GOP campaign ads fail to mention party affiliation

[kurth]

A scary survey for the GOP
A bipartisan NPR survey shows a nation that rejects "moral values" pandering -- and is very angry at Bush.
By Joe Conason

... Many polls showing a generic preference for Democrats have appeared over the past several months, and many such polls have been dismissed by Republicans who say that national polling in a contest of 435 districts has little salience. But the NPR poll is different because, unlike most measures of midterm attitudes, this survey was conducted only in the 50 most hotly contested congressional districts. Pollsters Stan Greenberg and Glenn Bolger found that in those crucial districts, the attitudes about President Bush, the direction of the country, and the Republican congressional majority are strikingly negative.

People are angry. More than 60 percent of the voters in the NPR survey believe that the country is "pretty seriously" on the wrong track, while only 31 percent believe it is on the right track. Of those who feel that we're on the wrong track, almost two-thirds blame the war in Iraq or the economy... People want change. Fewer than three in 10 of the voters in these competitive districts say they are likely to vote for the incumbent. Nearly half say they are likely to vote for "someone else." (Twelve of the 50 seats are open, meaning that there is no incumbent, so that question was asked only in the other 38, of which 30 are held by Republicans.) Nearly half, or 48 percent, say they are likely to vote for the Democrat, while 41 percent say they will probably vote for the Republican. That preference was more than generic -- asked the same question with the names of the districts' candidates, those preferences varied by only 1 percent.

In Kentucky's 4th District, not long ago thought to be safely Republican, former Democratic Rep. Ken Lucas is running against incumbent Republican Geoff Davis. The first independent poll, released last Tuesday, showed Lucas with a 9-point lead. In Indiana's 2nd District, where Republican incumbent Chris Chocola is defending his seat against Democrat Joe Donnelly, the latest independent poll showed the challenger 5 points up -- and the pollster went on record saying that the undecideds are likely to break for Donnelly. And in Idaho, the Republicans are concerned enough about holding on to the open seat in the 1st District that they have placed it on their own "endangered" list, even though Idaho is one of a handful of states where the president still enjoys a positive approval rating.

All those indicators must be frightening for the Republicans, who will forfeit control of the House if the Democrats pick up a net total of 15 seats. That must be why so many elephants are stampeding away from their president and party, including their own congressional leadership. According to the Hill, the Washington paper that covers Congress, several leading GOP members are airing television ads that fail to mention their own party affiliation. Most notable among them perhaps is Rep. Tom Reynolds of New York, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee -- the man whose job it is to defend the House majority. Reynolds has also put up a campaign Web site that doesn't mention his party.

http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2006/07/28/dems_2006/

[xultar]

1. I've noticed this on the new campaign signs. No GOP or le-fant.

Buhwawawa!

[porphyrian]

2. Wow, just like AMWAY... - n/t

[gaspee]

3. Local pols

Are doing this too. I had a nice looking, polite, mid-thirties man come to my door yesterday. Had three young boys, maybe 8-12 with him. Turns out he's running for city council. I looked at his pamphlet but it had no party affiliation on it. I didn't want to read the entire thing, so I asked him, what party. He said "Republican." I said, "that tells me all I need to know. No thanks, and I handed him back his brochure.

I feel like this, if you aren't disgusted enough, pissed off enough, about what those assholes are doing to our country, and are, in fact, one of them, we sure as hell don't share the same values.

Kinda got me wondering, if they'll still run as republicans, why doesn't their campaign literature have their party on it?

[rocktivity]

4. Republicans: the political party that dare not speak its name!

:rofl:
rocknation

[ChazII]

5. Here in my section

of the valley it is the same way. Only it is both parties that are not placing party logos. Jim Pederson's campaign signs do not indicated that he is a democrat. For those unfamiliar with AZ he is running against Sen. Kyl. His first wave of tv commercials also had no party affiliation. I can understand the repugs not placing the elephant but what is it with some of the Democrats?

[Dob Bole]

6. That's what Dems did in 2002...and look what happened!

I live close enough to Alabama to pick up some tv stations there. The Dem candidates in the South didn't declare their party affiliations in 2002 either, because they were out of favor. That year, Georgia elected its first Republican governor and the amount of Southern Democratic senators decreased from 12 to 6.

It's a good sign. It's not a question of whether Republicans will lose the election this year, just how badly. Democrats are particularly going to have a landslide where governorships are concerned.