"Why the Democrats Are Losing Ground As Obama Is Gaining It"...

[BlooInBloo]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/drew-westen/why-the-democrats-are-los_b_186047.html

A good article. It's mostly aimed at the Democratic "Gawd I hate that they're on my team" Congress, but also good stuff (both complimentary and critical) on Obama for (a) being a goddamn dynamo but (b) not filling the vacuum Congress is leaving behind.

While the President is off being the leader of the free world and trying to restore prosperity at home, someone needs to manage the blind trust of the Democratic Party before its assets dwindle like shares of Citigroup. President Obama's approval ratings have continued to break records, and with good reason. In less than 3 months, he has already proven himself remarkably capable as a leader, in getting a stimulus package passed (while learning some hard lessons about splitting the difference in policy with the people who created the mess); steadfastly refusing to jettison health care, energy, and education reform from his budget in tough economic times; beginning to heal the deep wounds left by his predecessor in the U.S.'s relationship with the rest of the world through both his mastery of foreign affairs and his emotional intelligence as diplomat-in-chief; and even signaling his intention to take on comprehensive immigration reform. All of this has happened as Republicans have seemed increasingly impotent, ideologically inflexible, and oppositional, none of which endears them to anyone but the 30% who still think Bush was a great president (and apparently remain off their medication).

Yet at the same time, something else is happening under the radar: the fortunes of Democrats more generally are starting to wane. March was a good month for Barack Obama but a bad month for the Democratic Party. As the latest Rasmussen polls show, in March the percent of voters who consider themselves Democrats dropped by 2 percent--four times the rate of decline among Republicans (even as the Republicans were publicly flailing, producing numberless budgets, and unwittingly branding themselves as the party of old ideas and the party of "no"). More ominous, the margin of voters supporting a Democrat over a Republican in a generic ballot for Congress dropped to its lowest point since both the Iraq War and the economy had clearly gone south by 2006: one percent (40 vs. 39%).

...

[RoadRage]

1. I can understand this...

I for one am a democrat, and stronly support Obama. However, I'm not thrilled with the bailout - I understand the need for it, but it totally makes me cringe and I was hardly jumping up and down for it. I think that bailing out the Automakes is a big mistake.

I think that the earmarks that both dems & republicans just pushed through in the budget are unwarrented.. and should have been removed.

I think the public is just sick of politics as usual.. they see that Obama is staying as true to his word as possible, he's definitely "CHANGE". But the democrats are doing many of the same slimy things that they were doing 2 years ago.. and it's not going unnoticed.

Nevermind all of the scandals involving Blago, etc. Keep your noses clean Dems.. don't get power hungry and act like idiotic Republicans!

[rwheeler31]

2. Stupid blue dogs are trying to kill what we voted for.

Change

[defendandprotect]

3. Democrats have been in majority now two years and still TWO WARS . . .

and still NO HEALTH CARE -- !!!

Plus the trade agreements are still in play and America is jobless!!

Why would they be popular.

Obviously, the Republicans should be finished after W -- for all time!!!

If the Democrats are also going down ... where are independents going?

[depakid]

4. While I'm not keen on Westen's reliance on Rassmussen data- he's illustrating a point with it

which essentially is the same point he's made for years about branding and defining one's opponent (which in this case is the Republican party) and creating repeatedly reinforcing a contrast with one's own party's beliefs and values.

The process needs to be done whener heated issues come up or there's an impending policy battle. Branding like this potentially backs the DINO's away from enabling the opposition, because no one- not Bayh or even Nelson, wants to be repeatedly associated with unpopular affiliations or with the consequences people associate with FAILED right wing policies.

It's powerful leverage- though as Weston astutely notes:

It may be that the President is not the right messenger for this message (although FDR had no trouble being both an inspirational and transformational leader while also leading his party, and the Republicans became the "Party of Lincoln" after the gangly leader from Illinois not only said a few choice things about those who wanted to hang onto their slaves but actually sent an army after them). And it could be that he is right to stand above the fray. It could also be that House and Senate Democrats need to be more forceful with the media about covering their statements, since their leadership has been less reluctant to talk in partisan tones.

But someone needs to be in the fray other than the GOP. The worst thing to be in politics is silent, because it allows the other side to shape public sentiment uncontested. It wouldn't hurt to have a Southern voice like Tim Kaine's behind a megaphone with a "D" written on it. But whether it's Kaine or someone else with credibility and charisma, somebody needs to start saying what Democrats and Republicans stand for other than Newt Gingrich, John Boehner, and Richard Shelby. That's a lesson we should have learned a long time ago.

On some of these matters- Biden would be a decent choice. I'm sure we can think of others.

Hopefully, Obama, Rahm & Kaine, et al. get the message- because, ironically, too often in the past "the party of faith pays close attention to the science of voter decision-making, while we in the alledged party of science still place inordinate faith in voters' appreciation of our policy proposals."

[opihimoimoi]

5. The Pubs look for chinks in the Dem Armor...Obama too strong? Get a smaller Dem

get them to infight....denigrate them....do something....

[Mass]

6. He makes this analysis on ONE public poll? Really.

Hopefully for him, he has other polls showing the same thing and it is not an outliar.

[Jennicut]

7. Seriously, and this is a Rasmussen poll we are talking about here

Other polls have shown higher ratings for Dems then Repubs in congress. Also, Repubs are SO pathetic they are almost irrelevant. The unpopular Dems will fill the void of unpopular Repubs because the Repubs mean nothing right now. Franks, Dodd, etc. will be picked on but in the long run people will still vote Democratic if Obama delivers. This is so not like 1994.