medicineman
New Member
Hey Congress, How's That Capitulation Vote Looking Now?
by wmtriallawyer
Tue Jun 05, 2007 at 06:03:41 AM PDT
Many of us who were angered by the fact that many Congressional Democrats seemingly gave up on their attempt to defund the war effort after one lousy veto knew it really wasn't about whether the policy would actually work or not. It had more to do with demonstrating leadership, and more to do with the perception that capitulation to this President would create.
Well, according to the front page of today's Washington Post, the proof, as they say, is in the polling. And it should be a huge wake-up for Democrats on the Hill when they have to revisit this issue again in a few monthhttp://daily kos
Turns out, as predicted, a lot of folks are pretty upset with this Congress at this point. And most of that discontent has to do with Iraq:
If that doesn't scare the pants off you guys on the Hill, maybe this will:
With independents, you really blew it:
Here's my little bit of advice:
Ditch the beltway blowhards telling you what to do.
Start listening to the real people that got you there...the voters.
Maybe then you'll find out what real leadership is like.
And those so-called "hard choices" won't look so hard anymore.
by wmtriallawyer
Tue Jun 05, 2007 at 06:03:41 AM PDT
Many of us who were angered by the fact that many Congressional Democrats seemingly gave up on their attempt to defund the war effort after one lousy veto knew it really wasn't about whether the policy would actually work or not. It had more to do with demonstrating leadership, and more to do with the perception that capitulation to this President would create.
Well, according to the front page of today's Washington Post, the proof, as they say, is in the polling. And it should be a huge wake-up for Democrats on the Hill when they have to revisit this issue again in a few monthhttp://daily kos
Turns out, as predicted, a lot of folks are pretty upset with this Congress at this point. And most of that discontent has to do with Iraq:
Almost six in 10 Americans said they do not think the additional troops sent to Iraq since the beginning of the year will help restore civil order there, and 53 percent -- a new high in Post-ABC News polls -- said they do not believe that the war has contributed to the long-term security of the United States.
Hellllllooooo, Congress, are you listening? New highs in the disapproval of Iraq. Nearly 60% think the escalation is a sham. And guess what? They're looking at you guys for the leadership on the issue:
Disapproval of Bush's performance in office remains high, but the poll highlighted growing disapproval of the new Democratic majority in Congress. Just 39 percent said they approve of the job Congress is doing, down from 44 percent in April, when the new Congress was about 100 days into its term. More significant, approval of congressional Democrats dropped 10 percentage points over that same period, from 54 percent to 44 percent.
A ten point drop. Ten whole points. Have you woken up yet, because the phone is still ringing:
Much of that drop was fueled by lower approval ratings of the Democrats in Congress among strong opponents of the war, independents and liberal Democrats.
That's right. You 1. pissed off the base (anti-war voters, liberal Democrats) and 2. the people you need to win (those pesky independents).
If that doesn't scare the pants off you guys on the Hill, maybe this will:
The new poll showed that Americans have recalibrated their view of who is taking the lead in Washington. Earlier this year, majorities of Americans said they believed that the Democrats were taking the initiative in the capital, but now there is an even split, with 43 percent saying Bush is taking the stronger leadership role and 45 percent saying the Democrats are.
Get that? About the same amount of people think BUSH is as strong a leader as YOU folks are. It only took six months (and one vote) to piss away your standing as leaders in our capital.
With independents, you really blew it:
That shift occurred across the political spectrum. In April, 59 percent of independents said Democrats were taking a stronger role, but that figure has dropped 15 points, to 44 percent.
Has it sunk in yet? Do you get it?
Here's my little bit of advice:
Ditch the beltway blowhards telling you what to do.
Start listening to the real people that got you there...the voters.
Maybe then you'll find out what real leadership is like.
And those so-called "hard choices" won't look so hard anymore.
