I’m pretty well exasperated with the stalemate in Washington, but I am holding out hope that the public will smash the Republicans in 2008 and give Democrats such large majorities (and the White House) that there will be no more excuses for not moving aggressively on at least a center-left agenda. And despite my frustrations, I still see this as a likely scenario.
Despite discontent with Congress this year, the public rates congressional Republicans (29 percent approve) lower than congressional Democrats (38 percent approve). When the parties are pitted directly against each other, the public broadly favors Democrats on Iraq, health care, the federal budget and the economy. Only on the issue of terrorism are Republicans at parity with Democrats.
Other recent polls have shown the Democrats leading on terrorism and foreign policy. The Republicans are really just the party of the deep south now. It’s up to the electorate to make that clear.
The Democrats’ strategy is deeply unpopular with liberal Democrats, but who the hell are they gonna vote for? Ralph Nader?
More than eight in 10 liberal Democrats said Congress has been too restrained, while about the same percentage of conservative Republicans said it has been too aggressive. A narrow majority of independents, 53 percent, want more congressional action.
Yes, we want more action…
But if we aren’t going to get it we will look for the Democratic candidate (Dodd, Richardson) that promises more action. And then we will join with the broader electorate to absolutely eviscerate the last vestiges of the GOP from New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the Upper Midwest, and the West Coast. And we’ll make further inroads in the border states. In 2009 there will be little left of the GOP outside of the Old Confederacy and some of the plains and mountain states.
