The Tale of Two Parties

[ClarkUSA]

That schadenfreude keeps on feeling so good! :party:

To paraphrase Dickens, the last six weeks have been the best of times for Obama and the Democrats, and the worst of times for the Republicans. Just consider the latest findings from our NBC/WSJ poll: Obama’s favorability rating is at 68% (an all-time high in our survey), 67% say they feel more hopeful about his leadership, 60% approve of his job in the White House, and 49% have a positive view of the Democratic Party (which is also near a high). On the other hand, just 26% view the GOP positively (an all-time low in the poll), respondents blame Bush and congressional Republicans for most of the partisanship in DC, 56% think the GOP’s opposition to Obama is based on politics, and Republicans lose by nearly 30 percentage points on the question about which party would do a better job of leading the country out of recession. While we have covered all the new administration’s ups and downs, it is absolutely clear which party has suffered the most in public opinion these first six weeks: the GOP. NBC/WSJ co-pollster Peter Hart (D) says Republicans “have been tone deaf to the results of the 2008 election… They never heard the message. They continue to preach the old-time religion.” Adds co-pollster Bill McInturff (R), “These are difficult and problematic numbers.”

Ironically, Obama’s high marks come at a time when Americans are increasingly pessimistic about the state of the economy. Only 7% say they’re satisfied about the economy, which is an all-time low in the poll. Moreover, 76% believe the economy still has a ways to go before it hits rock bottom. What’s going on here? The public doesn’t blame Obama for the economy -- even as critics try to attribute the Dow’s decline to Obama, and also even as Obama yesterday gave stock advice (!!!). Per the poll, 84% say Obama inherited this economy, and two-thirds of those people think he has at least a year before he’s responsible for it. “That’s a long leash,” McInturff says. “It normally doesn’t last that long. But believe me, that’s a good place to start.”... And, overall, a whopping 80% approve of Obama’s plan to pull most troops out of Iraq by that Aug. 2010 date.

Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself but what with the comical "NObama" disarray of Rush Limbaugh's Party and all, it's not a stretch to hope that Democratic candidates will be able to ride the Obama voter wave all the way to victory in 2010. I just can't see how Republicans can redeem their brand with Limbaugh's "fail" rhetoric hanging like an albatross around their necks the whole time, turning off the crucial independent swing voters that were so important to Barack's victory last year and will be pivotal in the midterm elections only twenty months from now.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. The surveys show that Americans are wise

They know who got us into this mess, but also realize it will take more than a month or two to get out of it. I think, as small gains are made, that Americans will remain patient with Obama and the Democrats.

[ClarkUSA]

2. Right... while Republicans keep treating voters like dummies. They really are tone-deaf.