being the party of "NO" as far as anything the Obama Administration wants, of course. It's pretty bad when you even have the tea-party gang attacking Lindsay Graham as being "too liberal" and Michele Bachmann saying Bob Dole and Bill Frist are "non-pro-freedom"! (Note: Michele and Sarah are apparently having a "rewrite the dictionary" competition
...lol!)
Annie
@Taskr36 (13963)
• United States
21 Oct 09
It means nothing to me really. Rasmussen Reports says just the opposite.
"The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 42% would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate while 37% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent.
Support for Democrats dropped two points this week, while support for the GOP slightly increased.
Voters not affiliated with either party heavily favor the GOP, 40% to 23%."
As you know, I stick with Rasmussen and Pew since their polling has been shown to be far more accurate than others.
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
21 Oct 09
I am so sorry Taskr36 I responded from my email notification so I did not know you addressed this poll. Although my response is more on the lines of Obama's rating.
@Rollo1 (16679)
• Boston, Massachusetts
21 Oct 09
I think it depends on the poll, and as I am sure people always point out when they don't like the poll numbers "you don't know how they phrased the questions" etc.
As other posters have pointed out, the Rasmussen polls show a completely different outlook on these issues.
As to parties and affiliations, the last poll I saw said that regardless of party affiliation, 41% of the American public considered themselves to be conservative. A large number considered themselves moderate and only a tiny fraction of even the democrats considered themselves to be liberal.
With so many calling themselves independent and so many calling themselves conservative, I think it's clear that the present congress and the policies of the present administration are far left of what the majority of Americans want.
The elections will show what people want.
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
24 Oct 09
You're certainly right, the elections will show what people want. The last couple elections definitely showed that most of the people are not conservative no matter what they call themselves. I think one thing in play here is the way "liberal" is used as a dirty word by some. Many people don't even know the political meanings of conservative or liberal.
Annie
1 person likes this
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
20 Oct 09
I wonder if that is why what's left of the GOP have been so loud in their "war crys"? I put little faith in polls and statists but, they are pretty interesting to read.
1 person likes this
@evanslf (484)
•
23 Oct 09
That Obama is getting less popular is hardly surprising, since his administration has loads of very difficult problems to tackle and people's patience these days is rather short. I don't think it is fair to judge a new administration until they have been in office for around 2 years - if the Dems don't show progress by the mid term elections, then they will get punished as the mid terms is an opportunity to exercise a protest vote. Come 2012, if Obama can't show, as a minimum, that he has turned the economy around, then he will be out on his ear - unless of course the Republicans comit hara-kiri and select an unelectable candidate (some names come to mind)!
@JodiLynn (1417)
• United States
21 Oct 09
When I heard katy Couric announce these numbers, I just started laughing. Out loud. At the dinner table. Husband scowled at me, made me laugh that much harder.
that said....
...don't we know by now they can make numbers say anything we want them to?
1 person likes this
@OpinionatedLady (5965)
• United States
21 Oct 09
No they should not count their chickens in fact we should all send a message and vote for people who are not from either party. We the people need to send a message that we will no longer deal with the greedy, power hungry government parties that are destroying our once great nation. Both the Republicans and the Democrats need to be disassembled and a new stronger group of politicians need to be brought out of the darkness and into the light so that we can rebuild from the disaster from the war of the parties that has gone on too long in America.
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
25 Oct 09
I think we all know that's not likely to happen anytime soon. The two-party system has been with us for too long to just be done away with over night. I think change has to come in steps with the first one being major campaign finance reform and the outlawing of corporate lobbyists. I really don't care what party someone represents as long as they represent their constituents and not the special interest groups such as the insurance companies.
Annie
@OpinionatedLady (5965)
• United States
25 Oct 09
will it happen over night of coarse not, but if we all stand up and vote for another party that is running it will certainly take a toll on both the egos and structure of the Democratic and republican party. as long as they keep winning and getting into office nothing will change because they have the power and the say.
@afarrell1 (258)
• United States
21 Oct 09
I think people are tired of the democratic party, they have the majority in both houses and the presidential seat, they can do anything they want - and yet the country is worse now that it has been in my lifetime.
And I know people will finger point to the Bush Administration, well, start pointing at the same congress and senate who was seated under Bush that has carried over. In fact during the last election the Dem's gained more seats, so you have the same plus more!
And any thing that comes out of the media (ABC or Fox) I don't put much faith in because I've seen too many slanted news stories. I can draw my own conclusions, Poll's will not change my opinion and I really think it is a weak minded person who needs to follow the popular opinion.
@irishidid (8687)
• United States
21 Oct 09
Polls are useless and mean nothing. Anyone who can't think for themselves without a skewered poll shouldn't be voting at all.
Honestly, both sides have their screw ups but I can't believe the democratic party has gained any popularity for some of the crap they've been pulling. I'm with the ones on here who say to stop voting for the two parties. Neither side has your best interest in mind, just the freebie health care and money they get for doing one of the laziest jobs around.
