Swing States Poll: Downbeat Dems, resurgent Republicans

[EV_Ares]

WASHINGTON – President Obama is moving to energize the Democratic base for his re-election campaign, but in the case of a dozen battleground states, he'll have to work harder than four years ago to find it.

Since the heady days of 2008, a new USA TODAY/Gallup Swing States Poll finds the number of voters who identify themselves as Democratic or Democratic-leaning in these key states has eroded, down by 4 percentage points, while the ranks of Republicans have climbed by 5 points.

Link to USA Today Article: http://usat.ly/tJE4s3

[Hugin]

1. Here it comes.

The GOP- Making theft plausable since 2001.

[sendero]

2. You don't think this is true?

I do. We'll see come November.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

11. No, I don't think it's true even though you may be one of the ones jumping for joy at this news.

I don't think it's true at all. I think it is the Democrats who are fired up and the Republicans who HATE their candidates. That is obvious by the way that they have a new frontrunner every week.

My problem with the Democratic Party is that we are looking to Barack Obama to act alone.

WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE DEMOCRATS??

Where is Wasserman Schultz?
Where is King?
Where is Pelosi? Reid? Schumer?

The problem with Democrats is that they are lazy! They sit back and allow the Republicans to control the debate, and then they point to ONE MAN--Barack Obama--to do the heavy lifting.

Notice that ALL Republicans are out there speaking with one voice. The Republicans have their surrogates and dominate these punditry shows.

Again, I ask:

WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE DEMOCRATS???

[kenfrequed]

13. Actually

You cannot just blame congressmen that got utterly blindsided by Evan Bayh and his blue dog operation of 2008-2010. They were divided by a group of corporate democrats that put their own pocketbooks before party and people. These guys cut President Obama's heels out from under him before he even took the oath of office and provided cover for republican fillibusters and cover for the most oppositional and obstructive congressional minority in US history.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

14. We agree on this. That's why I've stated over and over again, that it's much more than just

"Obama couldn't get anything done." That is too simplistic of a declaration, but people here don't want to hear it. The problem was and has always been a group of Corporatists Democrats who are destroying the party with their fiscal conservatism. The president could scream at the top of his lungs. That still doesn't stop the Evan Byah's, the Blanche Lincoln's or the Max Baucus's of the party from helping the Republicans obstruct progress.

[Doctor_J]

17. He could, but he doesn't

The president could scream at the top of his lungs.

Instead, he appoints Arne Duncan, bashes teachers and public schools, adopts right-wing talking points like "businesses are not hiring because of uncertainty", prosecutes medical marijuana shops while ignoring banksters and Cheney, puts SS on the negotiating table and calls it an "entitlement", and so on. He's one of the Corporatist Dems you reference.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

19. Obama bashes teachers?? Link?

[Doctor_J]

21. Ask and ye shall receive

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-6239681-503544.html

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/mar2010/teac-m02.shtml

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/3/2/headlines/obama_voices_approval_for_firing_of_rhode_island_teachers

And you must have forgotten the other points in my previous post

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

24. I never read your other posts. And I still don't see how this discussion is relevant to the OP.

[Doctor_J]

27. You didn't read the post to which you replied?

I listed about 8 examples of Obama's status as a corporate Dem. You asked for links to prove one of the 8. I provided them, and why you didn't comment on the other 7, and you said you never read my posts.

As for the OP, Dems are downbeat because the president is a corporatist and appeaser instead of the reformer and fighter we thought he was.

It is tricky arguing with all of your personalities at once.

[sendero]

29. You have to take denial..

.. to a whole new level to not see that Obama is of the corporations, for the corporations and by the corporation. It was in your face on a daily basis until about a month ago when Obama went into campaign mode.

Now that he has absolutely no power to accomplish anything (his own fault for that as well) he is suddenly a fiery progressive.

Puhleeaaasssseeeee.

[Doctor_J]

41. And he's not even that sure about it

there's the plan B stance, the Catholic Bishops "negotiation", and the continued MMJ pursuit. Still straddling, just leaning a little more toward us.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

37. You don't know anything about me at all. I don't have to keep up with your posts, and I have work to

do. I may have read a few of them, but I'm not keeping score.

If you didn't know that the president was a Corporate Democrat when you voted for him, then that's YOUR fault. No need to project onto me. And your insults don't phase me one bit. It just shows how low in the mud you are.

I support the president 100% and will glady work and vote for him.

Good day to you!

[trotsky]

3. I have a hard time seeing how this is overly significant, especially for this election.

Every single one of the Republican candidates has some characteristic that will turn off a significant part of their base. Romney's Mormonism. Gingrich's (and Cain's) ethics. Perry's idiocy. (OK, that's not as bad as the first two when you're a Republican.)

At any rate, I see a lot of rank-and-file Repubs staying home next November.

[Joe Bacon]

4. It reflects what I hear at work

I work at Social Security's 800 number. It's just amazing to hear caller after caller saying how much they hate Obama and want him out. I've worked at the agency since 1978 and I've never heard so many people say how much they hate a President. I really believe Axelrod is making the same mistake Hamilton Jordan did in 1980 by underestimating any Republican opponent.

[DCBob]

6. Yeah, the ignorant masses have been thoroughly brainwashed by the RW media.

BTW, Axelrod is a brilliant strategist. I suspect he and his team are taking every potential opponent seriously.. even some not on the radar at the moment.

[izquierdista]

7. Old callers?

Do you ask them why they need Socialist Security and why they haven't pulled themselves up by their bootstraps. I suppose not if you've managed to keep at it for over 30 years. Must be tempting though.

[kenfrequed]

12. This isn't surprising really

For one thing only people who are having troubles are going to call in. They are going to blame the system that is giving them trouble and the people who manage the system.

But overall attempting to measure enthusiasm right now is absolutely useless. Much of enthusiasm is really counter-driven and based upon the existence of an opposition. The GOP is currently functioning more as an absurd reality show than as an oppoosition and isn't presenting anything to be angry at.

As was previously mentioned, there is not a single GOP candidate running that will not turn off some significant part of their base which basically torpedos much of their chance of election.

And by they way, that age-gender demographic mentioned shifted to the right sometime during the late 80's and is unlikely to ever move back. Focusing on getting their votes or worrying about them is a waste of time. We need to get back to worrying about our base, our classical constituencies, and on energizing those demographics that DO turn out. That means embracing progressive ideas and ideals as closely as possible and giving up on this absurd pseudo-moderate BS that has us moving halfway between our positions and the aged angry white men of the GOP in the vain and stupid hope of scraping a few of them off to our side. (those people in that demographic that are thougtful and reasonable already vote Democratic)

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

38. I suspect that most of your callers are receiving social security; they are older Americans.

And older Americans typically do not vote for Democrats, anyway. Plus, they have been brainwashed by the likes of Russ Limbaugh and Hannity. I'm not saying ALL of them, but I suspect a good number of them.

I also think there's some undercurrent of conservatism, as older folks tend to be more intolerant of change. But the ultimate irony is that they continue to vote for Republicans who want to do any with social security. It's quite unfortunate.

[DCBob]

5. If this is true then why is Obama leading both Mittens and Grinch in Florida and South Carolina?

Seems this poll isnt reflecting actual voting numbers.

[SixthSense]

28. the big problem for the GOP

is that "not Obama" isn't a person they can put on a ballot

the big problem for us is that by voting time things might be so bad the electorate won't care

[DCBob]

34. i think by voting time things might actually be better...

unless Republicans are able to sabotage the economy or start a world war or something like that.

[SixthSense]

35. not a chance

we just watched a Primary Dealer blow up, up to $3 billion missing, and no one is in jail for it

as long as this goes on there is no hope of recovery as no one will want to make an investment only to have it stolen from them

[DCBob]

36. Many economists would disagree with that statement and how do you know no one if going to jail??

The investigations are just beginning. In fact investors should feel assured given the attention this case is getting.

[SixthSense]

39. As no one has been charged with a crime

nobody is going to go to jail

A couple of years back a programmer got accused by Goldman Sachs of stealing some of their machine-trading algorithm code. He was arrested by the FBI within 24 hours.

Not long before, Dick Fuld made some pronouncements about the health of his company (Lehman) that constituted felonies - he grossly misrepresented its capital position as "well-capitalized" barely a week before that company went down (due to not being well-capitalized at all). That's a serious felony, by the way; as it is a publicly traded company, it's a felony to lie about its financial health to investors. Never charged with anything, and AG Holder is dutifully making sure that the statute of limitations runs out.

There's one law for you and me and another for the powerful, and that's the ultimate bottom-line reason why all of these crooks are going to walk, with their stolen profits secure in their own accounts.

[center rising]

8. Apparently, the American people are that stupid.

[coalition_unwilling]

9. "USA Today" is owned by noted r-w panderer Gannett. I wouldn't

trust its reportage on any story of any significance.

Gallup also tilts notoriously to the right and has been doing so since at least 1996, if not earlier.

[KansDem]

16. Agreed. I saw this "headline" in the news rack when I went to breakfast this morning.

Right on schedule, I thought. Less than a year from the general election.

USA-Today is not the best source for this kind of "late breaking story."

[ProSense]

10. Did Gallup Catch Gallup in a Big Fat Lie?

Did Gallup Catch Gallup in a Big Fat Lie?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/100211641

[Doctor_J]

15. Those who claim every week that the Repukes are "self-destructing" are nuts

We've been hearing that for 20 years, and it just keeps getting worse.

We need to decide to either do something significant about hate radio, or get ready for it to keep getting worse, rapidly.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

25. There's nothing we can do about hate radio. But there is something we can to get people out

to the polls to elect more liberals/progressives to office.

That's much more productive than bitching on an online forum.

[Doctor_J]

26. What a bizarrely hypocritical post

First you declare, "there is nothing to be done about hate radio"

Followed by the nebulous "something we can do to get more liberals to office" which, BTW won't happen until we do something about hate radio.

And you end your post, which consists of bitching on an online forum, by declaring that bitching on an online forum is unproductive.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

33. There's a major difference between hate radio and being active on the ground.

Maybe reading comprehension is not your greatest strength.

[bemildred]

18. Yawn. nt

[CakeGrrl]

20. Voter suppression attempt.

Set the meme and see if it fulfills itself.

[saras]

22. It's McNewspaper. When did THEY start doing respectable polls?

[arely staircase]

30. wishful thinking

I am energized. And so is every Democrat I know. All of us are dissapointed at the President's compromizes and out right caves. But sorry, Republicans - we are not going to give you total power because Obama has given you more than I like.

Fuck'em, let's win!

[Odin2005]

31. The (intentional) flaw in this poll is that it implies that...

those who no longer identify themselves as Democrats are moderates. In reality most of them are disillusioned Liberals.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

32. It's the economy stupido

[MjolnirTime]

40. The Economy is improving, dufus