Repubs Can't See The Reality

An odd thing seems to be happening in the 2008 election. The Republican base seems to be thrilled with the campaign that McCain and Palin are running, and yet that campaign is clearly dysfunctional to most people. As the election grows nearer, Obama pulls further ahead and the Republicans don't seem to understand why that is happening. Can they really not understand what is happening?

To answer that question, Democracy Corps conducted a survey of Republicans. What they found was an amazing disconnect from the truth among the Republican base. They just don't seem to understand where the electorate is in the 2008 election. Consider the following findings:

*The Republican base thinks they lost in 2006 and are trailing badly in 2008 because they were not conservative enough, but a sizeable majority of voters think they were too conservative.

*About three-fourths of Republicans think Sarah Palin was an excellent choice for a vice-presidential candidate, but a majority of the electorate think just the opposite.

*Two-thirds of Republicans believe McCain has not campaigned aggressively enough, but a majority of the electorate think McCain has been too agressive.

*A large majority of Republicans thnk the party should move further to the right in the future, but an even larger majority of voters think the party should move more to the center.

*Over 60% of Republicans think if Obama is elected their party should oppose whatever he tries to do, but over 70% of the electorate thinks they should give Obama the benefit of the doubt and help him achieve his goals.

Quite clearly, most of the Republican Party just doesn't understand the mood of the public in this election. Once this is understood, it becomes clear why their campaign has been so off-track. But their views become even more unreal when they are asked what would be the reason for a McCain defeat. Here's what they think:

Mainstream Media bias.........65%
Uncontrollable economic events..........29%
Democrats had more money..........25%
McCain wanting to continue Bush policies..........12%
Palin pick was a mistake..........10%
Big spending and deficits..........8%

Personally, I hope the Republican base continues to think this way. It'll make it a lot easier to win again in 2010 and 2012.