• Democrats,  GOP

    Election 2010 Poll Watch: For the GOP Is It 1894 All Over Again?

    According to Michael Barone, it may very well be.

    Late yesterday, Gallup came out with new numbers on the generic ballot question—which party’s candidates would you vote for in the election for House of Representatives? Among registered voters Gallup shows Republicans ahead by 46%-42%, about as good a score as Republicans have ever had (and about as bad a score as Democrats have ever had) since Gallup started asking the question in 1942.

    However, Gallup also shows the results for two different turnout models. Under its “high turnout model” Republicans lead 53%-40%. Under its “low turnout model” Republicans lead 56%-38%.

    These two numbers, if translated into popular votes in the 435 congressional districts, suggest huge gains for Republicans and a Republican House majority the likes of which we have not seen since the election cycles of 1946 or even 1928. For months, people have been asking me if this year looks like ’94. My response is that the poll numbers suggest it looks like 1994, when Republicans gained 52 seats in a House of 435 seats. Or perhaps somewhat better for Republicans and worse for Democrats. The Gallup high turnout and low turnout numbers suggest it looks like 1894, when Republicans gained more than 100 seats in a House of approximately 350 seats.

    No matter the Democratic Party spin, the basic fundamentals are there for a massive pick up of seats for the Republicans.

    American voters are unhappy with Obama, the Congress and the direction of the country. They will vote angry on November 2nd and throw out a goodly number of Democrat incumbents from the Congress.

  • Democrats,  GOP,  Obamacare

    ObamaCare: Health Industry Leaves Democrats for the GOP

    Health industry leaders who stood with the president on health reform are now changing sides

    Well, this is really a no-brainer.

    Sixteen months later, with the midterm elections looming, that photograph seems a relic. A new portrait of the health industry landscape has begun to take shape, with some of those major players shifting their dollars from the very Democrats who passed the law they seemingly endorsed at the White House.

    The insurance industry, for instance, has consistently donated more to Republicans than to Democrats ever since August 2009, when it had a falling out with the Obama administration and became the brunt of withering White House attacks.

    Health professionals, bolting from the American Medical Association’s pro-reform position, have become the strongest supporters of the Tea Party Caucus, a coalition of conservative House members aligned with the movement born from a visceral rejection of the law.

    Drugmakers, which invested millions in television advertising last spring and summer to promote passage of the bill, are sitting on their wallets in the run-up to the November elections.

    Overall, the health sector has poured nearly $40 million into the 2010 election cycle through its many varied political action committees. A Center for Responsive Politics analysis for POLITICO reveals a marked shift from political giving to Democrats as health reform became more of a certainty — even among those who signed on as key partners in passing the overhaul.

    Uncertainty and a poorly designed health care reform plan that was RAMMED through the Congress does not make for good business.

  • Democrats,  GOP

    Poll Watch: The Demographics of the 2010 Electorate

    Gallup is out with a poll today that spells danger for the Democrats in the 2010 elections.

    President Barack Obama’s efforts this week to stir young voters to turn out in November on behalf of his party’s candidates come as Gallup finds support among this group — so important to the Democrats’ success in 2008 — improving. Gallup’s September polling suggests that young voters remain in the Democrats’ corner, and show increased support at a time when seniors have shifted more to the Republicans. The key question is whether young adults will vote in big enough numbers to offset the impact of the senior vote. The most recent indications on this from Gallup polling are not promising for the Democrats.

    Hispanics present a different problem for the president’s party. While they voted strongly for Obama in 2008 and were supposed to be one of the building blocks of Democratic victory in 2010, Gallup’s recent polling suggests their support for Democratic congressional candidates is slipping. This is in line with Hispanics’ dwindling approval of Obama as president, with the initial decline seen in May possibly linked to the Democrats’ failure to pass comprehensive immigration reform.

    The fact is the “youth” vote will NOT turn out for the November 2nd elections like they did in the Presidential election year of 2008. There is not a young “COOL” candidate like Barack Obama running. They will stay home while “Senior” voters who are scared to death of ObamaCare and the cuts to Medicare will – and vote the GOP ticket.

    Hispanics feel betrayed by Obama. They mistrusted him initially (culturally they do anyway), supported Hillary Clinton, but resigned themselves to support Obama because they just could not vote for the old white guy, John McCain. There have been diminishing expectations for them without an immigration deal and they are weary about becoming another taken for granted minority voting group for the Democrats like African Americans and Jews. Hispanics may very well be ambivalent to this election except in California where Jerry Brown and the SEIU are race baiting with Nicky the $23/hr illegal alien maid for Meg Whitman.

  • GOP,  Twitter

    Shocker: GOP Outpaces Democrats on Twitter

    Not really shocking.

    Republican lawmakers are far ahead of Democrats when it comes to spreading their message in 140 characters or less.

    Eight of the 10 most-followed Twitter accounts on Capitol Hill belong to Republicans, according to a report released Thursday by public relations firm Burson-Marsteller.

    The study found 67 percent of Republicans on Twitter are directly engaging other users, compared with just 41 percent of the Democrats who utilize the platform.

    Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) were listed as the top three most-followed members. The only Democrats to make the Top 10 were Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri (No. 4) and Barbara Boxer of California (No. 7).

    “The fact that neither Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi nor Majority Leader [Harry] Reid rank amongst even the Top 10 overall congressional users on Twitter speaks volumes as summer in Washington comes to an end and members of both parties return to our nation’s capital,” said Dallas Lawrence, managing director for digital public affairs at Burson-Marsteller. “With two months before the general election, Republicans in Congress hold a clear advantage in the Twittersphere.”

    Twitter became widely-used campaign tool after President Barack Obama’s campaign used it and other social media platforms to engage with voters in 2008. Republicans were largely seen as less savvy in the social media arena and spent 2009 playing catch-up.

    After the 2006 and 2008 GOP disaster Congressional and Presidential elections, the GOP knew it was in trouble with modern day social communications. With the growth of Twitter and the Top Conservatives on Twitter website, the RIGHT and GOP consolidated a way to instantaneously group together like minded folks to political activism.

    The modern Tea Party movement as well as the resurgence of the mainstream GOP is directly associated with the RIGHT’S growth on Twitter.

  • Democrats,  GOP

    Election 2010 Poll Watch: Republicans Hold Wide Lead in Key Voter Turnout Measure

    Well, the polls are continuing to predict a historic GOP landslide this November.

    Two months before this year’s midterm congressional elections, Gallup finds 54% of Republicans, compared with 30% of Democrats, already saying they have given “quite a lot of” or “some” thought to the contests.

    The large party gap in “thought” suggests the typical Republican turnout advantage could be larger than usual this year if that gap persists until Election Day. Attention normally spikes as elections approach, and this is likely to occur among Democrats. However, it is unclear whether the Republicans have reached the limit for how much attention they will pay to a midterm election, or whether their attention will rise to perhaps a historic level by November. How this plays out will determine Democrats’ ability to catch up to Republicans on this measure before Election Day, and will in turn determine the size of the Republican turnout advantage.

    My observation for California is an unmotivated/demoralized Democratic Party electorate with the GOP working hard at GOTV for the independent vote – which means Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman win.

  • Barack Obama,  Democrats,  GOP,  Harry Reid,  Nancy Pelosi,  Polling

    Election 2010 Poll Watch: GOP Takes Unprecedented 10-Point Lead on Generic Ballot

    I would gather the national Republican Party will do fairly well in the upcoming November elections.

    Republicans lead by 51% to 41% among registered voters in Gallup weekly tracking of 2010 congressional voting preferences. The 10-percentage-point lead is the GOP’s largest so far this year and is its largest in Gallup’s history of tracking the midterm generic ballot for Congress.

    hese results are based on aggregated data from registered voters surveyed Aug. 23-29 as part of Gallup Daily tracking. This marks the fifth week in a row in which Republicans have held an advantage over Democrats — one that has ranged between 3 and 10 points.

    The Republican leads of 6, 7, and 10 points this month are all higher than any previous midterm Republican advantage in Gallup’s history of tracking the generic ballot, which dates to 1942. Prior to this year, the highest such gap was five points, measured in June 2002 and July 1994. Elections in both of these years resulted in significant Republican gains in House seats.

    Why?

    American voters feel that something is VERY wrong with the direction of the United States. And, they will punish the incumbent Democratic Party of President Obama, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

  • Democrats,  GOP,  Polling

    Poll Watch 2010: GOP Maintains Lead on Congressional Generic Ballot

    From Gallup

    No surprise here.

    Republicans have a 49% to 43% lead over Democrats among registered voters in Gallup’s generic ballot for Congress for the week of Aug. 2-8, the second straight week in which Republicans have held an edge in projected voting.

    The current six-percentage-point Republican lead ties the largest for either party so far, although Republicans have generally tied or held an advantage over Democrats since Gallup began tracking the generic ballot in March. The major exception to this prevailing pattern came July 12-25, when Democrats moved ahead with six- and four-point weekly advantages.

    Republicans have maintained at least a 10-point advantage in voting enthusiasm since March, including this past week’s 16-point lead over Democrats in the percentage who are “very enthusiastic” about voting. The widest such gap was 24 points in late June.

    And, the Republican turnout in November will eclipse that of the Democrats. Obama driven enthusiasm has waned as the bloom has come off the “Hope and Change” rose.

    The Republicans will pick up a goodly number of House and Senate seats in November. But, does the GOP really want control of Congress as they go after Obama in 2012?

    Good question.

  • Barack Obama,  Day By Day,  GOP

    Day By Day August 4, 2010 – FossilsRus



    Day By Day by Chris Muir

    Chris, more like a Troglodytes in the Republican Party.

    I remember the time when the GOP was a beaten down minority party with no hope of any meaningful role in American politics. Then, came a washed up actor named Ronald Reagan who brought a new generation of conservative thought and policy.

    It is time for the national Republican Party to rethink as to why Barack Obama is now President and the Democrats have recaptured large majorities in the Congress.

    Time for a new generation of leadership.

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  • Carly Fiorina,  Chris Christie,  Day By Day,  GOP,  Meg Whitman

    Day By Day July 8, 2010 – Call It

    Day By Day by Chris Muir

    Chris, the party of old white men, the GOP has diversified, no?

    Or is the appeal of the RIGHT = ideas and policy which have attracted a broad spectrum of Americans?

    It will be interesting to watch Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina in California push back against the old LEFT of Jerry Brown and Barbara Boxer. A new day for the GOP in California and wins by one or both will have implications for the Presidential race to replace Obama in 2012.

    And, Chris Christie in New Jersey will lead a resurgence of the Republicans in the East.

    Interesting times for a GOP which was called a southern regional party less than two years ago.

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