CNN Poll: GOP has edge in early midterm indicator
Source: CNN
A CNN/ORC International survey released Thursday also indicates that President Barack Obama may be dragging down Democratic congressional candidates, and that the 2014 midterm elections are shaping up to be a low-turnout event, with only three in 10 registered voters extremely or very enthusiastic about voting next year.
Two months ago, Democrats held a 50%-42% advantage among registered voters in a generic ballot, which asked respondents to choose between a Democrat or Republican in their congressional district without identifying the candidates. That result came after congressional Republicans appeared to overplay their hand in the bitter fight over the federal government shutdown and the debt ceiling.
But the Democratic lead evaporated, and a CNN poll a month ago indicated the GOP holding a 49%-47% lead. The new survey, conducted in mid-December, indicates Republicans with a 49%-44% edge over the Democrats.
Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/12/26/cnn-poll-gop-has-edge-in-early-midterm-indicator/comment-page-1/
Please don't try to bullshit yourself into denying reality by claiming that this poll is some sort of corporatist conspiracy. The fact is Americans are a profoundly ignorant people. But that is what we have to work with. We have to face reality if we want to advance civilization and move the country and the world forward.
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mucifer
(23,539 posts)Too many blue dogs in congress.
Douglas Carpenter
(20,226 posts)
onehandle
(51,122 posts)Learn, Democrats. Learn.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024226840
stillwaiting
(3,795 posts)We have to change the system.
It's fixed against us.
They get to give pretty speeches occasionally, but they have no intention on fighting for the things they supposedly want. They will not even add meaningfully to the dialogue to help forward issues they supposedly care about.
Above all, their inability to expose the Republicans agenda in a meaningful way that resonates with the American Public exposes them for the charlatans they are (with very few exceptions). This should be exceedingly easy for them to do. They are not dim-witted.
sendero
(28,552 posts)... with your take. The politicians are not stupid. They do endless polling, they have their finger in the wind at all times.
The Democrats in congress know full well the country is in no more mood for this "centrist" "trickle-down" bullshit, but they are not working for the American people, they are working for the big donors and the guys that are going to give them a paid-for-doing-nothing job at the end of their term.
Nothing is going to change until there is blood in the streets, the easy way of fixing the corruption has long passed. And it is probably coming, even dumbasses notice the cock up their asses eventually.
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)Scuba
(53,475 posts)Penicilino
(97 posts)He does not have to fix any economy, or handle any foreign conflict, etc. He talks beautifully and his message is good. But a President needs results, not just words. Comparing a Pope to a President is an apples vs. Oranges situation.
VirginiaTarheel
(823 posts)If the Republicans take the Senate, we are in deep trouble.
NYC Liberal
(20,135 posts)That makes no sense.
PeteSelman
(1,508 posts)Why we don't pound the message they way they do is beyond me.
mopinko
(70,090 posts)and vise versa
The Wizard
(12,545 posts)the mass media outlets. They've gamed the the system to the detriment of the vast majority.
groundloop
(11,518 posts)Like SHUT THE FUCK UP about that already. I almost couldn't believe my ears when I heard an interviewer ask "Do you think the Obamacare website debacle will have repercussions in the next election?". This was on MSNBC, the network that's supposedly the most liberal of any, and they keep talking up that shit. Hell, ANY new program of that magnitude has growing pains. Why the hell can't they focus on how many people the ACA has helped? And why aren't they asking "Will the government shutdown hurt the GOPers?"?
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)We failed big on that one in the 2010 Midterms and are setting up to do it again.
What perceptible benefit is there for the low-information, politically disengaged, demoralized "Undecided" voter to inconvenience themself by going to the bother of voting? The bankers gonna steal, and the workers gonna reel. The Turd Way offers nothing.
One doesn't see much at this point, but if Obamacare kicks in and works as it was intended to, if the Democrats start showing some interest in the welfare of the common people-if, in short, we build a truly progressive platform, they will come.
Douglas Carpenter
(20,226 posts)Democrats in Congress or Democrats holding other elected offices are professional politicos with little or no courage of conviction or belief in anything other than their careers. That might make the Democrats less dangerous - but it doesn't give anyone anything to be enthusiastic about
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)But a truly progressive platform would be contrary to the goals of Third Way. 
humbled_opinion
(4,423 posts)The right has gained its momentum purely from its hypocritical attack of the design of the law, which emulates exactly what they wanted, a fact that I hate which is insurance companies still decide on the cost sure people that work get tax breaks but what happens when the Insurance rates skyrocket for whatever reason it will be unaffordable all the same. There is only one solution and Democrats need to be out front rolling Obamacare into the Single Payer system. Talk about all doctors participating because it is the law, talk about the really reduced costs that are collected out of our paychecks like Medicare is and where we don't need to do a thing because we are all enrolled universally. Just make an appointment and go see your doctor, they all work for the government. Enough of this playing around the edges it sucks.
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)it is somewhat better than what went before. In addition to the problems you mention, I would cite the copays and deductibles that the poorest users are forced into with the Bronze Plan.
I don't know that the proper model is a Public Health Service like Britain's though. I think a single-payer system with small independent providers like the Canadian system might be the way to go.
In either case, the insurance cos. are nothing but parasites that drive up costs and reduce access to appropriate health care. They REALLY need to be removed from whatever system eventuates.
leftyohiolib
(5,917 posts)Katashi_itto
(10,175 posts)Cosmocat
(14,564 posts)Somehow people are dying to find a way to let DC cut SS benefits.
THAT is how friggen clueless this country is right now.
Enthusiast
(50,983 posts)I mean, right? 
Rather than embrace economic populism, the Democratic national Party is on the path to electoral ruin. This cannot be by accident.
Doctor_J
(36,392 posts)in 2008. Remember how nicely that worked?
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)anywhere near it. The DC DEMS are much too busy chasing phantoms and rainbows, chasing after the phony "center" that the GOP keeps redefining for them. Stupid, or complicit? I think we know the answer to that!
elleng
(130,891 posts)those who get things done, organizing-wise, like H. Dean. repugs are counting on us NOT doing this.
summerschild
(725 posts)think the ACA roll out would have worked, or at least been much smoother. And he would have been out front scoring points for the Democrats passing the legislation. Nobody in Obama's cabinet has stepped out to support his agenda since day 1! In the meantime, the GOP grifters are on every Sunday political show, etc... blasting him and everything he tries to do.
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)JaneyVee
(19,877 posts)99.99% of CNN broadcasting is bullshit corporatist conspiracy. Not to mention CNN was one of the worst pollsters in 2012. That being said, we should whole-heartedly push to get out the vote with a year remaining. No complacency!
Dustlawyer
(10,495 posts)Mayfly.
Liberalynn
(7,549 posts)I am counting on the Pukes to screw up again big time. They have a habit of doing that and while it is not a guarentee, it is not outside the realm of possibility either. Plus the public is fickle. They can turn their support on a dime as this poll in and of itself demonstrates. The first opportunity for this comes with the upcoming debt ceiling debate.
In the meantime Dems have to keep their heads up, their hands clean, and start hammering the Pukes on all their flaws. In other words start going on the offensive again just like they were during the shutdown. That was a thing of beauty and hope for me and I sincerely wish I will get to witness again.
As a girl I saw on the Dog Whisperer, who had survived cancer, said: "I have chosen to look at things positively. Yes things can still go badly but at least in the meantime I will have been happy instead of miserable."
It's a new experiment for me who has always expected disaster around every corner but I am going to do my best this year, to try and look at things like this girl and see how it goes.
Scuba
(53,475 posts)
Gothmog
(145,168 posts)Much of the surge in ratings is due to the problem of the roll out of the ACA. In six months, those problems will not be remembered and all of the GOP will have to run on is their plan to take benefits away from voters.
humbled_opinion
(4,423 posts)is a foreshadowing of their approach, they intend on doing whatever it takes to keep themselves out of hot water with the electorate. i.e., Many grumblings among the baggers at my job when the House Repubs put forth a budget bill that reduced the cola increases for military retirees. That simply is not a good position with their base, but immediately they shut up and stopped complaining because it was explained by the rushhead baggers that we must remember that evil Obamacare is what the long term fight is for, so if we have to let the Democrats throw wedge issues like forcing this cut to military retirees in order to not be blamed for a govt shutdown then we will suck it up and after we win the Senate in November we will repeal and remove every single thing that Obama and the Liberals did to us, it seems to have worked because that cut to military reitrees should have had a serious political toll on the repubs but it doesn't seem to have affected them.
Liberalynn
(7,549 posts)he intends to demand something from the President in terms of raising the debt limit which didn't get raised as part of the budget deal? It could very well be something the public very well doesn't want to give up. Also if they don't fix the ending of the unemployment benefits I think that could backfire in the Pukes face as well.
Plus I remember a lot of Puke candidates they thought were sure things in previous elections until they started opening their mouths and letting their radical nutcase right wing philosophies spill out, especially about women.
I am not saying Democrats should be complacent and just count on them too screw up. I think our side needs to do more reminding about who was responsible for the shut down, take actions that makes the differences between the two sides clearer meaning move more to the left, and then of course get out the vote.
What I am saying for myself is I am not going to let myself start hand wringing just yet. There is a lot of time between now and November and political fortunes can shift on a dime.
mountain grammy
(26,619 posts)but I'm not giving up. I think we can take back the House and keep the Senate.
I can only hope my optimism doesn't make me one of the "profoundly ignorant."
Douglas Carpenter
(20,226 posts)population can barely name the two countries on its boarder - good Lord - I worked in Saudi Arabia for almost 25 years - certainly not one of the most intellectually advanced societies - but when it comes to general knowledge about history, geography and current events - very few young Saudi high school graduates would not be way beyond the knowledge level of the vast majority of young
American college graduates at least in terms of history, geography and current events- That is reality - That is the sad reality we have no choice but to work with -
NRaleighLiberal
(60,014 posts)I agree - it is depressing, head-scratching, and only getting worse....
as to solutions...
AAO
(3,300 posts)
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)is selling garbage such as "Duck Dynasty".
Douglas Carpenter
(20,226 posts)seems to be an underlining theme in so much of American pop culture. There is a genuine contemptuous disdain for knowledge, wisdom and balanced maturity - This is not just some media conspiracy - The media is only marketing what sells! It's a way of thinking that permeates throughout popular American culture.
Rosa Luxemburg
(28,627 posts)The academic progress of our students is blunted by this perception that 'nerds are bad.' Not cool to be a nerd! The emphasis seems to be on sports in this country. In Asia they seem to be more balanced and like to succeed academically.
santroy79
(193 posts)in Mid term elections
otohara
(24,135 posts)what the democrats let happen in NC-2012 to the LBGT community was shameful.
60% - 40%
cheapdate
(3,811 posts)that the oligarch, royalist, Ayn Rand, libertarian, murdering, thieving, destroying, right-wing has relentlessly and methodically built up over the past forty years.
Amy Goodman conducts a brilliant and insightful interview with a thoughtful and intelligent progressive thinker and it's seen or heard by one-thousand people.
With a nod of their heads, the oligarchs send out a thousand messengers who appear in the top editorials of every major newspaper and news magazine, monopolize the "debate" in every major televised discussion program, disseminate propaganda through every branch and thread of the world wide web, and present their lies to top political leaders at exclusive private retreats. Their message is seen over and over again by millions people.
It's over. They've won.
mitty14u2
(1,015 posts)cheapdate
(3,811 posts)I was being dramatically gloomy for my own amusement, mostly.
raindaddy
(1,370 posts)Democratic Party popularity should be soaring! If there was ever a time for a Democratic party led revolution it would be now! The income gap between the rich and poor is the highest in our lifetimes. If this were a party that still believed in traditional Democratic party values every elected official would be standing with the Pope and calling the current system economic tyranny. We'd be hearing references to FDR instead of Ronald Reagan.
Let's be honest with ourselves, a Democrat majority in the House and they'd have to give up the excuse they've been relying on for the last thirty years.
"We Democrats still stand for labor and the middle class. We support jobs and taxing the rich. We would love to protect Social Security, Medicare and the environment from Wall Street and global corporate interests. But the Republicans won't let us!!!"
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)have a choice, a say in the matter. Like professional wrestlers, both "sides" report to the same boss on payday.
raindaddy
(1,370 posts)Other than wedge issues that the 1% really doesn't care about, they're pretty much playing for the same team.
We're getting to the point where the bad guy's manager is sneaking up behind the good guy with a chair. Everyone in the house is screaming, "chair" while the good guy dutifully stands there with a confused look on his face while the bad guys knocks him out.
Moostache
(9,895 posts)Give the people a choice between a Republican and a Democrat who ACTS like a Republican and they'll pick the real Republican every time.
STOP acting like warmed over milquetoast versions of Republicans and offer the country a real progressive agenda and message and the polls and elections would change for real...
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)demwing
(16,916 posts)In other words, if we disagree with you, we're bullshit reality deniers?
Do YOU trust a CNN poll?
Scuba
(53,475 posts)We're never going to win elections by picking off moderate Republicans. Meanwhile tens of millions of potential Democratic voters don't bother because the Party offers them nothing.
blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)tens of millions of potential Democratic voters don't bother because the Party offers them nothing.
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)Big surprise.
savalez
(3,517 posts)CNN: Are you happy with the Obama Presidency?
ME: He really had his work cut out for him when he took the job and he's done surprisingly well despite Republican treachery. If those gawd dammed America-hating Republicans in congress didn't try to sabotage his entire agenda we'd all be in a much better place. We really need to vote every worthless Republican piece-of-shit out of office for good.
CNN: We'll put you down as a "No".
JoePhilly
(27,787 posts)magical thyme
(14,881 posts)the ACA website snafu took over the headlines.
As more and more people get health insurance, either for the first time or with =/better coverage + less cost than before, and as the website troubles dissipate, the ACA is the end of the world meme will disappear with it.
Next up: the GOP is talking about shutting down the government again, this time over the budget.
If they try that shit again, just watch the numbers.
And just make it clear to everybody and anybody that cutting of unemployment compensation is criminal and cutting social security is equally criminal. We should be increasing both.
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)livingwagenow
(373 posts)ninjanurse
(93 posts)that's the worst number in this poll. It's vital for Democrats to register voters and get to the polls in November.
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)
MynameisBlarney
(2,979 posts)After all the bullshit this nation has put up with from the GOP, I find it really really difficult to accept that Americans are....
No...wait. America is full of morons with short memories.
Nevermind.
We're screwed.
MoreGOPoop
(417 posts)Fuck Fascists, and their propaganda.
James48
(4,435 posts)response to massive government cuts-
cut police entirely, form citizens armed roving bands.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/26/citizens-take-law-into-own-hands-after-cash-strapped-ore-county-guts-sheriff/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+foxnews%2Fpolitics+%28Internal+-+Politics+-+Text%29
Gothmog
(145,168 posts)The GOP will overplay their hand in 2014 and this number will change
Beartracks
(12,809 posts)Mid-terms are important! Vote, vote vote!
===============
jimlup
(7,968 posts)WTF is wrong with people? They have such a short memory. It is sad.
nyquil_man
(1,443 posts)blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)us here.
K lib
(153 posts)Raleigh, N.C. – PPP's newest national poll finds Democrats leading the generic Congressional ballot 43/40. That 3 point lead is down just slightly from the 5 point one they had at 46/41 during the height of the government shutdown in October. Congressional Democrats (-25 at 35/60) have a net approval rating 19 points better than their Republican counterparts (-44 at 25/69) although both parties remain quite unpopular.
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2013/12/obama-approval-at-record-low-but-dems-lead-house-ballot.html
Jack Rabbit
(45,984 posts)Yes, I have been and am critical of President Obama. No, I am not going apologize for it. Right now he's preparing to push the TPP through Congress so fast that we won't notice what it is until it's too late, even though he's using the same arguments for it that President Clinton used while pushing NAFTA, and we all know how well that turned out. TPP is even worse, and I have no plans to be silent during this process.
However, President Obama is a lame duck and will never be on any ballot again, unless he wants his old Senate seat in Illinois back. The goal of the future is to stop and turn the march of corporate tyranny. We all know that is not to be done by electing the Koch brothers' stooges in the GOP.
The Republicans present an alternate reality in which women cannot be trusted to make their own medical decisions, racism is no longer a problem in America, unemployment benefits hurt the unemployed and Wall Street bankers make rational decisions that benefit the whole of American society. These are policies that have led to the destruction of the middle class, which, even though they act like they don't know it, will also adversely affect the corporate bosses.
You don't like your Democratic Congressman because he thinks the TPP is great and Larry Summers would have made an outstanding Fed chairman? Fine, I'm with you. Send him a message in the Spring or Summer when he runs in the primary. Send the whole nation a message by retiring him and then electing in November a Democrat who is a democrat. Third Way Democrats who are simply kinder, gentler Republicans have no intention of reining in corporate tyrants. We need people in Congress who have.
This cannot be accomplished by giving up and staying at home on election day because there is "no one" to vote for. If you live in Wisconsin, you need to get rid of Walker and all the Republican legislators who support him and much to the tune of the Koch brothers' money. If you live in Michigan, you need to get rid of those who have acquiesced to the anti-democratic emergency manager regimes. If you live in Texas, you need to rid the country of the racists and misogynists who have given your state a bad name for way too long. If you live in North Carolina, you need to get rid of Republicans who think voting is privilege and not a right.
I live in California, and I want to keep this state on its road to recovery and show the rest of the country how good things are when the GOP becomes a splinter party.
Please join me in voting in 2014.
tabasco
(22,974 posts)CNN really catapulting the crap lately.
dawn frenzy adams
(429 posts)Please expound on what reason, what data, what trust, has CNN exhibited that shows it is anything but a Fox acolyte? Why in the hell should anyone have any faith in their reporting. They participated in confusing the American people about the Affordable Care Act. The fact that the President was trying to stop 45,000 American deaths each year, from lack of health-care- was treated by the MSM as though the deaths were acceptable. They insinuated that it was the President who was wrong, not the sick and the dying. We have lost more Americans from lack of health care than all of the terrorists attacks and wars. Yet, the MSM has rarely mentioned this.
Why kind of a madness have we accepted here. We have a media that advocates for the insanity of the Republican Party. They always lead with the Republican narrative. Democrats are "still" rarely seen in the MSM. When President Obama was elected with a Democrat house and senate, what was the dominate media narrative? It was bi-partisanship, bi-partisanship, bi-partisanship. They echoed it and rotated it, over and over- throughout the media landscape. But you never, NEVER, hear bi-partisanship when the Republicans are in control. The American MSM is very much like Nazi Germany. That's right I said Nazi. They report a lie and propagate it throughout the MSM until it becomes the truth. It's just like Goebbels said. But who knows? Maybe Goebbels got it from us. After all, many of Hitler's racists tactics, he borrowed from America.
AAO
(3,300 posts)
octoberlib
(14,971 posts)Christie's the strongest candidate for President right now because he's viewed favorably across party lines. He's at 48/26 with Republicans, 46/28 with independents, and 38/36 with Democrats. Clinton would start out ahead of all the other potential GOP candidates we tested against her on this poll- she's up 5 on Jeb Bush and Rand Paul at 48/43, 6 on Mike Huckabee at 48/42, and 8 on Ted Cruz at 49/41
http://publicpolicypolling.com/
Orsino
(37,428 posts)...that doesn't mean all the various corporatist conspiracies keeping us so have vanished.
This poll is no doubt a tiny piece of the puzzle. No bullshit.
Tippy
(4,610 posts)Please don't try to bullshit yourself into denying reality by claiming that this poll is some sort of corporatist conspiracy. The fact is Americans are a profoundly ignorant people. But that is what we have to work with. We have to face reality if we want to advance civilization and move the country and the world forward.
Lifelong Dem
(344 posts)Yet people are blind to 2014. Doesn't make sense. Unless MSM is playing and the polls are BS.
doc03
(35,328 posts)actually helps don't vote. You can bet the 5 million or so that lost their insurance will vote.
JCMach1
(27,556 posts)it is only worth the trouble if it becomes an incremental step to single-payer...
There are tons of folks right here on DU that it's helping and they vote too. For those who do not vote, they certainly will when they are faced with it being taken away by the gop. That's the best part about the ACA. Plus, its so called "unpopularity" is waning. Folks are realizing that the media/gop has been lying to them for the past 5 years.
davidn3600
(6,342 posts)That's typical of American political cycles.
Only a handful of times has the opposition (the party not in the White House) not picked up seats in a mid-term.
workinclasszero
(28,270 posts)Before its too late! If the teabaggers gain total control this country will pay a heavy heavy price!
WTF aren't the president and the democrats in Washington raking the teabag republican party over the coals for cutting millions off of unemployment?
Where the hell are they when American children are going to bed hungry every night due to food stamp reductions?
Fucking republicans threaten to force poor kids to clean up schools in the face of their jeering rich children and not a damn thing is made out of it.
All they ever hear is fucking wall street! This party is going to pay big time if this shit is not turned around FAST! They should be the ones fighting tooth and nail for a damn living wage law and I don't mean a joke 9 bucks and hour. Anything less that 15 would be a win for fascist teabag republicans.
Or we could just go on pretending everything is ok.....
Kablooie
(18,631 posts)Eliminating public support for everything and seeing people dying from starvation in the street while the super rich dine on caviar while fishing on their yachts is Elysium to a large proportion of white Americans.
Even the ones who will be starving on the street see this as the wonderful paradise they yearn for.
The white and ignorant and white and rich will continue to vote for Republicans because it's either in their interest or they are easy patsys for propaganda.
The rest of us won't vote for Republicans but we won't vote for Democrats either because we just won't vote.
greymattermom
(5,754 posts)Most of the folks I know under 40 have cut the cable. They watch Netflix, Amazon, etc. and get news from the internet. It costs a lot to get Fox these days, and low incomes don't allow that luxury.
One_Life_To_Give
(6,036 posts)We all need to recognize that a natural human cycle exists. The Party who claimed victory two years prior is going to be a few percentage points down in the midterm. Purely because people are people. Some people vote for balance, one party executive and the other congress. Some people are satisfied with the executive and feel congress is unimportant or their specific representative is fine, etc. Members of the out of power party may have more enthusiasm to try and regain some level. And all of the other variances and little things that cause a couple point shift in what otherwise might have been.
So recognize it's normal to be down a couple points at this time. Everyone due for election/re-election in the midterms should of been well aware of this the day after the last election.