The latest Rasmussen poll of 1,000 likely voters gives Republicans a more favorable opinion than Democrats in 6 out of 10 crucial issues facing our nation. On one of those issues, abortion, Americans are just about as split on who they prefer to handle that issue as they are on the issue itself. 41% of the voters favor Democrat's position on abortion while another 41% approve of the Republican's approach to it.
On the issues of health care, education and social security Republicans poll a 37% approval rating in each of the three categories while Democrats poll a positive rating on those issues ranging from 43 to 47 %.
When it comes to national security though, Republicans receive the highest approval rating of either party on any of the ten issues presented to those polled.
51% approve of the GOP's national security abilities while the party in power can only muster a meager 36%.
With smaller but still significant margins, Republicans also receive higher approval over Democrats on taxes, immigration, ethics and even the issue that many feel cost Republicans at the voting booths..............Iraq.
These are all pretty good indications of an electorate that is beginning to realize that the Democrat messiah and his apostles really can't walk on water or turn it into wine. Months into the one party rule of Democrats and the luster of their promise seems to be wearing off.
Perhaps the most telling evidence of that assessment comes from the results dealing with what is considered the most important issue of the moment, the issue du jour,...........the economy.
On the economy Democrats receive a 39% approval rating while Republicans have the confidence of 45% of the voters.
That is a margin of 6%. Pretty slim., yet pretty significant given the fact that the last campaign cycle largely blamed Republicans under President Bush for the economic stresses that we cycled into.
Such a reversal of opinion can only be due to the fact that after two years in control of Congress and a few months in control of the White House, Democrats are slowly beginning to own the economy that they are manipulating. That and the fact that there are no Republicans in charge of any federal policies help to give ownership of the situation to the Democrats in power. You can argue that Democrats inherited the problem but you would have to look hard to find anything that Democrats wanted to do differently than President Bush other than even more spending and raising taxes.
Now I will not attempt to defend Bush's spending policies or weak Republican congressional leadership which went along to get along but one can not try to claim that Democrat hands are clean and now, 6 months into the new year, Americans are beginning to realize that when it comes to the economy Democrat hands have as much blood on them as anyone else, if not more.
The public has seen a Democrat push for spending, spending, spending and more spending. Today the federal government is paying for everything from cell phones to the poor to the takeover of the American auto industry. It may have taken a few months but people are beginning to realize that spending is not exactly the way to strengthen our economy, especially when we don't have the money to spend.
Add to that the rising to the top of newer Republican leaders like Eric Cantor of Virginia and you have a swing in thinking that gives Republicans an edge on an issue that they were recently losing on.
As pessimistic as the American electorate may be about politicians, they are inherently an optimistic bunch that is looking for any excuse to believe that someone in Washington can act responsibly and apply logic to the bureaucracy and legislative process.
This 6% swing in opinion on who can handle the economy best is not a major development. It is after all one poll and we would need a few different polls of a few different pool of voters over a prolonged period of time to actually prove that this trend does exist. But the point is, if democrats continue passing their hail Mary spending policies and Republicans like Eric Cantor can pull the GOP back to their fiscal conservative roots, the electorate might just begin to feel that the grass is greener on the other side of the aisle come the mid term elections in 2010.
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Comments: 17
Thanks Anthony,
Yes the tide is turning and come the next election, the public will most likely send President Obama the message by electing greater numbers of Republicans, which the President will ignore setting up the election of a conservative Republican to the Presidency.....I'm thinking Newt Gringrich.
"the Democrat messiah and his apostles really can't walk on water or turn it into wine"
I think this answers the question.
Sounds like some slanted polling to me; but then I'm always suspicious of polls. I mean really, how can a poll of 1,000 people be truly representative of the views of 300,000,000. That's only a sampling from .00033 percent of the population.
"Sounds like some slanted polling to me;"
Rasmussen? Slanted?
I don't think so Bill's but I can't disagree with the rest of what you post, it will take a lot more polls to confirm what I and many believe is happening in our country.
"I mean really, how can a poll of 1,000 people be truly representative of the views of 300,000,000."
Take a statistics class. They are able to come awfully close to the actual mood of the country based on good methodology. This was the same thing last year with the election - nearly every poll had Obama up by several points and guess what? He won by several points.
Thanks, Nasr.
Actually I have taken a class on statistics; and I do understand that they CAN be accurately representative; but as you say, it's all in the methodology. This poll does not match what most other polls have to say, so that's why I said I was suspicious, rather than downright dismissive of it.
If you knew that they could be representative, then why were you so suspicious of polls' representativeness when you said:
how can a poll of 1,000 people be truly representative of the views of 300,000,000.
You wouldn't have made a comment like that if you actually knew what goes on.
I think that this poll goes well with the other one which showed that there are twice as many conservatives as liberals. However, there are about twice as many Democrats as Republicans. Many of the moderates are in the Democratic party and a lot (maybe half) of the conservatives have left the GOP.
Its a poll Anthony and I wouldn't place much faith in it. Polls are too easy to game. People are mad is obvious but one has to wonder if enough are mad yet...Though I understand your hopes here, unless the Repubs either do better standing up to Obama or the states simply do it on their own, Obama will still retain enough power to continue on this path he has chosen to drag us down.
Personally, I don't trust the Repubs much more than him. I don't doubt they can do better but that's no great deal at this point.
And yet most polls show that likely voters want more Democrats in Congress than Republicans by a growing margin. The Daily Kos poll based on 2,400 voters polled shows Democrats preferred by a 14% margin, up from 8% in mid-May. The Quinnipac University poll, based on 3,097 registered voters nationwide, gives the Democrats a 10% margin, up from 7% in late April.
Both polls also show a much higher negative perception of Repbulicans in congress than Democrats. Democrats enjoyed 43% approval versus 45% disapproval according to Qunnipac, while Republicans had a 30% approval and a 56% disapproval. The Daily Kos was less kind to both, with a 39%-53% approval-disapproval spread for the Dems and an embarrassing 12%-72% spread for the Reps.
But go ahead, believe what you want.
I think most of the Daily Kos is geared toward the Dems/ Libs.. I cant imagine them putting out an honest poll..I dont think they are fair and balanced at all.
But I'll bet you think Fox News is fair and balanced, right?
I'd love to see some fresh libertarian ideas from the Republicans. When they had their cance at the plate they grew government too. We have them to thank for the current recession.
As a republican, BabyJ., I have some for you. First of all start doing more than just talk about limited government and actually reduce the size of government by eliminating the EPA and Departments of Education, Commerce and Housing and Urban Development. Return those powers to the states and then pass an enumerated powers law which would require all spending and all federal legislation to state the exact clause in the U.S. Constitution that demonstrates the constitutional legality for that spending and legislation. Overall I want Republicans to practice legislative restraint and not legislate over matters that should be constitutionally left to the states.
Rory, the joke and/or fantasy that mainstream media has become today?.. Fox is as about as good as it gets ole boy. lol....... It's viewing for for dems and repubs alike, if either could manage to see anything through and beyond their own party biased spectacles......
And yes Anthony, the tide is turning and rather quickly it appears. Now how much actual good that's going to do remains to be seen......
I agree with your analysis, Anthony. Great column! I've been on vacation, and missed your posts, sir! I see it more often in the pessimism about the economy by people I'm acquainted with, but the backlash is evident. Let's hope the GOP doesn't screw things up again, if the "swing" brings them back into a semblance of power. The Senate is their best shot, but they can make gains in the House, as well. The midterm elections will be a referendum on Obama's policies, and if the Dems lose ground, it doesn't bode well for his re-election.