Any thoughts on why the Democrats have such low poll numbers in Congress?

[Dawgs]

O'Reilly thinks it's because people are tired of them being so vicious. Which doesn't make any sense, considering I haven't seen any for about a year now.

I think it's because of the right wing media (liberal label), the lack of leadership, and being a minority for so long (weak).

What do y'all think?

[TallahasseeGrannie]

1. Organized voting blocks on the Republican side

They're great at it.

[BOSSHOG]

9. Hi TG

Me thinks the Dems are caught up in an anti-politician backlash by the electorate which can be directly attributed to the actions of Republicans. But Democrats are "politicians" too.

In other words, many American citizens think democrats are "garbage" as well. Whatcha think?

[TallahasseeGrannie]

14. Yeah, I buy that, too.

I think a lot of politicians ARE garbage, and they ain't all Republicans! Particularly local, where we are virtually 100 percent Dem.

[BOSSHOG]

18. Have you come over to the dark side?

Not too long ago you spanked me real good for calling people garbage. Love Ya Dear!

[TallahasseeGrannie]

25. Oh, are polliticians PEOPLE?

Sorry, I didn't know that.

[BOSSHOG]

27. Bless your little cynical heart

Me and you could do some severe conservative butt kicking.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

16. Hi, BOSSHOG!

[Vincardog]

2. The main reasons are the Corporate Controlled Media and the DLC

[blm]

20. Did media discuss the Dems push for DSM investigation, their bills to

alleviate heating costs for those unable to afford it, their proposals to help with Iraq, their fight against pro-corporate tax breaks, etc....????????????

Dems don't get airtime for any important issue they're working on. They get ignored or ridiculed or accused of shrill partisanship.

[Vincardog]

33. And don't forget the RePigLickin meme "THE DEM'S HAVE NOTHING TO OFFER"

How often have you heard that the Democratic members have offered NOTHING? SEE post #3 below.

[blm]

35. Every day for a few years now.

.

[Deep13]

3. It is not enough that the other guy is bad...

...our side has to present a plausible alternative.
with so many Senators running for president, there is no united message coming from the Congressional Ds.

[OldLeftieLawyer]

4. Tom DeLay

He did it. Set up the blocks and ended the fine tradition of collegiality and compromise that defined the House and Senate.

I hope those days return with new Democratic leadership.

I hope.

[makeanoise]

5. Democrats, WHAT democrats? LOL

Seriously, other than DEAN and GORE, who are the democrats?
Do they still exist?
Why can't our Democrat Representatives act like DU'ers?
The time to attack is now, NOW, NOW!

[electropop]

7. They don't even vote for Democratic values.

They act just like the Pukes, so they are viewed just like the Pukes.

[LaurenG]

8. Exactly and welcome to DU! nt

[LonelyLRLiberal]

13. You have it right there. nt

[newyawker99]

39. Hi makeanoise!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[TheFarseer]

6. You have to admit they aren't getting much done

Granted, they can't but still. Also I think people are lumping everyone together as "politicians" and not differentiating between democrats and republicans when they see nothing happening positive in Iraq, gas prices, Katrina etc etc

[electropop]

11. It's not even about getting stuff done.

They could at least vote to support the Constitution, the working people, and American values. Instead, they are so afraid that Frist will Anthrax them again that they just obey him. Hopefully that will end when Frist is jailed.

[FreedomAngel82]

26. They're not vocal enough

They need to be out there and strong. I think that's the thing. They're vocal but not where it counts.

[unblock]

10. a combination of (a) rw media; and (b) inherent out-party problems

(a) is obvious.
(b) requires more explanation: the in-party has an clear structural leader in the office of the president. the out-party has no such clear leader. sometimes a speaker of the house or a majority leader emerges as a clear spokesman (think newt) but that's a rarity. usually you have to wait until the next presidential election cycle before a clear leader emerges.

[electropop]

15. If dean, Pelosi, and Reid could meet every morning

and set out the day's talking points, we would have leaders. Why they choose not to is a matter of conjecture. I think it's fear of Anthrax.

[Dawgs]

24. Agree...

Exactly what I was thinking this morning. If the Democratic leaders don't communicate, then how are we supposed to expect anything less than mediocrity.

We all have other jobs, yet we seem a lot more passionate and organized. Why can't they get organized when they do this for a living?

[unblock]

34. actually, it's more infighting over who should be the leader

unfortunately, no one wants to be a 'newt': a party leader who can co-ordinate across the party without being seen as purely self-promoting. newt only later toyed with presidential ambitions, at least outwardly. generally, he was more than content to be speaker.

dean is in a good position to be our 'newt'. in fact, he's the closest thing we've had to a newt in ages. unfortunately, because he's already demonstrated presidential ambitions, anything he does gets seen as self-promotional.

the age-old problem democrats have always had with leadership and party is that there are too many people with their own presidential ambitions who think they can increase their personal chances by undermining the chances of a competing democrat. thus any democrat that starts to emerge as a leader instantly becomes a target.

[electropop]

37. That's the beauty of a triumvirate.

They all come across as looking like leaders, without cutting each other down. They can present a united front, saving the competition for inside the meetings, or actual campaigns.

If they all believe in Democratic values (who knows?) they shouldn't have a hard time agreeing on a wide variety of positions. What they don't agree on, they don't make into talking points. This is war and our generals must start leading or we will all go down in chaos.

[Neocondriac]

12. They simply...

have little or no leadership at the forefront.Who's in charge Pelosi, Dean, Kerry, Boxer, Obama, Clinton.? The Republicans have been so vicious when anyone attempted to forge a greater role that they have run and hid. Someone had better step up soon , the timing is right.

[napi21]

17. Congressmen on both sides have very low poll #'s.

I think it's because all the people in congress have opted to follow the dessires of K St. instead of the people they are supposed to represent. That's applicable to both Pubs & Dems.

If O'Reilly is intimating that it;s only Dems, he's being his usual misleading self!

[Dawgs]

29. No...

I think he used the poll to start another attack against the NY Times.

[longship]

19. Spinelessness and spinlessness.

on the Congressional Dems part.

[SteppingRazor]

21. I think, when you look at the GOP takeover in 1994...

a couple of your points don't have legs. In 1994, the GOP in Congress had been the minority party for 40 freaking years. So just having been the minority for a decade is no excuse.

Also, when the GOP took over, the media wasn't yet the conservative bastion it is today. And not long before that, the phrase "liberal media" was accepted because there was a kernel of truth in the stereotype.

What they did have in 1994 were plenty of hungry rookies and strong (if vile) leadership. Newt Gingrich comes immediately to mind.

So, I'd have to go with choice "B."

At the same time, though, I wouldn't characterize Pelosi and Reid as necessarily weak leaders. However, look at guys like Gingrich. They are completely, utterly committed to conservatism. What do Democrats stand for? Reid and Pelosi may be reasonably strong leaders, but one can't honestly say they are both pillars of liberalism or progressivism. I think that fact may begin to describe some of the problems with our party.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

22. They're too busy begging for contributions to do anything.

That and trying to figure out how far right to go in order to keep their precious seats.

[SoCalDem]

23. People are USUALLY disappointed in their elected officials

democrats or republicans..

The promise more than they can deliver, and their constituents are unhappy with what they actually accomplish..

Congresspeople are especially bad about this because they rarely admit to anyone that when they go to congress, they are 1 person of 435, and they are rarely going to the THE influential congressperson..They campaign as if they will be the next "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington", and their voters get caught up in that myth too..

The reality for most is that they will serve 2 years doing very little, and will spend most of their time trying to raise money to get re-elected..

Senators are a bit better (1 of 100), but most have little influence either..

The media is to blame too, because they rarely cover legislators of the party out of the majority, and when they do, it's a ploy to "start some shit" ...for entertainment purposes only..

When was the last time you saw media suggesting a panel discussion about poverty, wages, education. housing??

The US is just a lumbering runaway train, rolling down some rickety railroad tracks, with no one in control..

[katinmn]

28. Simple. They are doing a shitty job.

The Republican controlled Congress has not addressed any of the major problems that people care about: Iraq, health care, deficit, environment, energy, and on and on.

Instead they have created new crises.

And the Democrats have not been very vocal in opposing them.

[lovuian]

30. Hmmm maybe because half of them are corrupt!!!

Lieberman got a kiss from Bush that kinda says it all!!!

We don't have a two party system we have a one power system!!!

This is whats wrong!!! These Democrats voted for the Iraq War and supported it plus would have our kids drafted!!!

and they wonder why their polls are down!!!

[leftofthedial]

31. because 95% of them are Repuke Lites

and everybody hates them

they suck

they have abandoned the left and don't have the respect of the right. Meanwhile, the repukes have so alienated the center that none of those people even care anymore.

[Warren Stupidity]

32. Did you have a specific poll in mind?

No offense by O'Reilly has been known to make shit up. Seriously.

[Lexingtonian]

36. good flamebait!

Wish I'd thought of this one. Talk about provoking the "if only Democrats screamed louder (screaming the stuff I personally like, that is) and offered free beer, they'd win" meme around here....

I think the media bias, 'lack' of leadership, noise, bitterness, etc are superficial and secondary phenomena. At bottom it's all about the mainstream social convention of Being Conservative Is Safe/Good. It's about being resistant to and scared of the changes that becoming Modern entails and became the conventional belief in the mid/late Sixties or early Seventies.

That's the bedrock on which the present Republican Party's power rests. It's not an easy thing to erode fully, it happens incrementally. But at this point almost all the protective layers of stuff are stripped away and it's beginning to happen. Look at all the people who are becoming willing to admit they're liberal in public. Look at all the people starting to argue about what calling themselves conservative really means.

Usually the first election in which that kind of mainstream dogma is directly exposed to reality hostile to it has the people who are strongly affected- no longer Believers, but not yet converts to the opposite- choosing to sit it out. The 1994 elections were the most recent of the kind- Republican turnout was in the expected range, conservative Democrats staying home en masse tipped all the closer races Republican. In '96 these people generally voted Republican.

[KingFlorez]

38. People are fed up with government period

And that fact Democrats have not been a viable opposition is a reason for low numbers.

[desi826]

40. Part of it is the Polling

What I have noticed is that as the Repubs numbers fall the Dems do too....at EXACTLY the same rate.

So if the Repubs are at 41%, so are the Dems.
Right now Repubs are at 32%, and guess how amazing this is! Dems are at 32% as well.

Just as a gimme, they should be a couple of points higher than Repubs, especially with all the corruption scandals Repubs are mired down in, and with more and more people saying they want the Congress to be controlled by Democrats and not Repubs.

But those sentiments are not being displayed through their approval ratings though. Which doesn't make sense.

In short, no polling company is going to have the Dems at a higher approval rating than Repubs because how then, are they going to steal elections?
Des