Democrats lead among registered voters.

[ProSense]

THAT STUBBORN GAP....

The top-line results in the new Washington Post/ABC News poll are about what we'd expect given the prevailing political winds -- Republicans are well positioned to make huge gains on Election Day.

But the gap between all Americans and those Americans likely to vote continues to be one of the year's most important trends.

Among registered voters...

* On the generic ballot, Democrats lead Republicans by five points (49% to 44%).

* On which party would do better coping with the nation's problems over the next few years, Democrats lead Republicans by five points (45% to 40%).

* On which party is more trustworthy on the economy, Democrats lead Republicans by five points (47% to 42%).

* On which party better represents your own personal values, Democrats lead Republicans by six points (48% to 42%).

Among likely voters...

* On the generic ballot, Republicans lead Democrats by four points (49% to 45%).

* On which party would do better coping with the nation's problems over the next few years, Republicans lead Democrats by four points (45% to 41%).

* On which party is more trustworthy on the economy, Republicans lead Democrats by four points (47% to 43%).

* On which party better represents your own personal values, Republicans lead Democrats by four points (48% to 44%).

This really isn't complicated. If it were up to the larger population of registered voters, Dems would be poised to do fairly well on Tuesday. But at this point, it's Republicans who plan to show up on Election Day.

[Tippy]

1. K&R

[mvd]

2. We must GOTV!

I just can't imagine so many Democrats staying home after what we went through with Bush. I think we will surprise the media.

[still_one]

3. It is really quite simple, anyone who is a Democrat who sits this one out is propelling

a republican agenda which includes privatizing social security and medicare, removing all regulations, and effectively endorsing the policies of 8 years of bush

[oswaldactedalone]

4. Here's my observation about a reason

for some of the gap. I've made it my mission in my area, city of 260,000, to go into low income areas and encourage voting. As a result, I speak to more African-Americans face to face than most white Americans will(I call myself a one man ACORN group.) My observation is that too many register to vote, but then don't where their polling place is, or what to do when they change addresses after registering.

Obviously, what you are supposed to do after moving is change your address at the elections office, but very few(of any of us) take the time to do it. As a result, I find their original polling place in my database, tell them to show up there, and give their address when they registered so they can vote there. Of course, we have early voting here, so I'll give them a polling place nearest to their current address, and tell them to do the same thing.

I'll promise you this, if that type of outreach was developed by Democrats all around the country, the gap between registered and likely voters would close considerably.

[still_one]

6. I am from California, and the race for Govenor and Senator actually put the republicans ahead. It

was only after the republican candidates opened their mouths, endorsing Arizona's racial profiling law, that they realized the threat, and the poll numbers changed.

[rasputin1952]

18. Reach out! Thank you!!!

:thumbsup:

[Kdillard]

8. +1000

[Xenotime]

5. Vote. Vote! VOTE!!

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

7. We already know that there is more of US than there are THEM...

That's why they're always trying to suppress the vote. If we simply got out and voted in massive numbers, they can't steal it.

If turnout is so high--like or more than it was in 2008--there's no way they should be able to steal it.

[DemocraticPilgrim]

9. If we turn up we win, if we don't we lose a lot more than just the election...

Drive all your friends to the polls, like life depends on it because it just might.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

10. A "likely" story.

I'll only be convinced Wednesday morning. The drum beat started so early I'm suspicious of its veracity.

[Phx_Dem]

11. So let me get this straight . . .

During these times of economic hardship in which millions are unemployed, the majority of people believe the Dems are best able to handle these problems but rather than vote for those people, they will sit out and allow the other party to erode the economic progress we've made in the last two years? Yep, that sounds like the average apaethic American.

And when that happens, and we have to listen to them bitch about how tough times are. My response will be . . . Fuck you, you brought it on yourseves when you relected George Bush in 2004 and then voted the GOP back into office in 2010, or sat on your ass and did nothing to stop the extremists lunatics from taking office. If you can't find a job, it's probably because you're too fucking stupid to be hired.

[jillan]

12. Please VOTE!

[Imajika]

13. The Democrats are the real majority party...

More people identify as Democrats and more people support Democrats. Period.

All the fighting and bickering and fear mongering aside, Democrats are just flat out more popular than Republicans.

We ARE the majority party. The only reason we can't hold or even grow our majorities is because not enough people are politically active.

It's pretty much been this way for a very long time. Republicans win, because the majority are all too often unmotivated.

If/when the Republicans take the House next week, they will still be unpopular and will only have made those gains because the public was collectively too lazy to vote.

[RBInMaine]

14. GOTV ! You can even go to the Organizing For America website and do phonebanking from HOME.

[Valienteman]

15. How accurate is registered-voter data relative to final outcome?

Does anyone know?

[ProSense]

16. The point is

that relative to the population, the MSM meme sucks.

They have used the likely voter crap to try to create the perception that the country as a whole is dissatisfied with Democrats.

[rasputin1952]

17. AGAIN, VOTE!!!!!!

talk to others, make sure they vote as well, offer rides to the polls. If we lose this, it's because too many have just sat on their butts.

VOTE!

[Cognitive_Resonance]

19. GOTV is crucial. nt

[Odin2005]

20. Any poll based on "likely" voters should be assumed to be BS.

Do those pollsters have telepathy? No? then they cannot really find who is "likely" to vote or not, it's BS.