Even Conservatives Aren’t Buying What The GOP’s Selling

by John Hawkins | May 8, 2006 5:31 am

The GOP’s polling numbers are hideous and still getting worse. In particular, these numbers from AP-Ipsos[1] really jump out at you:

“Forty-five percent of self-described conservatives now disapprove of the president….Even 31 percent of conservatives want Republicans out of power….Six of 10 conservatives say America is headed in the wrong direction.”

We’ve had high gas prices, Katrina woes, the port deal, corruption charges, and the President hasn’t aggressively been defending the war in Iraq or firing back at the Democrats. Add to that, the fact conservatives have been screaming their lungs out about deficit spending and illegal immigration while the President and the Senate have absolutely gone out of their way to let the base know that they could give a hoot in hell about what conservatives think about those issues. Put it all together and it’s easy to see why a lot of conservatives are angry at the GOP, but to be fair, everyone seems to loathe the Democrats as well, although perhaps marginally less than they despise Republicans.

You know what the really surprising thing is at this point? That we’re less than 6 months from the election and the President and the Senate just don’t seem to be getting the message. The Senate just pushed through a pork laden emergency spending bill. Moreover, both Bush and the Senate are backing an unpopular illegal-friendly immigration bill despite the fact that the American people, in almost every different way you can slice ’em up, prefer the House approach.

So, when do their political survival instincts start kicking in? Even though President Bush isn’t up for reelection again, he has to realize that he can’t push an agenda through with his approval in the thirties. The RINOS in the Senate have also got to understand that if the Democrats regain control, the next couple of years are going to be absolutely miserable. Yet, they’re still acting like they couldn’t care less if the GOP wins in November.

Time is running out, guys, and you’ve got to wake up! The GOP needs to start representing their constituents instead of treading water and pandering to special interests or it’s going to be one ugly election day in November. As a matter of fact, a lot of damage has already been done and it’s going to take a real attitude adjustment just to minimize the damage.

When, if ever, are they going to figure that out? It’s anybody’s guess at this point.

*** Update #1 ***: Just about the only thing the GOP in the Senate and Bush have going for them is that the American people don’t like the Democrats either:

“Polls of generic support for the major parties are notoriously unreliable as a predictor.. In 1996, Democrats enjoyed a 14-point advantage over Republicans in congressional races only two months before the election. In the end, they gained only nine seats, and that was before sophisticated gerrymandering dramatically shrank the number of competitive districts and after Republicans won some heavily Democratic districts in 1994. Jonathan Last, a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer, also reminds us that “Democrats have shown time and again that they can blow a lead like nobody’s business.”

The other problem Democrats still face is that the public thinks almost as badly about them as they do the Republicans. The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC poll finds just 33% have a positive view of the Democratic Party, with 39% having a negative view. Republican numbers are worse, but just barely: 35% positive, 43% negative.”

So, if the GOP doesn’t get its act together soon, should our campaign slogan for 2006 be, “Better the devil you know,” or, “We’re the lesser of two evils?” I’m kind of leaning towards the, “lesser of two evils,” one. It sounds catchier…

Endnotes:
  1. AP-Ipsos: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12643666/

Source URL: https://rightwingnews.com/uncategorized/even-conservatives-arent-buying-what-the-gops-selling/