The Republicans are counting on taking some seats back from the Democrats in next year's elections. And they seem to think the way to do it is just to say no to everything President Obama proposes.
The party out of power does usually take back a few seats in the mid-term elections, but frankly, it looks to me like the Republicans are bound and determined to change that tradition. How do they think opposing a well-liked president is going to increase their popularity?
They'd better change their policy of being nothing but the "party of no". If we are to believe recent polls, it's simply not working. While President Obama still retains majority support, the public perception of Republicans just keeps getting worse.
Take the CNN/Opinion Research poll that was just released yesterday for example. The poll was taken October 16-18, and the sampling error is plus or minus 3 points. Here are the numbers regarding the public's perception of both Republicans and Democrats:
Republicans..........favorable 36%..........unfavorable 54%
Democrats............favorable 53%..........unfavorable 41%
Those are not good numbers for Republicans. You can subtract the full 3-point sampling error from the Republican unfavorable rating, and there is still a majority of people with an unfavorable view of the party. Also, you can subtract that same three points from the Democrats favorable rating, and still half of all Americans view them favorably.
Obviously, just being the "party of no" is not working for the Republican Party. If they don't turn these numbers around soon, the 2010 mid-term elections could be another disaster for the Republicans. If their numbers fall much further, they'll enter Whig Party territory (and you know what happened to that party).
The only thing saving Republicans right now are the blue dog Democrats. A majority of the American people like President Obama, and they also want to see the president successfully pass health care reform legislation. They know the Republicans won't support the legislation, and their becoming disillusioned with the Democrats (especially those siding with the Republicans).
The failure to support the president and pass health care reform legislation has the public upset with both parties in Congress. When asked if they approve of the way Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress are doing their jobs, here are the numbers:
Republicans..........approve 33%..........disapprove 66%
Democrats............approve 38%..........disapprove 59%
Right now, I don't think I'd want to be a Republican or a blue dog in the 2010 elections.
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