Voters having buyer's remorse over GOP

[RyanPsych]

From Wisconsin to Florida, voters are nursing a bad case of buyer's remorse concerning the rookie Republican governors they elected in 2010.
Surfing into office on the GOP wave in the midterm elections, these first-term governors have rammed through right-wing agendas in their first months in office—attacking unions, slashing jobless benefits, pushing voter ID bills, and rejecting federal funds for popular infrastructure and transportation projects. In near-record time, voters are souring on these conservatives—and in some cases, clamoring for their recall. This blowback could pave the way for a Democratic resurgence in these states in 2012 and boost President Barack Obama’s reelection chances—for, coincidentally or not, several of these free-falling governors reside in crucial battleground states. If their fortunes continue to plummet, these governors could end up being a serious drag on the Republican presidential nomination.

Florida's Rick Scott and Ohio's John Kasich are currently the leading contenders for the title of the most unpopular governor in America, according to a recent Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey. (A mere 32 percent of respondents approve of Scott, while just 33 percent support Kasich. A separate Quinnipiac poll puts Scott's approval even lower, at 29 percent.) Michigan's Rick Snyder is struggling with a 33 percent approval rating, and in Wisconsin, 43 percent approve of Scott Walker, PPP found—down 3 points from February and 9 from Election Day 2010. Only 41 percent of respondents gave Iowa's Terry Branstad a thumb's up. Even New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a darling of the GOP, has seen his approval plummet in recent weeks, according to a recent PublicMind released by Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Florida, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin—the list reads like a roadmap for a 2012 victory, for either side. "Kasich and his first-term Republican brethren across the Midwest may be the best thing that's ever happened to Barack Obama's reelection chances," writes PPP pollster Tom Jensen.

The decline of these GOP governors famously began in the Badger State. In February, Walker sparked a national controversy by threatening to use the National Guard against citizens protesting his plan to strip public-employee unions of most of their collective bargaining rights. In response, more than 100,000 demonstrators filled the streets of Madison, the state capital. Walker became the face of the GOP's anti-union assault around the country. But prior to his assault on unions, Walker had started alienating voters by rejecting $810 million in federal money to build a high-speed rail line in the state. This past Thursday, he signed into law an unpopular voter ID bill, which critics say is unnecessary and will only disenfranchise college students and elderly citizens.

read more at: http://motherjones.com/politics/2011/05/republican-governor-unpopular-obama-president

[randr]

1. The Great Awakening

As faux/rush numbers tumble, repubs lose or are recalled in special elections, and the RNC keeps its wagons hitched to fright wing think tank ideas the people of the country are getting a true picture of what a return to the 19th century would mean.
We, on the left, now must hold our leaders to their promises and stop the slide to the right that the nation has been experiencing as the dead weight on the right falls of the edge.

[iwishiwas]

2. I am not ready to count my chickies at this point.

[vi5]

3. None of this means anything....

Unless Democratic leaders have the courage to say "That's what they stand for. You don't like it. At all. They want to destroy all the institutions you hold dear and love. Public Schools. Workers rights. Medicare. Social Security. We stand for the complete opposite of that. We want to preserve and strengthen those things. Vote for us."

rather than what they seem to want to do is "That's what they stand for. You don't like it. At all. We stand for a slightly less extreme version of that. We'll only slightly weaken those things you hold dear and love."

That's barely convincing hardcore democrats that they need to vote for them. What the heck makes them think it's going to appeal to low information independent voters?

[Doctor_J]

5. Word

:thumbsup:

I am waiting for just one of the DC Dems to say, "You will not touch Medicare while I have a vote"

All I hear are crickets chirping

[Scuba]

7. Bingo. Thank you!!

[BeyondGeography]

4. Voters want someone to kiss the boo-boo and make it better

and then they wonder why they aren't satisfied.

[Scuba]

6. Just because this is happening doesn't mean it's true. The MSM will continue...

...to portray the right as having leadership and the races as being close. That will become the new "truth".

Ergo, when the elections are stolen, the People will get what they were told they would get.

[RC]

8. The Democrats need to come up with viable candidates, with common sense

solutions and answers to the rabid, paranoid, crazies on the right. I mean real Democrats and Liberals, NOT DINO's

[Alcibiades]

9. The electorate is different in different elections

It is likely that many of the folks who have "buyers remorse" did not, in fact, buy these governors to begin with: nationally, we saw about 41-42% of folks turned out in 2010. Many of the folks who voted democratic in 2008 are young or otherwise new voters, folks who turn out at lower rates in midterms.

We'll see better results with more voters.

[RyanPsych]

10. That may be so

but to get those voters we're going to have to work harder this year than ever due to all the voter ID laws the Rethugs have enacted.

[Alcibiades]

11. That's true

Of course, it matters mainly at the margins: what's most important will be registering new voters and making sure we get everyone out to vote. Here in NC, the republicans are trying to restrict early voting, and said restrictions will not be popular with voters: plenty of folks like the convenience, and most agree that electoral participation is good. It's nakedly partisan.

The voter ID requirements will be something we will have to educate folks on, but not insurmountable.

[Enthusiast]

12. These bullies can't be re-elected

unless they compromise election integrity. That is their goal. They are ruthless.

[mwb970]

13. The Mother Jones website has been down for days.

Too bad, I really want to read this article.