2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumPoll Finds Republicans in Deep Trouble
A new Democracy Corps (D) survey finds the Republican brand "is in a state of collapse -- over 50 percent of voters give the Republican Party a cool, negative rating. The presidential race and the congressional battles are interacting with each other to drive down their lead candidate, the party, and perceptions of the congressional Republicans."
Meanwhile, Mitt Romney "may be on the edge of political death. The shift against him is one of the biggest in the polls and he now competes with Republicans in Congress for unpopularity. In the summer of 1996, Bob Dole essentially was disqualified in voters' eyes and never really recovered his footing."
Most interesting: Voters who gave Democrats their victories in 2006 and 2008 "have returned in a big way" led by "a resurgence and re-engagement of unmarried women."
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2012/02/16/poll_finds_republicans_in_deep_trouble.html
Auntie Bush
(17,528 posts)ratings for Democrats and Republicans separately. A big majority of the Democrats would receive much higher approval.
Happyhippychick
(8,412 posts)greiner3
(5,214 posts)Idiocracy
Blue Owl
(53,791 posts)Those fuckers earned every blow.
sarge43
(29,107 posts)K Gardner
(14,933 posts)Proud Liberal Dem
(24,708 posts)and the Republicans don't even have a candidate (yet) that can reasonably be referred to as a legitimate frontrunner.
Let's GOTV and things should work out for the best!
libodem
(19,288 posts)The party of personal responsibility doesn't want women to be responsible for family planning. Who gets the blame for having a dozen kids.
tfrey1225
(34 posts)to me considering how crazy they have become lately. There are no moderates left anymore. The only remotely sane one in the whole crazy pack was Huntsman and he didn't move the meter at all. I think deep down Romney's a moderate to moderately liberal man but he panders to the far right hardcore and I have lost any respect I may have had for him in the process.
yellowcanine
(36,135 posts)for that. A backlash of major proportions against anyone opposing contraception is developing. Unmarried women are leading the backlash. Meanwhile House Republicans hold a hearing on contraception and all the players are male. Someone is clearly tone deaf on this issue.
Danascot
(4,828 posts)They're afraid they might be having sex with someone besides them.
KharmaTrain
(31,706 posts)It's great to see the rushpublicans imploding and alienating all types of voting blocs. The real challenge is to turn this into big Democratic gains in the House and "holding serve" in the Senate. All the great polls mean nothing if the House and/or Senate end up in rushpublican hands cause Democrats are lulled into thinking that President Obama is a lock in November. Here's the chance to put the real hurt to these bastards...the opportunity to advance progressive ideals rely on the ability to get people to the polls and win elections. The goal is in sight...now to get focused and stay that way...
Manifestor_of_Light
(21,046 posts)As they say on FARK.
socialist_n_TN
(11,481 posts)than Congress. And that's after 160 years of demonization of Communism.
tex-wyo-dem
(3,190 posts)I mean, seriously.
I've been watching the GOP train wreck from the sidelines (self-imposed hiatus from politics since I see the whole process for what it is and it kind of sickens me anymore), and I'm baffled. Seeing how weak and ridiculous their overall field of candidates is, not to mention their message, one would think that they would move towards the center to try to appeal to more independents and moderates. Instead they take the crazy train further into crazy land and launch a campaign against contraception of all things...not only a big time loser of an issue, but one that will seriously turn their party into a pariah. I really think they don't realize just how over the edge they have traveled.
This is what happens when you hand the keys to idealogues...no sense of reality. I really have the feeling this will destroy the GOP.
Tumbulu
(6,413 posts)I just remain puzzled .... but it worries me, too as it is just so very crazy.
AdHocSolver
(2,561 posts)Control of several state legislatures and governorships is providing them with a chance to gerrymander a lot of congressional districts.
A lot of voting is being done on computerized voting machines, many of which don't provide an auditable paper trail.
The Republicans are working very strenuously to suppress voting by those who would vote for Democrats with voter ID laws that target potential Democratic voters.
The point is that they may not be concerned about people's opinions of them since they are putting in position the means of stealing the next elections.
UCmeNdc
(9,637 posts)You are correct.
It is very interesting how news organizations do not cover this angle in their election coverage. It is an obvious tactic by the Republican Party to win elections on the congressional and state levels yet no one seems to report on it. (Except Brad Blog)
RoccoR5955
(12,471 posts)...people will be aware, and send them packing, or more
Bake
(21,977 posts)After this campaign, I hope we never hear the name Mitt R-money again. And it's long since PAST tiem for the American puvlic to disavow the current Rethug brand. That's why I'm LOVING this whole contraception fight. There is no upside for the Thugs.
Bake
Jennicut
(25,415 posts)Women vote more then ever these days and vote more then men. If Santorum got the nomination, it would be a disaster for Repubs. Birth control among my generation (Gen X) and Gen Y is so common place it is not even funny. No one even thinks about it. Of course women use birth control. Most people can't afford to have 10 kids today (or 7 or 5) and women work more so it is not conducive to having tons of kids. Birth control is being financially responsible. I have 2 kids. That is all I want. Sorry, Rick.
Remember Me
(1,532 posts)Remember Me
(1,532 posts)both in the primary and in the General. This article explains why, and it makes sense to me because they're not quite so dumb as to not be able to see the polls themselves.
Republicans' real goal is in the legislatures, federal and state
Douglas Carpenter
(20,226 posts)If military conflict breaks out on the Persian Gulf before the election - and many experts think it is very possible - this would almost certainly cause oil prices to shoot into the stratosphere thus greatly imperiling the economy and any hope for any economic recovery for the foreseeable future. At the same time it would place the President in a politically difficult situation whereby the GOP could accuse him of weakness and failing to fully and adequately support America's most prominent ally in the Middle East.
Let us all hope and pray for peace on the Persian Gulf for a number of reasons - one of them being this coming election this November.
Cosmocat
(14,850 posts)is a domestic terror attack.
A TRUE ISLAMIC domestic attack of any substance would be enough to get the GOP to churn up and lead the "liberal media" into making the election about national security.
Agree that any more agitation in the gulf, in particular Iran, could kick back into the economy, but the greater, more direct inpact would be a terror attack at home.
THAT is what I am holding my breathe on.
Douglas Carpenter
(20,226 posts)Last edited Sat Feb 18, 2012, 11:26 AM - Edit history (1)
wars and to make it mainstream in American political discourse to advocate abandoning freedom of speech and basic civil liberties and embracing torture. I would hate to imagine what another attack might do. I'm sure that the Republicans will not have any time for any talk of uniting as a nation the way naive Democrats did following the original 9/11. However it is quite clear that foreign policy experts do believe that direct military strikes on Iran are likely to occur by the end of this year and perhaps well before the November election. This looks increasingly likely.
Cosmocat
(14,850 posts)BO is shrewd enough to hold it off long enough at least to get it closer to November that it will not have an extended economic impact going into the election.
Even if it happens in September it pushes the drag back enough.
I think he lets the Israelis know, you do it before we are ready, you do it completely alone.
We have had Iraq, Afghanistan, what is going on Syria.
The whole ME is lit up, and this stuff with Iran is not going to be a complete shock, everyone knows its brewing.
Not sure it will have that big of an economic impact.
Douglas Carpenter
(20,226 posts)probable that Iran will decide to retaliate against American interest in the Gulf - it is quite plausible that there could be a material disruption of the oil supply. Of course that all depends on how much Iran decides to retaliate. If they decide that retaliation would be cutting off their nose to spite their face... then things might remain manageable at least for the time being until Iran regroups and no doubt redoubles its efforts to obtain nuclear deterrence. If they decide that their regime or at least the credibility of their regime is at stake - they may very well make a decision to retaliate significantly in spite of the cost to them. Of course they are not going to militarily defeat American and Israel. But if they decide to do so - they can disrupt matters in the Persian Gulf enough to throw the global economy into chaos.
progress2k12nbynd
(221 posts)Today's gas prices are technically more of a shocker than summer 2008's prices. 2008 summer gas prices were a HUGE deal. Yes, those were at $4 a gallon and we're not quite there yet. But that was also in the middle of the summer and the economy hadn't "officially" tanked in the eyes of the average consumer. Yet the high fuel prices sank consumer spending which was a factor in ultimately sinking our economy.
We're seeing prices close in on $4 a gallon in the middle of winter, with 1 war over, in a known-fragile economy, with fuel consumption down to it's lowest point in nearly 15 years, and yet noone is talking about it. What is going to happen when driving actually picks up this summer?
I don't think gas prices will hurt Obama politically because for some reason people don't seem to care right now. And politically, that's a good thing. But to me, this is scary shit. A $.50 rise on a gallon of gas is a $6 difference on a 12-gallon tank. It will not make-or-break alot of people, but it does tend to change spending habits. If and when prices rise to $4.50-$5 this summer (and I think they will) I believe people will cut back spending severely.