Train Wreck: Only 10% of Voters Say Congress is doing a Good Job
Ouch, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have lead Congress to a new high… in lows:
Voter unhappiness with Congress has reached the highest level ever recorded by Rasmussen Reports as 71% now say the legislature is doing a poor job.
That’s up ten points from the previous high of 61% reached a month ago.
Only 10% of voters say Congress is doing a good or excellent job.
Nearly half of Democratic voters (48%) now give Congress a poor rating, up 17 points since January. The vast majority of Republicans and voters not affiliated with either party also give Congress poor ratings.
Seventy percent (70%) of voters say Congress has not passed any legislation that would significantly improve life for Americans, up 10 points over the past month and the highest level of dissatisfaction measured in regular tracking in over three years. Only 15% say Congress has passed such legislation.
Forty percent (40%) of voters nationwide now say it is at least somewhat likely Congress will seriously address the most important issues facing the nation. That’s down from 59% last March. Only 9% say it is Very Likely Congress will address these issues.
Heh, heck of a job there Harry, Nancy… Keep doing what you’re doing.
Video: Sarah Palin’s Keynote Speech at National Tea Party Convention
Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin delivers the closing keynote address at the first-ever National Tea Party Convention, held in Nashville, TN. February 6, 2010:
Related
- Third party is the wrong party for Tea Partiers – Mark Tapscott, Washington Examiner
- Nashville Shows Tea Party Is America’s Third Great Awakening – Glenn Reynolds, Washington Examiner
- Breitbart, Farah argue Birtherism at Tea Party convention – Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Dodd, Dorgan to Retire; Won’t Seek Re-election
The 2010 mid-term elections are still months, but things aren’t looking good Democrats. Two long serving high profile Senators, Chris Dodd of Connecticut and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota have announced that they won’t seek re-election:
Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and a Democratic Party stalwart in the Senate, is set to announce today that he will not seek re-election this year, according to a party strategist familiar with his plans.
Sen. Dodd’s decision was the latest in a string of big-name Democratic retirements revealed Tuesday as the party struggles to contend with a challenging political climate.
Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota said he, too, would retire after this year, unexpectedly saddling his fellow Democrats with a wide-open race that could be tough to win in a Republican-leaning state.
In addition to Dodd and Dorgan at least 5 other Senate Democrats are vulnerable, among them Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas.
I wouldn’t breakout the Champagne yet, at least not in Connecticut… We may finally be free of Chris Dodd, but things just got a lot tougher for us, Chris Dodd was weakened and vulnerable and ultimately beatable. Now instead of facing a weakened Sen. Dodd we’re facing Attorney General Richard Blumenthal who has announced plans to run for Dodd’s seat. Say what you want to him, but there’s escaping the fact that he’s well known and well liked in this state… My guess is the Democrats will hang on to the seat.
Of course it won’t hurt to remind voters of Blumenthal’s remarks about Sen Dodd’s sweetheart mortgage deal:
Huh??? What??? Dodd was a victim??? It’s a rarity but I’m speechless!
Related
- Colorado’s Gov. Ritter Ends Bid for Re-Election – Wall Street Journal
- Massachusetts governor race another sign of Democratic weakness – Ed Lasky, American Thinker
- Culture of Corruption casualty: Chris Dodd bows out; CT AG Blumenthal to run – Michelle Malkin
- Dodd retiring – Ed Morrissry, Hot Air
- Will Blumenthal Be Sufficient Change for Connecticut? – Jim Geraghty
Blue Dog Democrat Jumps Ship; Joins Republicans
From Politico:
POLITICO has learned that Rep. Parker Griffith, a freshman Democrat from Alabama, will announce today that he’s switching parties to become a Republican.
According to two senior GOP aides familiar with the decision, the announcement will take place this afternoon in Griffith’s district in northern Alabama.
Griffith’s party switch comes on the eve of a pivotal congressional health care vote and will send a jolt through a Democratic House Caucus that has already been unnerved by the recent retirements of a handful of members who, like Griffith, hail from districts that offer prime pickup opportunities for the GOP in 2010.
The switch represents a coup for the House Republican leadership, which had been courting Griffith since he publicly criticized the Democratic leadership in the wake of raucous town halls during the summer.
Rep. Griffith’s announcement comes on the heels of a wave of Blue Dog Democrat retirements, for the moment his switch has far more symbolic than substantive value… The Democrats still have a 40 seat majority in the House. I do suspect, however, that Rep. Griffith won’t be the last Blue Dog to jump ship. There’s pretty sizable anti-Democrat wave sweeping the country and unless something changes drastically between now and November 2, 2010 Congressional Democrats would appear to be headed for a fall.
AMA May Withdraw Health Care Reform Endorsement
It looks like the American Medical Association’s Board of Trustees decision to endorse the House Health Care Reform bill is about to backfire. A significant chunk of the group is upset that the Trustee’s made the endorsement without the formal approval of the organization’s House of Delegates and is pushing a resolution that, if approved, will withdraw the groups endorsement of the bill:
The American Medical Association’s much-touted endorsement of the House health care reform bill has triggered a revolt among some members who want the endorsement withdrawn.
Some members are outraged that the group’s trustees made the endorsement without the formal approval of the organization’s House of Delegates.
On Monday, delegates will vote on a resolution offered by some members that, if approved, will withdraw the AMA’s endorsement of the bill.
The resolution introduced by the delegations from Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida , Georgia , Kansas , Louisiana , New Jersey , South Carolina , West Virginia , American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons, American Society of General Surgeons, and the Triological Society reads:
Resolved, that the House of Delegates of the American Medical Association rescinds the action taken by the AMA Board of Trustees supporting HR 3962 the Affordable Health Care for America Act.
On a related note CNN released a new poll on health care reform yesterday that should have Blue Dog Democrats shaking in their boots:
Nearly six in ten Americans want Congress to continue working on health care reform bills that have been passed through various committees, according to a new national poll.
Fifty-nine percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey say lawmakers should continue working on the legislation, a rise of 6 points since August. But only a quarter say those bills should be passed pretty much as is, with a third suggesting that Congress should make major changes. The poll also indicates that one in four say lawmakers should start from scratch and 15 percent want Congress to stop all work on health care reform.
Lets not pull punches here, any Democrat that votes for this turkey had better be from a bullet proof, solid blue, liberal district or they’re very likely out of a job come the 2010 mid-terms.
Wait, I thought it was Republicans Who Are Divided and Hate Moderates???
Funny how the Associated Press waits until after the election to let this story out:
Get on the health overhaul bandwagon, or don’t count on our help in your re-election.
That’s the hardball message liberal groups are hurling at moderate Democratic senators in a battle that is dividing their party. Their demands: Support a bill that offers optional government-run health coverage and oppose Republican attempts to derail the legislation.
The groups are unleashing blunt and personal broadcast ads and e-mails at moderates even as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., tries to shape a health care bill that can attract the 60 votes it needs to pass. Assuming no Republican support, Reid needs backing from all 58 Democrats and both Democratic-leaning independents – including about a half-dozen moderates who have drawn liberals’ ire.
It’s all taking place a year out from elections in which Republicans hope to trim the Democrats’ congressional majorities. The intraparty conflict especially threatens moderates facing tough re-election fights in 2010, like Sens. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., and Reid himself. It could mean less enthusiasm on the part of liberal and labor groups, which supply campaign workers, contributions and votes to Democratic candidates.
Heh, I thought it was the GOP that’s divided and hated moderates???
All I can say is go ahead, make my day… Are you kidding me? I’d love to see MoveOn.org, the SEIU, ACORN, and anyone else who wants join them mount far left primary challenges against moderate Democrats in swing states… or red better still in red states!
Let’s hope this turns into an all-out shooting war! I’ve got pop-corn.
Ouch: New York Gov. Paterson Blasts Pres. Obama
The feud between New York Governor David Paterson and the White House took a turn for the worse today with Gov. Patterson essentially telling reporters at Columbia University that Obama’s just cranky because he hasn’t accomplished jack (emphasis mine):
I understand the president’s concern, but I understand the concern of staff members at the White House. If you look at it from their perspective, they haven’t exactly been able to govern in the first year of their administration the way other administrations have, where you would theoretically have a period in which the new administration is allowed to pass some of the needed legislation.
Every state accepted stimulus money – some said they weren’t, but all accepted stimulus money – it was shocking that the vote on the stimulus money for the ARRA went along party lines. Here, with the healthcare legislation, they’re talking about negotiating to get one Republican senator to vote with them – they can’t get one Republican?
It’s not them, it just seems to be the point of view that: what we’re gonna do, in the middle of a recession – and it’s a good thing that neither of the political parties were thinking of doing this in the Great Depression – but in the middle of the recession is: ‘we’re going to leave off, sit around, and blame the other side.’ See, it’s all “their fault.”
So – from their perspective, losing any exec seats, losing any Cong. Seats, losing any seats in the State Senate is very important. I think that you see in order to accomplish their healthcare plan, their energy plan, the other ideas that they have for America that really are transformative – they’ve had to look at who is going to be voting, who can help them. So I don’t have a problem with the fact that they would look to different states to try to get that assistance.
Ouch, as much as it pains me to defend Pres. Obama he accomplished a little more than Gov. Paterson is giving him credit for. Sure, his signature issues, health care reform and cap and trade, are wallowing in Congress but he has had some legislative success.
Allahpundit thinks Gov. Paterson’s remarks are a dig at Republicans more they are at Pres. Obama:
As much as it grieves me to defend The One, (a) is this really a knock on him? It sounds like Paterson’s blaming congressional turmoil on the GOP’s recalcitrance, “party of no” and all that jazz. If he wanted to rub Obama’s face in the deadlock, he would have knocked him for not having a strong enough hold on his own party to iron out a compromise between Blue Dogs and progressives.
He may be right but you could also argue that it’s a dig at the President for acting more like the Salesman in Chief than the Commander in Chief. Pres. Obama has much of his term traveling around the country trying to sell his agenda to an increasingly skeptical public rather then working with Congressional leaders to craft a commonsense health care reform plan that could win broad bipartisan support. At some point the President has to stop selling and start leading. Right now he’s still campaigning.
Regardless one can hardly blame the President and his advisers for trying to nudge Gov. Paterson toward the exit… Simply put he’s an electoral disaster. Think I’m joking? Just take a look at the polling, if New York state Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is the Democratic nominee for governor next year, he beats former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani by 13 points. If Paterson’s the nominee, Giuliani wins by 17 points… In a head to head in primary match-up, Cuomo crushes Paterson by 46 points.
Reid, Conyers Vulnerable in 2010?
If current polling is accurate you can add Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) and Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) to the list of vulnerable Democrats in 2010. The Las Vegas Review Journal reported last Sunday that Sen. Reid is trailing both likely Republican challengers in recent polls:
It’s the highest stakes ever for a Nevada election, and former boxer Sen. Harry Reid is on the ropes early. Either Republican Danny Tarkanian or Sue Lowden would knock out Reid in a general election, according to a recent poll of Nevada voters.
The results suggest the Democratic Senate majority leader will have to punch hard and often in order to retain his position as the most accomplished politician in state history, in terms of job status.
Nevadans favored Tarkanian over Reid 49 percent to 38 percent and Lowden over Reid 45 percent to 40 percent, according to the poll.
Ouch, anytime an incumbent polls below 50% he’s considered vulnerable, not necessarily beatable but vulnerable. When incumbent can barely muster 40% of the vote in a state he’s represented for 22 years he isn’t just vulnerable he’s political road kill.
Under normal circumstances I’d expect party leaders to suggest retirement but I can’t see that happening here… Democrats can’t afford the embarrassment of having a second Majority Leader booted from office by his own constituents so they’re going have to go to the mat for him and fight for his seat.
Reid isn’t the only Democrat showing weakness in recent polls The Hill reports that House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers may face a tough reelection fight as well:
House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) could face a tough reelection race in 2010, according to a new, independent poll released this weekend.
40 percent of Conyers’s constituents said he deserved reelection, according to a poll conducted earlier this month by the Lansing, Mich.-based Deno Noor Polling, in conjunction with the Rossman Group and Perricone Group.
44 percent of Detroiters represented by Conyers said they would prefer to elect someone else. 15 percent were unsure or didn’t know.
The 80-year-old Conyers has served in Congress since 1965, making him one of the longest-serving members of Congress still in office. He could face a challenging reelection, though, due to the conviction of his wife, Monica Conyers, for bribery charges incurred while she served as President Pro Tempore of the Detroit City Council.
If we take the poll numbers at face value Rep. Conyers is vulnerable… he’s undoubtedly been hurt by his wife’s bribery scandal, the collapse of the auto industry and his comments about not reading bills before voting on them. The real question isn’t whether he’s vulnerable, it’s whether Republicans can mount and effective challenge.
Congressman Eric Massa: I Will Vote Against the Interests of My District
Sen. Tom Coburn is right, American’s have lost faith in their government and I can’t think of a better example of why than the attitude displayed by Congressman Eric Massa of New York.
Rep. Massa met with an intimate group of Netroots activists during their annual Netroots Nation gathering in Pittsburgh this past weekend reiterated his support and promised the he would “… vote adamantly against the interests of my district if I actually think what I am doing is going to be helpful.” In a broad sense I don’t have a problem with that, politicians aren’t supposedly to be automatons who blindly follow public opinion. George W. Bush, for example, ignored broad public opposition to order implementation of the surge strategy in Iraq. And it appears he was right to do so.
The problem here is that when you take Rep. Massa’s remarks in context with remarks by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid calling opponents of health care reform “un-American” and/or an “Evil mob” you’re left with a very frightening impression… You’re left with the impression that our elected leaders have forgotten that they were elected to represent we the people, you are left with the impression that they have forgotten they are our representatives not are rulers.
Thomas Jefferson said “When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.” We have come to a point were a broad swath of Americans have lost faith in their government… Remarks like those of Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid and Rep. Massa’s only serve to reinforce the belief that our elected leaders no longer respect we the people, that they consider us a bunch of ignorant rubes who need to told to shut up and quietly by while their betters rule the nation.
Specter Trails Toomey by Twelve
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Pennsylvania voters is enough to warm my cynical heart:
Uncomfortable town hall meetings are just the tip of the iceberg for Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter. He now trails Republican Pat Toomey by double digits in his bid for reelection next year and is viewed unfavorably by a majority of the state’s voters.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Pennsylvania voters shows 48% would vote for Toomey if the election were held today. Just 36% would vote for Specter while four percent (4%) prefer a third option, and 12% are not sure.
These figures reflect a dramatic reversal since June. At that time, before the public health care debate began, Specter led Toomey by eleven.
Ouch… One has to wonder if the Democrats will even nominate Specter.
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