Kos: The obstructionist's dilemma (comparing Congressional Dems to Repubs (polling) what a BLOWOUT!

[Pirate Smile]

The obstructionist's dilemma

by kos
Sat Feb 14, 2009 at 10:45:04 AM PST

As a really smart guy wrote in The Hill:

Republicans are downright giddy with their obstructionist tactics. “Insurgency, we understand perhaps a little bit more because of the Taliban,” bragged Rep. Pete Sessions (Texas), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. “And that is that they went about systematically understanding how to disrupt and change a person’s entire processes.”

So on one hand we’ve got a president and congressional majority who are heeding the urgent desire of working Americans to kick-start the economy, and on the other, we’ve got a rump minority that patterns itself after guerrilla jihadists who tried to send their country back to the 10th century.

The GOP is giddy. House Republicans doubled downed on their obstructionism last week by once again unanimously voting against the stimulus bill, while Senate Republicans were nearly unanimous in their opposition. Yet while they pat themselves on their backs for doing nothing, here's the real world repercussions of their obstructionism:

Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 2/9-12. All adults. MoE 2% (2/2-5 results)

FAVORABLE UNFAVORABLE NET CHANGE
PELOSI: 42 (40) 39 (39) +2
REID: 32 (32) 42 (44) +2
McCONNELL: 22 (23) 50 (48) -3
BOEHNER: 18 (19) 55 (53) -3

CONGRESSIONAL DEMS: 39 (38) 53 (55) +3
CONGRESSIONAL GOPS: 19 (21) 69 (68) -3

DEMOCRATIC PARTY: 56 (54) 37 (37) +2
REPUBLICAN PARTY: 31 (32) 61 (60) -2


If we go back to the start of the year (Jan 5-8), the numbers are even more stark:

FAVORABLE UNFAVORABLE NET CHANGE
PELOSI: 42 (39) 39 (37) +5
REID: 32 (33) 42 (41) -2
McCONNELL: 22 (29) 50 (46) -11
BOEHNER: 18 (21) 55 (47) -11

CONGRESSIONAL DEMS: 39 (36) 53 (53) +3
CONGRESSIONAL GOPS: 19 (24) 69 (64) -10

DEMOCRATIC PARTY: 56 (53) 37 (39) +5
REPUBLICAN PARTY: 31 (32) 61 (60) -2

So when what makes you feel good (obstruct and mock Obama's sincere, if misguided, efforts at "bipartisanship") clashes this dramatically with the popular will, what do you do? Not only have the already unpopular congressional Republicans seen their net favorability ratings drop 10 points in a matter of a few weeks, but they now face a net 36-point deficit compared to congressional Democrats. And it's not as if congressional Democrats are all that popular (they're obviously not), it's just that people really hate the Republicans.

And how about the House leadership? The supposedly hated "San Francisco Liberal" Nancy Pelosi not only has the only net-positive favorability rating of the bunch, but she has a net favorability advantage of 40 points over her hapless and clueless Republican counterpart. The 18-point gap in the net favorability ratings in the Senate leadership is less dramatic, but still significant. Especially since Democrats are stuck with the ineffective Harry Reid as their leader.

And it gets even worse once you dive into the crosstabs. Among independents, only 15 percent have favorable views of congressional Republicans, with 70 percent disliking them. And only in the South do congressional Republicans hit 30 percent favorability (the same, ironically, as Democrats), with a whopping 57 percent disliking them in their own stronghold. And that's fantastic compared to the rest of the country -- It's 10/79 in the Northeast, 17/72 in the Midwest, and 16/73 in the West. Ouch. Aside from the 30 favorables in the South, congressional Democrats hit at least 42 percent in the other regions.

So what does that mean for the overall parties themselves? Here's the most recent regional breakdowns for party support:

DEMOCRATIC PARTY

FAV UNFAV NO OPINION
ALL 56 37 7
NORTHEAST 68 24 8
SOUTH 43 51 6
MIDWEST 57 34 9
WEST 60 34 6



REPUBLICAN PARTY

FAV UNFAV NO OPINION
ALL 31 61 8
NORTHEAST 15 73 12
SOUTH 45 48 7
MIDWEST 30 63 7
WEST 29 64 7

The Democratic Party is only five points down in net favorability in the South, the GOP's "stronghold", while it blows them away in every other region.

The dinosaurs in the GOP may be patting themselves in the back from another round of well-executed obstructionism, but their already-unpopular numbers in Congress are plummeting to newfound lows while they continue to lose ground against the Democrats not just nationally, but even in their last redoubt in the South.

So yeah, obstructionism may feel good, but if America wants something else, it does them little long-term good.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/2/14/13452/3284/620/697060

[Hello_Kitty]

1. K and R. eom

[navarth]

2. Damn, Miss Kitty you beat me to the 5th rec!!

So I can't say "off to the greatest page with you!"

Oh well. K & R !!!

[City Lights]

3. K&R

[DeepBlueC]

4. K&R

:kick:

[Pirate Smile]

5. Kick

[PBS Poll-435]

6. K&R Good data

Thanks!

[Undercurrent]

7. Change you can believe in!

[Peace Patriot]

8. This is certainly interesting, and cheering, but I have one serious caveat...

Puke unfavorability just makes it a little harder for Diebold & brethren to keep them in office, with 'TRADE SECRET,' PROPRIETARY programming code, owned and controlled by rightwing Puke corporations, throughout our election system, and ZERO verifiability in half the voting systems in the country (no paper trail at all), and only 1% verification in the other half (which may have a paper ballot backup, but only 1% of the ballots ever see the light of day in routine audits, and recounts are rare and hard to get)*. This easy--EASY!--capability of changing vote totals is combined with other anti-democratic election conditions, such as our filthy campaign contribution system and corpo/fascist monopolies controlling all news/opinion (except on the internet).

You ever wonder why Bush/Cheney seemed so oblivious to public opinion? This is why. They had guaranteed re-election. I would guess that half the members of Congress were not really elected. I think Obama's mandate was significantly, and fraudulently, shaved, and the fragile progressive majority in Congress was designed, by the fascist CEOs who own and control the 'TRADE SECRET' voting machines.

The condition of our voting systems is OUTRAGEOUS. It is 99% to 100% non-transparent, and in private, corporate control. Virtually no public official in the country, including Obama, can prove that he or she was actually elected.

Until we change this, we do not really have a democracy. I don't think it can be changed in Congress (and I would beware of them meddling in the election system again). I think it's going to take a grass roots citizen movement at the local/state level.

--------

*(The absolute minimum needed is a 10% audit. Venezuela does a whopping 55% audit, and they use OPEN SOURCE CODE programming--code that anyone may review. )

[ooglymoogly]

16. Yes that is the number one priority....second bringing the * crime family

to justice.

[ProSense]

9. Excellent. If you took out the region that is the biggest drag on each party,

the Dems would have a favorability of 61% (without south) and the Repubs' would be 35% (without northeast).

[wroberts189]

10. "it's just that people really hate the Republicans." OH SNAP ! knr

[Jennicut]

12. The Rethugs really set themselves up well being against Obama....NOT!

what a bunch of idiots. They are doing themselves no favors with the American public but so what, its good for the Dems and Obama!

[Pirate Smile]

11. I'm going to give this a kick because the details fit perfectly with the opening of SNL.

The cluelessness of Republicans.

[tblue37]

13. Yet they are so delighted with their own performance:

[Pirate Smile]

14. That's great. I love the storyline of the Republican's idiotic celebration

of their losing.

[NBachers]

18. Great cartoon. I copied it and sent it off

[creeksneakers2]

15. K & R

Now is a great time to go after the GOP aggressively.

[Uzybone]

17. K&R

[agentS]

19. A small caveat

Why is the GOP being so obtuse to the will and opinions of the majority of people? They want to keep their current seats.
Basically, they're opposed to helping Obama because the people who vote for them in their districts are hard-right reactionary lunatics (Cao is the exception).

They don't want to fight off a hard-right challenger in the primaries in 2010 so opposing the stimulus gives them cover against those challengers.
Unfortunately, because they're so reviled right now, they position themselves in a bad place to lose against Democractic/third party challengers in the real election.

If Obama maintains his popularity until late 2010, and the DCCC is set up to fund many candidates, then he might be able to sweep dozens of GOPers out of congress.

[Enthusiast]

20. K&R. Those are some beautiful numbers

The American public is finally starting to disregard the well practiced lies. Reich wingers have cried 'Liberal!' (wolf!) one too many times.

[PatrynXX]

21. too many numbers

played Still Life, way too many numbers there and head over hear too many numbers.

Not to mention, the bill doesn't do enough. so if it isn't as good, I'll be looking at the obstructionists....


already had an idiot on glenn beck claiming the end of the world is coming. do'h..