A scary survey for the GOP

[existentialist]

http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2006/07/28/dems_2006/



A scary survey for the GOP

A bipartisan NPR survey shows a nation that rejects "moral values" pandering -- and is very angry at Bush.

By Joe Conason

. . .

People reject the "moral values" demagoguery. Most voters in the contested districts say that they trust Democrats, not Republicans, on such issues as stem cell research, flag burning and gay rights. Those responses indicate that the summer strategy of setting up phony floor votes on right-wing constitutional amendments -- and the president's first veto -- may have backfired. Fifty-two percent say that the recent stem cell debate made them more inclined to vote for Democrats, and 49 percent said the same about flag burning, gay marriage and other "values issues." Only 29 percent -- essentially the conservative base -- said those debates would motivate them to vote for Republicans.

And people are energized. Low turnouts in recent special elections have suggested that voters in both parties remain apathetic. But if this poll is accurate, that may no longer be true -- for the Democrats, at least. In the NPR survey, Democratic voters were considerably more likely than Republicans or independents to express interest in and enthusiasm for the midterm elections. So were voters who disapprove of Bush.

Even a thorough and carefully targeted poll can be misleading, of course. Things can change overnight in a volatile world. But there is still more evidence of electoral ferment to be found in individual races.

In Kentucky's 4th District, not long ago thought to be safely Republican, former Democratic Rep. Ken Lucas is running against incumbent Republican Geoff Davis. The first independent poll, released last Tuesday, showed Lucas with a 9-point lead. In Indiana's 2nd District, where Republican incumbent Chris Chocola is defending his seat against Democrat Joe Donnelly, the latest independent poll showed the challenger 5 points up -- and the pollster went on record saying that the undecideds are likely to break for Donnelly. And in Idaho, the Republicans are concerned enough about holding on to the open seat in the 1st District that they have placed it on their own "endangered" list, even though Idaho is one of a handful of states where the president still enjoys a positive approval rating.

. . .

[MadMaddie]

1. One can only hope!!!

[Der Blaue Engel]

2. "Democratic voters considerably more likely to express enthusiasm"

"Democratic voters were considerably more likely than Republicans or independents to express interest in and enthusiasm for the midterm elections. So were voters who disapprove of Bush."

:rofl:

Yeah, I guess it's hard to get enthusiastic if you know you're about to have your ass handed to you!

[tbyg52]

5. Only if someone keeps an eye on the ballot boxes....

...and the little black boxes.

[Kurovski]

8. Unfortunately the black boxes have proprietary code,

and we won't be allowed to keep our eyes on that.

[tbyg52]

10. Exactly why we should outlaw them.

But maybe, while we still have them, at least the chain of custody can be kept.

[fuzzyball]

15. How can you outlaw something when the people in congress are

making the laws who like those electronic voting machines?

[tbyg52]

16. Kick out those people...

...while we still can.

[whistle]

3. Winston, what country is Oceania at war with?

....How many fingers am I holding up?

[babylonsister]

4. Ah, the light is finally reaching the eyeballs! nt

[mistertrickster]

6. Chris Chocola is a monumental right-wing ass. Thanks for this post.

It made my day knowing the challenger was up on that jerk.

[Kurovski]

7. But despite this, when seats are won through election fraud this Nov,

they will still spin it as a win by the surge of "moral issue" voters.

It will be--as it was in '04--the cover for disparities that signal election fraud.

[electropop]

11. That really ticks me off: having "moral values" means you're GOP.

I vote Dem because I have very strong moral values.

[Kurovski]

12. I couldn't agree more.(nt)

[deaniac21]

9. LANDSLIDE!!

[snowbear]

13. I can only imagine what kind of October surprise they have waiting..

We need one that's even BETTER!

[existentialist]

14. October surprise

I remember reading recently that the 2004 October surprise--the Bin Laden tape--was considered by the intelligence communities throughout the world, to have been calculated BY BIN LADEN to help Bush.

It seems that the intelligence services throughout the world have long taken note that whenever either Bush or Bin Laden speaks, the other one gains greatly in popularity, and that Bin Laden, if not Bush, is considered to be well aware of this.

At a minimum, we should be ready to try to counter speeches by such as Bin Laden with the the above discussion.