Enthusiasm Gap Closing

[babylonsister]

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/09/28/enthusiasm_gap_closing.html
September 28, 2010

Enthusiasm Gap Closing


A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll "shows that the battle for control of Congress has tightened, as key Democratic-leaning demographic groups are expressing more enthusiasm about the upcoming midterms."

Among likely voters, Republicans now hold a three-point lead in the generic-ballot test for control of Congress, 46% to 43%, down from their nine-point lead last month. Among registered voters are split evenly, 44% to 44%.

The pollsters "attribute the tightening to increased enthusiasm for the upcoming midterms by African Americans (who saw a six-point gain in high interest) and Hispanics (who saw an 11-point gain). But young voters, who helped fuel Obama's presidential victory in 2008, are now sitting on the sidelines. Just 35 percent of those ages 18-34 are enthusiastic about the election in November, versus 65 percent of seniors who say that."



That 'but' in the last paragraph may be changing, too, after tonight. Obama has a few more of these rallies planned.

[jenmito]

1. K&R. No use just R'ing if nobody kicks it.

:hi:

[Uzybone]

2. KnR

[Mefistofeles]

3. This proves that animosity against "corporate pollsters" is misguided

Everybody loves this one.

That said, this is very good news for the Democratic Party. If the trend continues Republicans might be up for a big disappointing election day.

[Tarheel_Dem]

4. Be honest. How many of us were "enthusiastic" about mid-term voting when

were in our late teens & early 20's? Speaking for myself, until the GOP unleashed its rabid wolves on Bill Clinton, I rarely voted in midterms. Why the media keeps trying to portray this as some new phenomenon is up to anyone's interpretation. I have my suspicions, and they include the word "suppression". Rec.

[pstokely]

8. Non-regular young voters don't show up in high numbers at mid-terms

Older regular voters show up in high numbers at mid-terms, young voters aren't in the habit

[Ramulux]

16. For real

Thats what I dont get about the republicans acting like this election is some huge referendum. Its a midterm during an economic recession, what do you expect to happen to the governing party? They act like the fact that so many people hate politicians and like to vote out the governing party during recessions means they somehow like republicans. Its bullshit logic.

[Tarheel_Dem]

17. Exactly. Polling shows that people don't like or trust Repukes anymore

than the Dems, but the recovery hasn't happened fast enough for them, and they want to punish the party in power. Young folks don't really get charged up for midterms. I know I didn't. Funny thing is, the president still remains the most popular politician on the national stage. Go figure.....

[NancyG]

25. Me. I've voted in every election since I could...

Had to be 21 before I could vote for McGovern. And I've voted in every local, state and federal election since.

[Tarheel_Dem]

26. Good job! Sadly, I was a slacker back then.

:applause:

[Codeine]

28. I was.

But I'm weird, admittedly.

[Tarheel_Dem]

29. I don't know your age group, but lots of young folks got involved with..

the McGovern race. I'm not quite that old, but if I'm not mistaken, the draft was a real motivator back in the day. Young folks couldn't wait to be able to vote, in an effort to put an end to the draft, and the underlying need for it. The draft ended when I was a junior in high school, so I think my generation became a little complacent, for a time, because the threat was over.

[Codeine]

35. I was a teen in the 80s.

My first votes were for Dukakis and Leo McCarthy. Talk about a reality check! :rofl:

[treestar]

30. True. I always vote in them, but don't require any firing up

It doesn't have to be some exciting drama.

[Tarheel_Dem]

31. Exactly. I don't get the notion that the president has to be in perpetual..

campaign mode to keep the base "fired up". He has to govern. It's just beyond ridiculous.

[treestar]

32. As he said to Rolling Stone:

I could have had a knock-down, drag-out fight on the public option that might have energized you and The Huffington Post, and we would not have health care legislation now. I could have taken certain positions on aspects of the financial regulatory bill, where we got 90 percent of what we set out to get, and I could have held out for that last 10 percent, and we wouldn't have a bill. You've got to make a set of decisions in terms of "What are we trying to do here? Are we trying to just keep everybody ginned up for the next election, or at some point do you try to win elections because you're actually trying to govern?" I made a decision early on in my presidency that if I had an opportunity to do things that would make a difference for years to come, I'm going to go ahead and take it.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/17390/209395?RS_show_page=1

[Tarheel_Dem]

33. Awesome quote. And it's so true. When I hear people saying he didn't

"fight for this", or "fight for that", it's easy for me to dismiss them because I know they read that crap on somebody's blog. Most have no idea what the administration has accomplished, only what it hasn't. Twenty months in, and I think he's doing a helluva job. :toast:

[madmax]

5. Maybe there never was a gap

could be the polls suck ;)

[Aramchek]

6. that headline should be "enthusiasm gap closed"

[gkhouston]

9. I'm wondering if it should be "enthusiam gap largely an imaginary construct of the MSM" n/t

[Historic NY]

7. K&R.

[MH1]

10. ..

:kick:

[silverweb]

11. K&R

:kick:

[angee_is_mad]

12. Obama's Base

is coming out!

[dccrossman]

13. Hopefully the timing is right, seems like it is

Gotta light these fires as we lead up to November. Tea Party and their handlers may have peaked too early.

[girl gone mad]

14. I don't see it at all, and I wish I did.

Maybe it's because I'm around young people, many of whom are really struggling and see the system as broken and corrupt, with Obama now very much a part of that corrupt system. :shrug:

[smalll]

19. Kids won't vote. They don't even know what the midterms are.

Hell, most of them won't even show up for their OWN midterms -- if the binge drinking/ecstasy taking/blowjobs are especially satisfying in the dorms the night before.

:shrug:

[babylonsister]

20. That explains the 27,000 of them in Madison yesterday. nt

[girl gone mad]

23. It was a free concert in nice weather..

on a college campus early in the semester. I would be shocked if 20% of those kids show up at the polls.

[mikekohr]

24. I know Students at Madison and they were pumped that the President was there and they will vote

-RESULTS MATTER-
Vote Democrat!

mike kohr
Bureau County Democrats (Illinois)
http://bureaucountydems.blogspot.com

[Jennicut]

22. You have a pretty disgusting view of younger people.

I have gone back to college and can attest to the fact that there are plenty of intelligent non binge drinking twentysomethings out there. I am student teaching right now and work with two of them and they don't represent your stereotype at all.

[craigmatic]

15. Absolutely great to hear. If we can close it nation wide we're going to hold both houses.

[vaberella]

18. That's what I like to hear. n/t

[Jennicut]

21. Hmmm, well I am at the cutoff for young voters (at 34) and I am very enthusiastic.

We shall see if we younger folks participate or not. I have a feeling there will be more younger voters then people think.

[flpoljunkie]

27. Altho 18-34 gap is large, the overall enthusiasm numbers are 64% to 55%.

Heard those numbers on MSNBC around lunchtime, but cannot find it anywhere on the web. Tellingly, The Wall Street describes these same numbers as 'two-thirds' of Republicans and 'about half' of Democrats as enthusiastic. The poll also concludes the Tea Party is a major force driving the 'enthusiasm gap.'

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703882404575520252928390046.html

Perhaps because it's good for the Dems, they are emphasizing the huge enthusiasm gap between the young and those 65 and over. President Obama is working hard to change that.

[mikekohr]

34. Link to article on the President's Rally in Madison Yesterday

WisPolitics: Obama urges UW-Madison rally to turn out this fall
9/29/2010

MADISON -- Returning to some of the political staging that got him to the White House, President Obama on Tuesday urged thousands of UW-Madison students to "care enough to fight" for what they voted for in 2008.

He warned Republicans are counting on them to stay home this November so the GOP can ride back to power and return to economic policies that have already failed.

"We cannot sit this one out," Obama told a packed Library Mall on campus. "We cannot let this country fall backwards because the rest of us didn’t care enough to fight." -clip-

read article: http://www.readersupportednews.org/off-site-news-section/69-69/3460-obama-feingold-fire-up-wisconson-democrats

mike kohr
Bureau County Democrats (Illinois)
http://bureaucountydems.blogspot.com