Monday, June 27, 2005

Bush collapsing in the polls

If you are like I am, a severe drop in Bush's poll ratings is a joy to behold. For as much joy as you can handle at the moment, go on over to the Emerging Democratic Majority where Ruy Teixeira explains what the new ARG (American Research Group, Inc) poll shows.

His final question - how will this effect the 2006 elections - is the really relevant question right now. It really is time for Democrats and progressives to get it in gear and be ready to take advantage of the fact that the Republican idiocies and criminalities of the last ten years are catching up to them.


ADDENDUM June 28, 2005
Kevin Drum offers another of his great graphs.

This shows the slide in the President's polls over time, with a variety of different polls grouped together. The graphic emphasizes the fact the the slide in the President's poll ratings is not a short-term thing, nor is it the artifact of a single poll. It is broad-based and the trend is clear.

The Republicans read these polls and take their own. I suspect that the reaction from the White House will be more "Red Meat" statements like the recent ones by Kark Rove which are designed to split Americans into "For the Administration" and "Against the administration" groups. This will force wavering Republicans to adhere more closely to the White House policies.

At the same time, the Senate and House Republicans will be looking at the 2006 elections. For many, the urge to separate themselves from the more extreme of the White House initiatives will prove overwhelming.

The Republicans are weakening. The question is, can the Democrats take advantage? The problems in the Democratic/Progressive camp are referred to at Why Social Security Will be destroyed and the Josh Marshall report it refers to at TPM Cafe.

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