GOP spin machine spinning out of control
National Public Radio has run a very interesting poll which focuses only on competitive congressional districts. It finds (story, report, questions) that the Republicans are in trouble not just nationally, but in the competitive local races that are the heart of the current fight.
Recent polls based on national samples show about a 10% percent advantage for the Democrats. That's been enough to throw the Republican congress into a frenzy of strange trial balloons on everything from obviously unconstitutional attempts to suppress the names of soldiers killed in Iraq, to "it's mid-term; it must be time for the flag-burning, anti-gay marriage amendment," to bluster over building a wall in the desert to block immigration. After spending most of the year trying to turn stem-cell research into another wedge issue the Republican Congress took a look at the polls that showed it costing them votes and caved in to public opinion recently. Only Bush's first-time ever veto saved the day for irrationality. Heck we've even got the minimum wage--which Boustany say he philosophically opposed to--coming up for a vote! It's been a decade since the Republicans even let that one see the light of day.
But polls based on national samples don't take into account the fact that Congressional races are local, not national. The argument against national data is that it doesn't reflect the fact that there's a huge gap in attention, interest, and passion between locales where there is a real contest and ones where the incumbent is considered unbeatable.
Republicans can say, and have said, that once the race is sharpened up to a choice between two real contestants that their apparent disadvantage will evaporate.
This poll says that's not true. In the fifty most contested districts, where the names of actual candidates can be put in put into the question there's still a substantial spread.
What's even more significant is that the wedge issues (the faux "values") that the Republicans have used to nationalize local races--things like the aforementioned flag-burning amendment, stem cell research, anti-gay marriage amendments, and all manner of "causes" which leave a government censor staring into our bedrooms are not only NOT working for the Republicans this year--they are working against them.
This is worth repeating: wedge issues raised by the Republican Congress to shift the argument to their issues are not only not working for for the Republicans; but have backfired against them. This poll shows that the congressional debate over these non-issues has influenced voters to favor the Democratic position instead of the Republican--by as much as 13 points.The GOP spin machine has spun out of control.
There's a lot of anger out there and the people of the country are ready to throw the fools out. And in districts where there is a real fight people are seeing through the kids of nonsense that has been used to shift the argument away from the real issues of war, the economy, and a living wage.
So what's the message for Louisiana's 7th?
We need to have that sort of fight here. Let's get to it.
Mike for Congress!
Recent polls based on national samples show about a 10% percent advantage for the Democrats. That's been enough to throw the Republican congress into a frenzy of strange trial balloons on everything from obviously unconstitutional attempts to suppress the names of soldiers killed in Iraq, to "it's mid-term; it must be time for the flag-burning, anti-gay marriage amendment," to bluster over building a wall in the desert to block immigration. After spending most of the year trying to turn stem-cell research into another wedge issue the Republican Congress took a look at the polls that showed it costing them votes and caved in to public opinion recently. Only Bush's first-time ever veto saved the day for irrationality. Heck we've even got the minimum wage--which Boustany say he philosophically opposed to--coming up for a vote! It's been a decade since the Republicans even let that one see the light of day.
But polls based on national samples don't take into account the fact that Congressional races are local, not national. The argument against national data is that it doesn't reflect the fact that there's a huge gap in attention, interest, and passion between locales where there is a real contest and ones where the incumbent is considered unbeatable.
Republicans can say, and have said, that once the race is sharpened up to a choice between two real contestants that their apparent disadvantage will evaporate.
This poll says that's not true. In the fifty most contested districts, where the names of actual candidates can be put in put into the question there's still a substantial spread.
What's even more significant is that the wedge issues (the faux "values") that the Republicans have used to nationalize local races--things like the aforementioned flag-burning amendment, stem cell research, anti-gay marriage amendments, and all manner of "causes" which leave a government censor staring into our bedrooms are not only NOT working for the Republicans this year--they are working against them.
This is worth repeating: wedge issues raised by the Republican Congress to shift the argument to their issues are not only not working for for the Republicans; but have backfired against them. This poll shows that the congressional debate over these non-issues has influenced voters to favor the Democratic position instead of the Republican--by as much as 13 points.The GOP spin machine has spun out of control.
There's a lot of anger out there and the people of the country are ready to throw the fools out. And in districts where there is a real fight people are seeing through the kids of nonsense that has been used to shift the argument away from the real issues of war, the economy, and a living wage.
So what's the message for Louisiana's 7th?
We need to have that sort of fight here. Let's get to it.
Mike for Congress!
posted by John at
2:14 PM
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