I’ve gotten to the point where I think one of the biggest obstacles to ending the war is the incredible, booming, popularity of the Democratic Party. You’d never know that the Democratic Party is stunningly popular if you restricted yourself to looking at congressional approval numbers and talking to progressive activists. But it’s true, nonetheless.
Rasmussen Reports. 9/4. Likely voters. MoE 4% (8/1 results)
Generic congressional ballot
Democrats 50 (47)
Republicans 32 (37)
It’s not just that stunning generic ballot margin. For the first time ever, the Dems are outraising the Republicans. The longer the war goes on, the more people hate Bush and hate Bush’s party. But, at some point, you say, the people will begin blaming the Democrats for the war and this advantage will disappear. Perhaps, but it is far riskier to force an end to the war over the objections of the President and his party. Then we’ll have ownership over the consequences…which will not be pretty.
The Dems are reluctant to end this war because there is not enough political upside to it. The status quo is a bonanza. Self-described moderates consider the Democrats in Congress to be moderate (52%), while they consider the Republicans to be conservative (51%). Combine this with staggering new numbers that show young people and Hispanics are more and more identifying with the Democratic Party, and you can see the makings of a supermajority ruling party. Why risk screwing this up?
The answer is, of course, that ending this war is the right thing to do…morally, financially, and militarily. And that means, ultimately, that it is the right thing to do politically.