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My personal musings about anything that gets on my radar screen--heavily dominated by politics.

2006-04-29

More Evidence Of Republicans Deserving To Lose

Rasmussen reports on a new poll that contains some obvious news for Republicans [courtesy The Corner]

Democrats currently hold a 12-point advantage over Republicans on a generic 2008 Presidential ballot. However, a third-party candidate focusing on immigration enforcement issues could fundamentally alter those political dynamics.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national opinion survey finds that 44% of Americans say they would vote for a Democrat if the Presidential Election were held today. Just 32% would vote for a Republican. Those figures are likely a reflection of unhappiness with the Bush Administration rather than a commentary on prospective candidates from either party.

The survey also asked respondents how they would vote if "a third party candidate ran in 2008 and promised to build a barrier along the Mexican border and make enforcement of immigration law his top priority."

With that option, support fell sharply for both major parties. The Democrats still come out on top with support from 31% of Americans. The third party candidate moved into a virtual tie at 30% while the GOP fell to 21%.

I'm not sure why this is so difficult. If the Democrats lose 13% to such a candidate, and the GOP loses 11%, that still leaves a 6% margin that's outside the normal party confines which is focused pretty directly on this one issue. It also seems to indicate that the combination of this immigration group plus recoving the GOP voters puts the GOP pretty darn close to the magical number of 50%.

I realize that polls are a bad way to guage making policy; but I also think that it's at the core of our process that the electeds represent, at least in some miniscule degree, the will of governed. So at what point does the GOP start listening--even a little bit?

Oh, yeah, that's right--two or three days AFTER the Democrats do.

Sadly I'm not sure the President has left himself any room for wiggle on this issue. Stick to his guns, and embrace a losing issue; change his mind, and he's an obvious and opportunistic flip-flopper. And he may actually be working from conviction on this one; but if so, he's done a piss-poor job of explaining the point, and by now he's lost any power to change the inertia of this issue.

Like I said once before, it's time for someone out there to take the lead on this.
Posted by: Michael / 4/29/2006 12:40:00 AM

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