I don’t know if it’s dissatisfaction over the health care bill, unprecedented debt spending, or an overall disgust of the socialist Obama agenda, but Republican Senate and gubernatorial candidates are cruising in the latest polls:
- Arkansas – Democrat Blanche Lincoln trails all four potential Republican candidates in her state.
- Colorado – Appointed Democrat Senator Michael Bennet is trailing every potential Republican opponent and has a favorable rating of only 39%.
- Connecticut – Republican Rob Simmons is now leading Senator Chris Dodd by 13 points.
- Delaware – Congressman Mike Castle is ahead of Beau Biden, son of VP Joe Biden by six points and has consistently lead Biden with the exception of one poll since entering the race.
- Iowa – Governor Chet Culver is getting obliterated by former Governor Terry Branstad. Branstad leads the incumbent Culver by 25 points.
- Nevada – Harry Reid is becoming Tom Daschle the sequel. He is trailing one Republican opponent by ten and the other by six.
- Ohio – Senate candidate Rob Portman holds a seven point lead over Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and two points over Lt Gov Lee Fisher. Additionally, John Kasich has shot ahead of Governor Ted Strickland by nine points.
- Pennsylvania – Pat Toomey is leading both Arlen Specter and Joe Sestak in his match up.
For this many incumbents to be hurting this badly in the polls is quite rare, not to mention many of these Democrats are in reliably blue states. The kicker is that all of this is happening despite the fact that the GOP really does not have a leader out in front and center like they had with Gingrich in 1994 and right now they are doing better than the GOP was at this time in 1993. This is a testament to just how badly the Democrats are performing in Congress.
Americans were opposed to Cap and Trade in the high 60 percentile and the House passed it anyway. Now, with the bill looking dead in the Senate the EPA has come declaring green house gasses a serious harm to the American people in an attempt to give them a back door to implementing Cap and Trade without Congressional approval.
61% of Americans are currently opposed to the Senate health care plan, but they are pushing through with it anyway. Recently a reporter asked Nancy Pelosi what part of the Constitution grants the Federal government to right to mandate health insurance coverage and her reply was, “are you serious?”
The economy continues to bury us and President Obama continues to stick to the same failed strategy of spend, spend, spend despite that it hasn’t worked.
The arrogance and complete disdain for the will and freedoms of the American people is what is sinking the Democrats faster than an anchor. They have forgotten that they are there to represent the people, not control them. Amusingly, Democrats are actually trying to blame their woes on the Republicans labeling them as obstructionists even though the Democrats hold a filibuster proof majority and an ever larger majority than the GOP had at any time from 1994 when they took control of Congress to 2006 when they lost it.
Perhaps the Republicans don’t need a Newt Gingrich next year. They may be able to just stand aside and let nature take its course.
Without a ‘newt’, we should do well, but with a ‘newt’, it could be total destruction for the party.
On this note, is it pathetic, or reaaaallly pathetic, that this far into the healthcare push, there really hasnt been a conservative lawmaker take the lead, or anything close, on opposing and making an intelligent case against the policy?
I am more favorable to the headless monster approach we are seeing. Many of these candidates are defining themselves. Very much like the Democrats did in 2006, focusing on individual candidates might be the best strategy.
Thats a good point ryan.
Also….I made a mistake in my first comment…. ‘democrat’ should have been before ‘party’ in the first sentence.
The headless monster approach works well in two ways. First, the candidates are defining themselves not being defined on the national level. Second, it allows the focus to be on an increasingly unpopular president instead of a Republican figurehead that has little power and serves as more of a liability.
Branstad is leading Culver in a head to head name ID only poll, but is going to have trouble winning the GOP primary. Culver and Branstad are both “incumbents” to a lot of people, and they have almost identical records – except that Culver is the only one of the two who hasn’t raised taxes.
I don’t know much about Branstad, just that he won four terms to the governorship before.
Iowa Observer seems to be hinting that people are going to vote anti-incumbent. I am not sure that is completely the case. I think people are also looking for competency.