Whom Do You Trust? Not the GOP

From Rasmussen:

American voters now trust the Democrats on all ten key electoral issues tracked regularly by Rasmussen Reports. Last month, the GOP’s had an advantage on two issues.

Not surprisingly, the economy is still seen as the most important issue in this year’s presidential campaign--76% of voters say it is a Very Important issue. The Democrats now have a 14-point advantage over the Republicans on this issue, up from eight-points a month ago. Data from the Rasmussen Consumer Index shows that consumer confidence is currently hovering near record lows. Not only is confidence low, three-out-of-four Americans believe that economic conditions are getting worse.

Government Ethics and Corruption is a Very Important issue for 71% of Likely Voters. The Democrats have a huge advantage on this issue—45% now trust them while just 26% prefer the GOP. That lead has also widened since last month, when the Democrats had only a six-point advantage.

Perhaps the biggest surprise comes from the fact that Democrats are now trusted more when it comes to National Security and the War on Terror, an issue long considered a GOP stronghold. The latest polling, however, shows that 49% of voters now trust the Democrats more on this issue while 42% trust the Republicans more. This shift comes at the same time that confidence in the War on Terror has fallen significantly.

This Rasmussen post is chock full of fundamentals... on the war in Iraq, for example:

This month, the Democrats hold an 11-point lead over the Republicans on that issue. Last month, the Democrats led by just two points on that issue. A separate tracking survey has consistently found that six-out-of-ten Americans want troops home from Iraq within a year.

Also, there's more support for the concept that no one wants to be a Republican:

The trust on issues data reflects another significant trend of Election 2008—there is a growing number of people who consider themselves to be Democrats. In fact, the Democrats now have the largest partisan advantage over the Republicans since Rasmussen Reports began tracking this data on a monthly basis nearly six years ago.

Scott Rasmussen notes this may well have  a bigger impact on the congressional than the presidential race. McCain outperforms the Republican party on virtually all the issues, and at this moment in time is trusted more than either Democrat on the economy and Iraq.

Nonetheless, John (100 years in Iraq) McCain has himself a big problem: Americans don't like his party. And, whether McCain likes it or not, he's running as a Republican. Worse than that, on policy, he's running as a Bush Republican. As he tries to thread the needle between running away from Bush and consolidating his base, the intrinsic illogic of McCain's candidacy will come home to roost.

But that's for later. For now, the fundamentals are making Republicans sweat everywhere, from paleo-Republicans like Newt Gingrich to neo-Republicans like Joe Lieberman (whose leverage disappears the day after the election).

This is going to be a rough year on Republicans. Too bad for them.

•  Sucks to be them.

  This is going to be a rough year on Republicans. Too bad for them.

  You got it.  Too "boo-hoo" bad.  Let 'em get together and cry in the beer over at American Enterprise Institute or some such dung heap.

  by DC Scott on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:09:57 PM PDT

  •  Where's old "turd blossom" Rove when you'd really

    love to shove his face in the cesspool he created?

    by trmasonic on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:12:33 PM PDT

    •  Why desecrate a perfectly good cesspool? n/t

      by Greasy Grant on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:13:36 PM PDT

    •  He's enjoying that Wingnut Welfare

      on Fox and soon on the book tour circuit.

      by Sam Loomis on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:16:09 PM PDT

    •  Going for 51% of the Vote

      Turns out not to be so brilliant after all

      by Navy Vet Terp on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:19:58 PM PDT

      •  Guess people tire of getting crapped upon

        by LaughingPlanet on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:22:22 PM PDT

    •  TurdBlossom's Working

      at FAUX News.

      by CityLightsLover on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:24:34 PM PDT

      •  Just A Turd

        ..and may the same bad fortune fall upon the FOX Nutwork that has fallen upon the Bushbot Republican party......

        by StuHunter on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:25:42 PM PDT

        •  TurdBlossom is GWB's Nickname

          for Mr. Rove.

          by CityLightsLover on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:23:06 PM PDT

          •  I know, LOL

            I know..but putting the "blossom" on the end just sanitizes what is really just a piece of shit...a real "TURD"

            by StuHunter on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:29:28 PM PDT

            •  Sorry!

              Here's a funny headline that will hopefully make up for my gaff:

              http://news.bbc.co.uk/...

              by CityLightsLover on Tue May 13, 2008 at 05:01:47 PM PDT

    •  Rove's trying to avoid testifying b4 Congress

      It's surprising how cowardly these brave souls are when it comes to taking responsibility for all the creative ways they ruined our Government & screwed the American people.

      Shakespeare once said, "A coward dies a thousand deaths, a hero only one."

      I know Rove & the rest of the Bush Admin. thugs have no conscience, but still, they must inwardly "FEAR" some recompense....from Congress, or The Hague, or God!   There is no escape!

      by ROADRUNNER DEM on Tue May 13, 2008 at 06:36:10 PM PDT

  •  Yesssssir!

    you're right..they have themselves to blame, the "W"ar, the outrageous corruption, the deaf ears, the obstructionism, neglecting the middle class. Republicans deserve to rot in hell..

    by StuHunter on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:24:03 PM PDT

    •  Corruption ranks very high

      Considered to be a very important issue by almost as many people as the economy, and Dems have a bigger advantage on the corruption issue than the economy.

      This confirms my conversations with Republicans.  I've not found a single one who doesn't agree that the government is comprehensively corrupt, and they hardly even bother with the "Democrats are just as bad" line anymore.  Of course Democrats are bad on corruption, the whole system is institutionally corrupt.

      This is the issue Obama should focus on to drive home the message of fundamental change.  Even Republicans know that the government is rotten with corruption, and they well know their own party won't do anything about it.  If Obama can drive home the message that he'll get the dirty money out of politics, this election could be a much bigger landslide than any of us expect.

      by Dallasdoc on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:56:25 PM PDT

      •  Al Hunt

        With few other reeds, embattled Republicans see McCain as a lifeboat. They know voters don't like President George W. Bush or being in bed with sleazy special interests. That's the identity of the national party.

        http://www.iht.com/...

        It's already established.

        by DemFromCT on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:36:00 PM PDT

        •  It's true, the seed is planted

          Obama has to fertilize and water it so it grows up fast.  Like nothing aside from maybe economic populism, anti-corruption appeals have the potential of bringing in that wave election.

          by Dallasdoc on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:38:58 PM PDT

•  "consider themselves to be Democrats..."

  Yep. Was an indie. Now Dem. Never again. Thanks, W.

  by dallasdave on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:10:11 PM PDT

•  I still trust the GOP more than I trust

  Joe Lieberman.
  And I don't trust the GOP at all.

  by Lepanto on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:10:24 PM PDT

  •  Funny, I trust the GOP A LOT

    I now trust them to be the party of Thugs - to be parasites on the American body politic, and to actively work for the forces which threaten our prosperity and security as a nation

    I used to trust them just to be wrong.

    by dabize on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:13:34 PM PDT

  •  Yeah, Lieberman has pretty bad timing

    He picks his brands at the exact wrong time.  I guess that's what happens when you're stupid, selfish and self-serving

    by St Louis Woman on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:13:44 PM PDT

    •  You Think He'll Say

      he was wrong on the war if the Dems win big in November? I wouldn't put it past him; get ready with hip boots.

      by CityLightsLover on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:26:17 PM PDT

      •  It shouldn't

        matter to anyone by election time. He showed himself a long time ago to be a very loyal R. Now he must be maid to pay the consequences of his actions. He will get to whine from the back bench.

        by RustyBrown on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:06:05 PM PDT

        •  I Hope So!

          And, maybe, the fine people from CT will remove him from DC.

          by CityLightsLover on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:22:13 PM PDT

•  My heart bleeds...

  and I'm playing the worlds smallest violin for the GOP

  by Alctel on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:12:21 PM PDT

  •  Let's color your comment a bit

    

    I decided to forego the bleeding heart.

    by Terre on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:36:07 PM PDT

•  Trust

  Just what do they trust McCain to so in Iraq?

  by lynn47 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:13:35 PM PDT

•  Trust

  but Verify.

  by route66 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:14:15 PM PDT

•  Rove is about to have his "lasting majority party"

  But it isn't the party he thought it would be.

  McSame is four more years.  He actively chose to run on this.  And we have the photographs to prove it.

  

  by Sam Loomis on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:14:36 PM PDT

  •  i realize the point,

    but i have to say, i'm tired of that photo already.  i'm not convinced blanketing it will have the desired effect.  among other things, it makes him look kind of nice and human, even though it's bush he's hugging.

    nothing personal, just food for thought...

    by that veiled gazelle on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:23:45 PM PDT

    •  Oh, I Love It!!

      After the horrible things that GWB's campaign did to McCentury in 2000, and now they're BFFs? This picture speaks way more than a thousand words. Senator McCentury sold his soul, and he's "embracing" GWB's policies. Link them together for all time!

      by CityLightsLover on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:28:45 PM PDT

      •  I wholeheartedly agree

        It will be tragic that McSame will lose his presidential race twice due to Bush.  Once because they slimed him to oblivion, and this fall because he dragged him down with his historically aweful presidency.

        Tragically funny.

        by Sam Loomis on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:33:45 PM PDT

        •  Good to Know

          you "have my back"! Thanks!

          by CityLightsLover on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:20:06 PM PDT

      •  i'm into linking them together...

        i'm just not convinced this picture serves that as well as many think... it also makes him look nice.

        there are other photos, other words, that may accomplish this (and other goals) more effectively.

        by that veiled gazelle on Wed May 14, 2008 at 12:06:53 PM PDT

•  Rasmussen: McCain More Trusted Than Obama, HRC

  One cautionary note as the campaign is turned into a clash of personalities.

  As I wrote two weeks ago, another Rasmussen poll found voters trust John McCain more than either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton:

  ...No doubt, the Rasmussen survey reflects both the toll of the bitter (and endless) Democratic race and the seeming imperviousness of the media's Maverick McCain myth. For example, on the economy, Americans prefer Democrats over Republicans by 48% to 40%. Yet in head-to-head matchups, voters say they trust John McCain over both Hillary Clinton (47% to 42%) and Barack Obama (46% to 39%). Despite John McCain's repeated admissions that "the issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should," right now Americans trust him more than his Democratic rivals on the issue they consider most important in 2008.

  Those findings are consistent with the outcome of the recent AP/Yahoo survey. That poll found the economy far and away the most important issue; at 67%, it led gas prices (59%), health care (57%) and Iraq (48%) among Americans asked to rate each as "extremely important." Here, too, voters "divide about evenly between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, and between McCain and the other Democrat, Hillary Rodham Clinton."

  On Iraq, too, McCain scored better in the Rasmussen research, despite the nation's overwhelming opposition to the war and his position on it. While over 60% of Americans want the troops brought home from a war a majority now views as a mistake, McCain is trusted over both Obama (by 48% to 39%) and Senator Clinton (50% to 40%). Again, McCain gets the nod despite voters' overall preference for the Democratic approach (45% to 43%).

  And so it goes. On national security and taxes, McCain wins higher marks for trust. Only on government ethics and reform did he trail his Democratic counterparts...

  For more details, see:
  "Democrats Losing the 'Character War.'"

  by Avenging Angel on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:14:36 PM PDT

  •  though i included it in my post

    and though there's this:

    http://www.kaisernetwork.org/...

    this is now and not in November.

    Fifty-five percent of U.S. adults trust Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) more than presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) to address the issue of health care, compared with 31% who trust McCain more than Obama to address the issue, according to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, the Post reports.

    But Obama-McCain will change over time as the campaign heats up. The fundamentals about the party won't change, and McCain is going to discover he can't run from being a Republican.

    by DemFromCT on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:20:43 PM PDT

    •  Thanks for the Extra Background...

      ...and sorry for the duplication of effort.

      Given the data you cite, it's no wonder McCain is running away from his party and his president.  

      Yet another sign:  just three months after running ads titled "True Conservative", McCain campaign senior adviser Charlie Black labeled his man "slightly right of center."

      More here...

      by Avenging Angel on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:27:57 PM PDT

  •  more...

    internals on WaPo from Cillizza:

    A look at the presidential vote by region suggests a shift in political inclination is at work. Not surprisingly, Obama holds his largest lead over McCain (18 points) in the Northeast -- an area that has become increasingly dominated by Democrats in recent elections.

    But, Obama also holds a lead in the traditional battleground area of the Midwest -- where Obama takes 54 percent to McCain's 41 percent -- and in the Republican-leaning territory of the West where Obama holds a double-digit lead at the moment. And, even in the South, where Republicans have dominated at the federal level for much of the past four decades, Obama is competitive; McCain takes 49 percent to 45 percent for the Illinois senator.

    While McCain trails by double digits in three of the four regions of the country, he actually far over performs his own party's showing in the Post poll.

    Asked which party they trusted to "do a better job of coping with the main problems the nation faces over the next few years," voters across the country opted for Democrats by wide margins.

    by DemFromCT on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:24:01 PM PDT

    •  The Washignton Post is Bullshit; here is why

       the poll  was   of  ADULTs

      NOT  Registered   voters  

      NOT   Likely  voters

      Just   adults

      This Washington Post-ABC News poll was conducted by telephone May 8-11, 2008, among a random national sample of 1,122 adults, including additional interviews with randomly selected African Americans, for a total of 206 black respondents. The additional interviews (commonly referred to as an "oversample") were completed to ensure there were enough African American respondents for separate analysis; the group was not over-represented in the reported results from the full sample. The results from the full survey have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus three percentage points. Error margins are higher for subgroups. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by TNS of Horsham, Pa.

      by wxdave on Tue May 13, 2008 at 08:13:53 PM PDT

  •  BOYCOTT RASMUSSEN REPORTS

    I never trust anything rightwing evangelical Scott Rasmussen puts in his polls. He can make the outcome come out however he wants it to sway depending on the way he asks the question. Democrats should boycott Rasmussen Reports. Period!

    Rasmussen is the same perv that has Dick Morris on payroll.

    by StuHunter on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:29:14 PM PDT

  •  McCain has been getting a free pass

    He's had no scrutiny of his record or his policies (rather lack thereof), due to the focus on Obama and Clinton.

    All the attacks on Obama from Clinton and the right-wingers out there have certainly taken some toll, but I would hope and pray that at least some of the same will be visited upon McCain in the coming months and we'll see his numbers go nowhere but down as his maverick, war hero image is dissolved.

    And, as others have pointed out, Rasmussen is a lackey ass clown.

    by trmasonic on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:49:42 PM PDT

•  Rasmussen has pro-GOP bias in his polls.

  The actual numbers are likely even more dismal for Republicans.

  by Greasy Grant on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:14:41 PM PDT

•  While I am so happy with the ginormous turnouts

  and the interest in voting Dem, for right now, I am also interested in keeping those in office, as well as those newly elected, on point.

  2006 has proved a disaster as far as ending the war, or the very least defunding it, has gone.  

  FISA is still a front and center issue.

  So, while I am excited, and that puts it mildly, I am wary, as well.

  For now, I'll just be excited.  But my eye is definitely on the future, and I plan to make these elected officials live up to at least some of their campaign promises, because we all know that some of it is simply politics.  

  by panicbean on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:14:53 PM PDT

  •  i'm with cornell west on this one.

    he says he'll celebrate for one day when barrack obama wins.  then he will become his most vocal critic.

    he'll have some competition for that from other (friendly, but wary) voters.

    btw, if anyone can find the text of this, i'd love it.  it was in the rolling stone endorsement issue.

    by that veiled gazelle on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:40:07 PM PDT

•  I hope Republicans are CRUSHED...but I fear...

  ...more vote slashing tactics. Anything to hang on to power.

  by john7108 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:15:40 PM PDT

  •  Those

    Who hold power never give it up willingly or easily. We will see many underhanded tricks this election.

    by Animayhem on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:23:59 PM PDT

•  How can I trust a party...?!?!?

  that uses this as their "Official Clothing" ...  check out the caption...  lol
  Oh my...  

  by Swift195 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:19:49 PM PDT

  •  ROTFLMAOAACJAETC! n/t

    by JeffW on Tue May 13, 2008 at 06:32:39 PM PDT

    •  that's right, Zubaz are BACK!!

      or they never left...  I think everyone secretly knew they never stopped being cool.  

      by Swift195 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 08:51:39 PM PDT

•  here's to a short next 6 months!

  

  by aarrgghh on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:20:49 PM PDT

•  They also have Bush at 32%

  That is the lowest they've ever had him (seems like we've been saying that a lot lately).

  Rasmussen has tended to be a 6-8 point outlier on Bush's approval ratings. That means we can expect to see 25% from other polls real soon. I predict the next Gallup poll will have him about at that level.

  by MeMeMeMeMe on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:22:44 PM PDT

•  G-O-P S-U-C-K-S!!

  Let's keep pouring it on McCentury!

  by CityLightsLover on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:23:48 PM PDT

  •  Is that 1-800-G-O-P S-U-C-K-S

    or 1-866-G-O-P S-U-C-K-S

    by JML9999 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:58:49 PM PDT

    •  Hmmm...

      I hadn't thought about that. How 'bout making it one of those "99 cents for the first minute" numbers? They could try that instead of $31K dinners!

      by CityLightsLover on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:25:35 PM PDT

      •  That would be 1-900-G-O-P S-U-C-K-S

        http://en.wikipedia.org/...
        http://www.ftc.gov/...

        by JML9999 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:38:30 PM PDT

        •  Okee-Dokee...

          Now, we just have to find a lady with a sexy voice...

          by CityLightsLover on Tue May 13, 2008 at 05:00:48 PM PDT

          •  Phyllis Schlafly or Ann Coulter? n/t

            by JeffW on Tue May 13, 2008 at 06:38:08 PM PDT

            •  I Guess CoulterGeist

              would fit the bill.

              by CityLightsLover on Wed May 14, 2008 at 05:56:02 AM PDT

•  Unfortunately , in Ohio, Marc Dann is digging his

  heal and refuses to resign.  He's giving Democrats a bad name, just  after throwing the corrupt Republicans out.

  by JugOPunch on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:28:03 PM PDT

•  But McCain bashed Bush's enviromental policies

  today, trying to distance himself from Bush to a degree. Doesn't mean squat when he likely wouldn't back it up anyways, but he is trying to claim the bi-partisan/maverick Repub BS rather than cling to Bush (which he'll do anyways).

  by Skid on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:29:49 PM PDT

  •  He has done, already, anyways.

    Tax cuts, torture, and next up a woman's right to choose abortion.

    Nasty activist judges, who needs 'em?  Not McCain.

    Christ, the man is without a soul, or a moral compass.

    by panicbean on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:34:36 PM PDT

  •  How will the Bush zombies respond?

    How will listening to McCain discuss his (pathetic) plan to address global warming be intergrated with their parroting for the last 7 years that global warming doesn't exist?

    Get out your doublethink caps, boys. It's going to be a long night.

    by Joe Beese on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:37:31 PM PDT

    •  And don't get him started on bears... n/t

      by Skid on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:45:39 PM PDT

      •  Bears!

        by Joe Beese on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:53:57 PM PDT

  •  I heard Mark Levin/Repub talking head

    (a former senior Reagan Justice Department official) going balistic about McCain on this!  I was channel surfing, Rush was on, then Levin. It may have been on MSNBC today??  

    I was going to include a 'link', but I wont give him the time of day....he's a has-been, Rush-wanna-be who doesnt speak...he skreeches!

    Sooo, they cant even stand their own boy! (McCain) Good.

    by ROADRUNNER DEM on Tue May 13, 2008 at 06:56:05 PM PDT

•  Lieberman's strategy

  For now, the fundamentals are making Republicans sweat everywhere, from paleo-Republicans like Newt Gingrich to neo-Republicans like Joe Lieberman (whose leverage disappears the day after the election).

  I don't think that Lieberman cares about the Democratic party or the old Republican party. I don't think he cares that Republicans are going down the tubes in November. I think that he plans, with McCain and Lindsay Graham, to re-make the Republican party in their own image after the November elections. The more Republicans lose, the clearer the decks are for the Lieberman take-over. I think his eyes are on 2012, not 2008.

  Bob in HI

  by BobSchacht on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:31:59 PM PDT

  •  Joe is all about Joe.

    He went the way of Nader.

    by ROADRUNNER DEM on Tue May 13, 2008 at 06:58:10 PM PDT

•  I am not young and have seen much

  This is going to be a rough year on Republicans. Too bad for them.

  [Slurping latte through straw]

  We'll prob'ly blow it.

  by archer070 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:34:05 PM PDT

•  Ha, that's funny.

  The American voter: You can only kick them in the ass so many times before they say stop it.

  Unfortunately 8 years late and a trillion dollars short.

  by Pescadero Bill on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:35:51 PM PDT

•  Somebody post some crappy exit polls already!

  Dammit, I need some crappy, unsubstantiated exit polls to get me to 7:30!!!

  Whew... okay, now that that's out of my system... wow, these Rasmussen numbers are pretty astonishing.  National security and the war on terror too??? Holy crap.

  by Hlinko on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:37:41 PM PDT

  •  from Cillizza aand waPo

    Asked which party they trusted to "do a better job of coping with the main problems the nation faces over the next few years," voters across the country opted for Democrats by wide margins.

    In the Northeast, Democrats outpaced Republicans by 29 points while the margin was 26 points in the Midwest. The news wasn't much better for Republicans in the West (Democrats +18) or the South (Democrats +15).

    http://blog.washingtonpost.com/...

    by DemFromCT on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:42:36 PM PDT

•  "bush" republican vs "regular" republican

  Now that the republicans got everything they wanted, they seem to be distancing themselves from all the decisions they have made, and blaming a small illusionary "subgroup" of republicans for the fact that they wanted the wrong things.

  I think when people say they are a republican but that they dont agree at all with Bush, (even though they voted for him with plenty of evidence of what he was about) that they are copping out on their personal responsibility for their own actions/voting record.  

  Except for his warmongering, Bush IS mainstream Republican.  His tax and social policies are the exact consequence of mainstream republican views-- I don't understand how non "bush" republicans can clearly differentiate their ideas from their "leader".  

  Bush IS the heir to the Reagan revolution.  These republicans got exactly what they wanted, and now they are saying they dont like it..  Miltarily, monetarily, and socially, their party has gotten to where they said they wanted to be.  Here it is.  And NOW they dont like it?  Maybe, just maybe, they should consider that they were wrong all along.  

  Free markets and deregulation aren't the fix to everything.  Totally lawless "Free markets" are just plain dumb, as most first year economy students can tell you.   Trickle down is really dumb. Having an aggressive overfunded belligerent miltary policy is dumb.  Borrowing every last cent you can to keep taxes low for the wealthy is dumb.  Ignoring the environment is dumb.  Ignoring science in general is dumb.  Religion in politics is dumb.  Running a crony K street system is dumb.  Nationalism is dumb.  They almost always seem to pick the dumbest thing they can and go with that  Its uncanny.  And somehow, they all pretend to have clean hands, almost every one of them.  All those ideas that didnt work out and turned out to be idiocy arent attributable to them.  Regular republicans ARE Bush republicans.

  by sorval on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:38:33 PM PDT

  •  Excellent comment

    I agree based on evidence from my own little corner of the world.  Bush has treated environmental issues exactly like Reagan did.  There was some peace with Bush I and Clinton, and then Bush reinstated or escalated all of Reagan's policies. So, as you say, Republicans knew exactly what they were buying in every respect.

    by gloryous1 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:42:25 PM PDT

  •  Excellent.

    I can end pretty much every argument with a conservative by asking them "Over the past 30 years, what part of your agenda didn't you get?"

    by RickMassimo on Wed May 14, 2008 at 06:47:12 AM PDT

•  Why the Sudden sourness?

  The Dems had only a 2% lead last month on IRAQ? Up to 11% this month? Two percent is trivial.  They were in a Dead Heat until just now?  

  The Bush approval "Everybody Limbo!"- I thought had fallen below 28% consistently. I don't read every poll and every one is different, but I thought 30% was a fond memory that hadn't been around in a while, and isn't coming back soon if ever.  

  Is it all about the psychology of gasoline prices?  They have gone up 25 cents in the last WEEK here in Denver land. Is that what's troubling you bunkie?  If you want to hit Americans where it hurts- it's the PETRO.  Many are canceling or scaling back that Summer vacation.  That has to be pissing many off who otherwise have not had a political thought in their lives.

  by FuddGate on Tue May 13, 2008 at 03:44:28 PM PDT

•  The sicker the dog the worse the bite. Careful...

  before you discount these people.

  What moral line have they been unwilling to cross thusfar in the pursuit of power?

  Getting progressives into positions of power will be a fight.  The severity of the fight depends on the Republicans' willingness to let go of power.

  Be prepared to meet, as Robert Kennedy Jr. said, "at the barricades" if it comes to that.

  by waydownsouth on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:00:49 PM PDT

  •  answer:

    What moral line have they been unwilling to cross thusfar in the pursuit of power?

    None!

    But...January 20, 2009 is coming!

    by ROADRUNNER DEM on Tue May 13, 2008 at 07:00:57 PM PDT

•  Certainly

  breaks my heart. They've done everything possible to show the country that they are unable to take responsibility. The only thing I wonder about is why did it take so long for so many to figure it out?

  by RustyBrown on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:02:52 PM PDT

•  This campaign season is the Rethuglicans' worst

  nightmare.  Every time one of our candidates is put on national TV, the electorate gets to hear the TRUTH about the economy, how the endless war is affecting said economy and how the Bush administration has sold this country a very dirty bill of goods.

  The cat is out of the Rethuglican bag and even hard-core Rethugs are re-thinking what they've purchased from their own party.

  Sweet.

  by Little Lulu on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:16:29 PM PDT

•  Things like this feed my mood swings.

  Polls like this give me hope that this election will change the landscape and make this country progressive again. I'm happy. Then I remember; it's the Democrats. They'll find a way to blow it. I'm sad again.

  by jck on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:28:52 PM PDT

  •  sure

    just like they blew 2006. Oh, wait...

    by DemFromCT on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:36:38 PM PDT

•  thanks DemfromCt for this:

  neo-Republicans like Joe Lieberman (whose leverage disappears the day after the election).

  Amen and dont let the door hit you on the way out! (Joe)

  by ROADRUNNER DEM on Tue May 13, 2008 at 06:24:13 PM PDT

•  O.T.: From P.O.E.M...

  ...the Professional Organization of English Majors.

  Thanks for typing "WHOM do you trust?".

  It's a little thing but, as we have found, little things (like signing statements) mean a lot.

  by mapman on Tue May 13, 2008 at 07:48:12 PM PDT

  •  I'm old enough to remember the tv show

    "Who do you trust?" with Johnny Carson.

    english majors hated it.

    by DemFromCT on Tue May 13, 2008 at 08:50:06 PM PDT

•  Here are some of my reasons...

  Well, from my view the reason I don’t trust the GOP is...

  - Being an AA, I don’t trust the GOP when it comes to racial/cultural issues b/c I still feel there’s too many looking down on those because they’re not white, especially a white male. I may be young (I turn 27 today May 14th) but I know the history of this country in the 60’s and how when Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights laws a lot of moderate/southern/conservative/dixie Dems aka social conservative Democrats (who then and now mine as well switch to the GOP) who use to vote for the party out of economic issues went to the GOP in droves making them the all around conservative party on social and economic issues. I dislike a party who thinks of me as less than a person because the color of my skin. I dislike a party who doesn’t realize ones environment can play a big role in what someone will become (crime in the inner city isn’t b/c of black skin but rather lack of education and poverty, just like racism in rural America isn’t b/c someone is white, but rather lack of education and poverty). I think minorities who vote/associate with the GOP and are conservatives are idiots. Conservatism means not changing so why would you want to stay where we are now when we still have work to do in order to ensure all Americans have a fair shot at the so called American dream in this country!?

  - I don’t trust them b/c I feel that party is full of a bunch of war mongers who only intervene when it’s in our best interests, aka the interest of the GOP elite. They didn’t care about liberating the people of Iraq, they wanted the oil and wanted to position themselves to get the rest of the oil resources once we begin to hit peak oil. If they cared so much about liberation of oppressed peoples then why ignore Darfur, the Congo, why did Bill Clinton (who’s a moderate Democrat but whose wife seems like a GOPer) ignore Rwanda. Oh no oil there, how can I forget. If we’re truly a Christian nation (I’m not religious by the way but I love to bring out this point to razzle the religious folk) then when are we going to intervene military in North Korea to free those people who are brainwashed, ruled by an evil dictator and who by some claims have resorted to cannibalism in order to feed one another. When are we going to take out the junta in Myanmar who was subjugating it’s people and who are now allowing it’s people to die in the aftermaths of a horrible tropical cyclone (btw I’m a Meteorologist as well, how’s that for the AA stereotype huh), not to mention another storm is currently brewing over the same hard hit areas.  Heck if they cared about oppression they would have never treated blacks in this country like they did. They’re a bunch of hypocrites!!! As Obama stated I’m not against war, just damn dumb wars like Iraq for example.

  - I dislike their strategy of taking from the poor to fulfill the rich. Romney, Bush, McCain’s wife, they’re the true elitist types who have no problems with closing up the factories they own, shipping those jobs overseas, or hiring illegals to work in their factories, gardens, farms (aka the modern day plantations with cheap rather near slave labor). Yet b/c of fears from their voting bloc concerning darkies like me, they’re able to use these wedge issues, and issues of making gay marriage, issues of how every Muslim is out to get us, to secure enough votes to win elections year after year. Of course afterwards they screw over these same voters who vote for them, but again the problems in America are my fault so it’s all good I suppose.

  Those are just some of the reasons as to why I can’t STAND the freaking GOP.

  by wlfpack81 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 10:11:39 PM PDT