Grab a Mop
In August, at the height of the Tea Party Movement, I counseled that the temporary gains of Republican's would turn out to be ephemeral. The new Washington Post/ABC News Poll proves my point.
Less than one in five voters (19 percent) expressed confidence in Republicans' ability to make the right decisions for America's future while a whopping 79 percent lacked that confidence.Among independent voters, who went heavily for Obama in 2008 and congressional Democrats in 2006, the numbers for Republicans on the confidence questions were even more worse. Just 17 percent of independents expressed confidence in Republicans' ability to make the right decision while 83 percent said they did not have that confidence.On the generic ballot question, 51 percent of the sample said they would cast a vote for a Democratic candidate in their congressional district next fall while just 39 percent said they would opt for a GOP candidate.
The Know-Nothing Party known as Republican is not a credible alternative. Obama's comment to the Republicans, "Why don't you grab a mop? Why don't you help clean up? ... Grab a mop -- let's get to work!" is exactly on point.
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Americans know who created the messes that Obama is trying to straighten out. Republican expectations that control will be returned to their hands so soon is just delusional.
October 20, 2009 2:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
The outcome of the public option during the health care debate is going to have a terrific impact on the 2010 elections. More and more of the electorate is moving toward the center or declaring themselves Independent. Bad compromises on the health bill could cause a damaging independent swing and that is what the GOP is betting on.
October 20, 2009 4:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree with you on the GOP spiraling down into a cult. But, it is a high-energy cult.
And, the fact that it has fixed and pinned down corrupt, collusive Democratic majorities in the House and Senate will hurt Democrats next year.
A majority of voters weakly identifying now with the Democratic Party based on ... whatever... has the option of voting Republican (not likely) voting Democratic (less likely) or not voting (more likely). They are not much interested in policy details but they can only be demoralized today by what passes for leadership or discipline within the Congressional Democratic Party.
That echelon of the party is dominated by life-time office-squatters who do not run for office and by concession-tenders who run by just hiring consultants with lobby money who market them as empty-suits or biographies.
The impression voters, even favorably disposed voters, get is of a self-perpetuating, risk-averse, elite who have no clue how to deal with GOP extremists and bullies.
When Wilson burst out, Speaker Pelosi did not have a gavel and did not know how to order the Sergeant-at-arms to remove Wilson and let him back in the House until some board she appointed dealt with his behavior.
Democrats are trying to restore a coalition that can negotiate deals with the lobby and sell them to the public. I am afraid that this is the dysfunction of a party that has not governed exclusively and responsibly since before the Civil War. We do not know how to do it, yet.
So, we are in a rough patch here, when we should be crushing the GOP.
But, "Hold Harmless" Democrats do not know how to do that. They are a formerly ineffective minority and before that were no more than the dominant party in a bi-partisan coalition.
So, they just do not know how to do "responsible, two-party government". And, the people who voted Democratic last year are getting disgusted with them.
October 20, 2009 6:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama's mop riff is powerful and I hope it continues to get more coveage.
Here is my perspective one just one aspect of the mess:
Bush was the biggest Wealth Re-distributor in U.S. history http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/27/news/economy/state_of_working_america/index.htm
“the 2000-2007 business cycle was the first ever in which the nation's middle-class families had less real income at the end than when they started.”
The Republicans had the White House for 8 years.
They decimated the middle class and transfered massive amounts of wealth to the richest 1 percent.
...and then there is this:
http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/harvard-medical-study-links-lack-of-insurance-to-45000-us-deaths-a-year/
This is still the Republican plan for health care reform: Seize the wealth of the middle class and let them die.
October 20, 2009 11:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's amaizing how these "free thinking" Wingnuts all have the same talking points.
They are like the crowd in Monty Python's "Life of Brian," who yell in unison, "We are all individuals!"
October 22, 2009 1:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Note to Wingnutville: Asking Lupe to grab the mop for you does not count.
October 22, 2009 3:32 PM | Reply | Permalink