Republican Edge on Key Issues Is Slipping Amid Party's Setbacks
The Wall Street Journal reports:
Republicans, wincing from losses in two governors' races this week and President Bush's current political weakness, face a broader problem as well: Some of the party's most potent traditional advantages appear to be eroding.
Amid their failure Tuesday to take back governor's seats in either Virginia or New Jersey, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll shows that Republicans have lost the upper hand on a series of issues they've counted on to preserve their congressional majorities in 2006.
Among other findings, the poll indicates that voters no longer prefer Republicans to Democrats on handling taxes, cutting government spending, dealing with immigration and directing foreign policy.
Meanwhile, Democrats have restored their earlier edges on subjects such as education and Social Security, on which Mr. Bush has sought to make inroads among targeted constituencies.
Broadly, the telephone survey of 1,003 adults, which was conducted from Nov. 4 to Nov. 7, finds that Americans want Democrats to take control of Congress in next year's election, by a margin of 48% to 37%. The 11-point gap is the widest enjoyed by either party on that question since the poll began asking it in 1994.
For the first time since the Republican congressional landslide that year, a majority of respondents say it's time to replace their member of Congress. The poll has a margin for error of 3.1 percentage points.
The findings hardly guarantee that Democrats will be able to ride popular disaffection back to power on Capitol Hill, however. While they are benefiting from discontent against Republicans, they still lack either a singular national voice or a clearly defined agenda for voters to seize on. Only half of respondents credit Democrats with having a vision for the future, while 60% say Republicans have one.
To address that problem, Democrats privately are planning an equivalent of the Republicans' onetime "Contract With America," which in 1994 gave the party an affirmative national agenda to complement popular discontent with President Clinton. The Democrats plan to center their version on issues such as education, fiscal discipline and energy independence.
Even in their improved position, Democrats will have limited numbers of targets. Because congressional boundary lines place most lawmakers in districts clearly favoring one party or the other, fewer than 10% of House seats held by Republicans currently are considered at risk. Most Senate Republican incumbents facing re-election next year remain favored to win.
Just 33% now give Mr. Bush high marks for being "honest and straightforward," down from 50% in January. Fully 57% say he "deliberately misled" the nation about the case for war in Iraq.
Republicans, wincing from losses in two governors' races this week and President Bush's current political weakness, face a broader problem as well: Some of the party's most potent traditional advantages appear to be eroding.
Amid their failure Tuesday to take back governor's seats in either Virginia or New Jersey, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll shows that Republicans have lost the upper hand on a series of issues they've counted on to preserve their congressional majorities in 2006.
Among other findings, the poll indicates that voters no longer prefer Republicans to Democrats on handling taxes, cutting government spending, dealing with immigration and directing foreign policy.
Meanwhile, Democrats have restored their earlier edges on subjects such as education and Social Security, on which Mr. Bush has sought to make inroads among targeted constituencies.
Broadly, the telephone survey of 1,003 adults, which was conducted from Nov. 4 to Nov. 7, finds that Americans want Democrats to take control of Congress in next year's election, by a margin of 48% to 37%. The 11-point gap is the widest enjoyed by either party on that question since the poll began asking it in 1994.
For the first time since the Republican congressional landslide that year, a majority of respondents say it's time to replace their member of Congress. The poll has a margin for error of 3.1 percentage points.
The findings hardly guarantee that Democrats will be able to ride popular disaffection back to power on Capitol Hill, however. While they are benefiting from discontent against Republicans, they still lack either a singular national voice or a clearly defined agenda for voters to seize on. Only half of respondents credit Democrats with having a vision for the future, while 60% say Republicans have one.
To address that problem, Democrats privately are planning an equivalent of the Republicans' onetime "Contract With America," which in 1994 gave the party an affirmative national agenda to complement popular discontent with President Clinton. The Democrats plan to center their version on issues such as education, fiscal discipline and energy independence.
Even in their improved position, Democrats will have limited numbers of targets. Because congressional boundary lines place most lawmakers in districts clearly favoring one party or the other, fewer than 10% of House seats held by Republicans currently are considered at risk. Most Senate Republican incumbents facing re-election next year remain favored to win.
Just 33% now give Mr. Bush high marks for being "honest and straightforward," down from 50% in January. Fully 57% say he "deliberately misled" the nation about the case for war in Iraq.
posted by Sid Cottingham | 11:12 AM
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