Public opinion rising against Democrat/Obama stances and initiatives
The gentlemen at Power Line have taken note of this post over at The Corner by Yuval Levin wherein some interesting trendlines are noted in Rasmussen poling data since the election last November.
Moe Lane points to some interesting trends in Rasmussen issue polling over the past few months, suggesting the “Democrats Ascendant” storyline is not all it seems to be. Just before last year’s election, the Democrats had a 13 point edge on economic issues, which is now down to 1 point. They even had a 3 point edge on handling national security, but today the GOP has a 7 point lead on those issues (and a 2 point lead on Iraq). Similarly, on taxes a 5 point Democratic lead has become a 6 point Republican lead.
The full table is certainly eye-opening.
| October 2008 | May 2009 | ||||||
| Issue | Dem | GOP | Diff | Dem | GOP | Diff | Cumulative Shift |
| Economy | 51% | 38% | 13 | 44% | 43% | 1 | (12) |
| Govt Ethics | 40% | 30% | 10 | 40% | 29% | 11 | 1 |
| National Sec. | 47% | 44% | 3 | 41% | 48% | (7) | (10) |
| Education | 53% | 34% | 19 | 49% | 36% | 13 | (6) |
| Healthcare | 54% | 34% | 20 | 53% | 35% | 18 | (2) |
| Taxes | 47% | 42% | 5 | 41% | 47% | (6) | (11) |
| Iraq | 47% | 42% | 5 | 41% | 43% | (2) | (7) |
| Social Security | 49% | 37% | 12 | 48% | 39% | 9 | (3) |
| Abortion | 47% | 38% | 9 | 41% | 41% | - | (9) |
| Immigration | 40% | 38% | 2 | 36% | 37% | (1) | (3) |
In the matters of national security, taxes, and the overall economy there’s been a 10-point-plus shift in the public’s assessment of which party has the right ideas and which the wrong ones. In literally every category listed, the public sided with the Democrats’ policies and plans. In just the 4 months since the current administration took office and the Democrat majorities in Congress were seated, voter assessment has reversed on 5 4 of the 10 listed and a sixth fifth is in a tie at the moment. The Power Line post offers this insight:
It’s worth noting that little or none of this shift is due to anything Republicans have done; rather, it is a function of voters’ observations of the Democrats in power. When the Republicans were in power, the Democrats were “the other guys.” Now that the Democrats are in power, they are being transformed, in the public’s view, into “the power-crazed guys who are amazingly liberal, spend money like water, don’t care about national security and are laying the foundation for massive tax increases and destruction of the free enterprise system.” Small wonder that their appeal is rapidly diminishing.
Yes, and we’re just getting started. It won’t be until next November – and I mean the one after this one coming up in 6 months – that voters will have the chance to change things up in Congress. I certainly hope they take advantage of the opportunity but Republicans must give them a good reason to make that change. Until then, it’s going to be a bumpy ride. I hope we don’t run off the rails until then, but we have more immediate work to do, especially here in Virginia.
