Great... CNN Poll: GOP Has Erased Party Popularity Gap In Congress

[WillyT]

Just one poll, but... who would have thought this possible a year ago?

<snip>

Washington (CNN) -- Eleven months before crucial midterm elections, a national poll indicates that the public is divided over whether the country would be better off with Democrats or Republicans controlling Congress.

According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Thursday, 40 percent of people questioned say the U.S. would be better off if Democrats ran Congress while 39 percent feel things would be better if Republicans took charge on Capitol Hill. The 1-point margin is a statistical tie.

Support for Democrats is down from a 10-point advantage in August and a 25-point margin in January.

"As the debate over health care continues, the Democrats may have lost the competitive advantage that they enjoyed earlier this year," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland said. "Since August, the number who support Democratic control of Congress has fallen farthest in the Northeast and the Pacific Rim -- two regions that have been Democratic strongholds for many years."

Nineteen percent of people questioned say that the country would be in the same condition regardless of which party controls Congress.

<snip>

Link: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/12/10/gop.congress/

Looks like the public at large isn't ready to blame the Republicans for their obstruction.

And that is a BIG problem.

:shrug:

[Zynx]

1. This is a predictable side effect of the economic situation.

There is a huge lag between economic events occurring and how they show up in political support. We are feeling the mid-summer's pain right now. We need job creation to start by mid-spring to truly turn this around. We absolutely do not need unemployment all of the way down to 5% to keep our majorities. Reagan was re-elected with unemployment higher than when he passed his tax cuts. All you need is for things to be clearly heading in the right direction. We are almost there.

[AllentownJake]

2. Unemployment will increase in January

The retail sector is going to implode after Christmas.

[Zynx]

4. Retail has been shedding jobs all year. We've already lost about 8%

of all retail jobs since December 2007. I don't think there is this pent up blood bath some have talked about.

[AllentownJake]

23. Anecdotal reports

Temporary workers laid off before Christmas, normal workers having their hours cut. These are from people I know.

I also have visited the mall 4 times this season at different times, got better parking than I could get during June of 2008.

[Zynx]

27. We'll see.

Every year I've learned to trust anecdotal reports less and less and less. The data seem to operate in a very narrow range.

[AllentownJake]

34. When I can pull into the Lehigh Valley Mall

at 6pm on a weeknight before Christmas and get a Parking Space 3 spots from the entrance of Boscovs and it wasn't luck, I get worried.

[theophilus]

69. Could you give me a lotto number, oh prophet. I'm bookmarking this prediction.

I'll look at it whenever I start feeling the least bit hopeful. Thanks, brother.

[AllentownJake]

71. I have an idea for you

Go to three local shopping districts this week, remember what they looked like in 2007, notice where you can get your parking space, count the number of people with bags, and look how busy the employees are, than make your own predictions for January.

[theophilus]

74. I'll try to do that. It is hard to check the intertubes, though. Wal-Mart seems

crowded in this neck of the woods. I'll keep my eyes peeled.

[AllentownJake]

75. Remember to make comparisons

to last year and the year before at this time, not to June.

Also be a voyeur into what is in people's carts.

[Peacetrain]

77. You want to make a side bet on that Jake.. a cup of coffee maybe..

[AllentownJake]

80. I'll bet you a DU bumper sticker of your choice

Large layoffs in the retail sector in January.

Non-temp workers.

[Peacetrain]

81. retail sector always has layoffs after Christmas.. that is the holiday hires..

Non temps though.. I don't think so..

[AllentownJake]

82. I'm saying people who have full-time/part-time jobs in the off season

Not temporary workers. Net job loss in January.

I'll even throw in 2 major retailer bankruptcies to sweeten the pot.

[Peacetrain]

83. Let me make sure I understand..you are talking retail only or unemployment in general?

and we are talking permanent staff not holiday hires?

[AllentownJake]

84. Here is what I'm saying

Permanent staff net job loss in January 2010 for the retail sector and at least two large retailers will file for chapter 13.

[Peacetrain]

85. I trust you on the two large retailers then.. because I have not seen that

and if you know that two major retailers are going under, then permanent hires in that industry will go down. So I would owe you a cup of coffee..

On an empirical local status, as I saw with your local mall, we are 180 degrees the opposite. Saturday, my husband could not get within a half mile of our local mall..

[AllentownJake]

86. Somethings are regional

What do they make in your region.

My area is health care, high technology, manufacturing, industrial chemicals and a distribution area for New York, New Jersey, and Philadelphia.

Also traffic is not indicative of spending. The people in the mall that were there, didn't have many bags.

All the talk of growth, I don't see Air Products doing that much hiring.

[Peacetrain]

87. Well I am in Iowa.. and we are a large farm economy, but we have moved

to green technology.. (we are number 2 in the nation in wind) of course ethanol, e-85.. and then call centers.. we are huge in that (not going to India, but good old Iowa)..diversifying.. we have our issues like everyone else..

Health Care should be a HUGE growth area in the next 10 years.. :thumbsup:

[AllentownJake]

88. Health care produces no wealth

Growth in that area needs to keep up with other areas.

Ethanol and wind energy are good industries. I hope they take my suggestion and start throwing windmills on top of the mountains like I have seen them do in Schukhill county. Always a breeze up there and it will reduce energy cost for the region.

[Peacetrain]

89. Jake they are things of beauty... the windmills..

I love seeing those big boys going down the highway on flat beds.. Does not bother me at all to have to slow down..

And the technology in installing and keeping them going cannot be outsourced. The sad thing is that during the last administration, the oil boys, you had the nimrods like limbaugh and hannity haranguing non stop on alternative energies, and China got out ahead of us in production.

But we can outdo China in building, if we can get those no neck nellies to stop just undermining any movement to a new economy picture.

They are the biggest enemies of the country moving forward.

[AllentownJake]

90. I want the City of Allentown and Lehigh County to own them

and for it to get reduced electricity rates for the citizens of the area. I do not one them turned over to PPL.

[Peacetrain]

92. Here is a link to ISU and some info on those ...

some of it might be helpful for people thinking about moving to wind energy.. at least a good place to start the search.

http://www.energy.iastate.edu/renewable/wind/wem-index.htm

We have local towns almost completely off the traditional grid, or selling energy back to Mid America.

Even schools have their own windmills.. Its part of the multilayered puzzle of alternative energies for sure.

[Zynx]

93. If you guys are going to bet, allow me to propose a standard.

If the BLS employment surveys in January and February show more than 1% cumulative job losses (or about 140,000 positions) in the retail trade sector, then AllentownJake wins. If not, Peacetrain wins. It's a sick bet, but it does need rules, regardless.

[4_TN_TITANS]

95. That's my guess too.

The MSM is spinning away about how 'promising' December sales are, but it just isn't happening. Retail hasn't hit bottom yet.

[Bitwit1234]

20. Yes and if the MSM had been pushing the fact that most of

the problems were from the bush administration and have carried over into Obama's. That everything the Democrats have tried to do the republicans have denied, obstructed and out and out blocked. BUT they haven't they have let the public to belief that it is Democrats fault. And until/IF we ever get a voice in the media this situation will only continue to be pushed over and over. We don't have a chance.

[BR_Parkway]

91. This is a predictable side effect of acting like Republicans for too

many of the corporate sell outs

[n2doc]

3. Maybe, just maybe, people don't want endless war and crappy health care

And maybe, just maybe, the people in the Bluest states are tired of having Red staters like Reid and Baucus setting the Democratic agenda.

[AzNick]

18. And the Republicans would do better because they did?

I am starting to get tired of politics, anyway.

[n2doc]

43. Well, at least people know what they stand for

Bait and switch tends to piss people off. Irrational, but true.

[Political Heretic]

68. People don't vote like that. They protest vote against the party in power.

So if they are unhappy with what Democrats are doing they either don't vote or vote for someone else. What they don't do is go "well shit, the other guys aren't better so I guess I'll just keep voting for these assholes who don't give a shit about me." That's a DU phenomenon that is not reflected in the public.

Personally, I like the way the public does it better - because there are worse things in life than Republicans taking power. At least when republicans are in power there's little to no attempt to mask the classism and corruption of the system as they drive it into the ground.

If system implosion is what it takes to wake people up to the need for radical structural change, then so be it. It's better than Democrats who play the system and screw the people all while speaking "in their name" while propping up a ridiculous system that serves the privileged few at the expense of everyone else. We are in for hard times no matter what. Neither party has chosen to stand where they need to stand and both allow the continued system excess to drive the system towards self-implosion under the weight of its own excess.

See signature.

[Enthusiast]

44. I like your explanation better.

People are sick to death of the bullshit. And how are we to have confidence in our representatives with leaders like Reid and Pelosi, both the very picture of weakness.

[Lorien]

51. Bingo. We're tired of choosing the lesser of two evils

if we had wanted repugs we would have voted for them. The people aren't blind; they can see that both sides have the same master, and it ain't us.

[NJmaverick]

5. K and R for those that claim the GOP is no longer a threat

[ima_sinnic]

13. well, the Dems better distinguish themselves in a hurry, then, no?

I don't consider "the GOP" so much of a threat as the sellout fake "democrats" like Baucus, both Nelsons, and the rest of the corporate payola grubbers. Those are the kind of "office holders" driving voters away by not living up to expectations, the best interests of their constituencies, or the ideals and visions of the Democratic Party. How many Montanans voted for Baucus because they wanted health insurers to have unending maximum profits (with actual health care barely a consideration)? Why should they think any "Democrat" is going to do better? Why bother even to vote if that's what happens?
ad nauseum ...

[SoCalDem]

6. GOP always plays offense..even when they are upopular

It's always about destroying the opposition, whether you have a chance to "win" or not..

Dems have forgotten how to take advantage of a win.. we win, we crow a little, and then we're back on defense (often doing things that are indefensible), and then we whine when republicans knock our teeth out, as the media applauds their "grit".:(

[laughingliberal]

17. The strategy of the GOP is not new. I see them employing the exact same techniques the right wing in

Germany used to regain power after a liberal government was elected after WWI. Their strategy worked and succeeded in bringing Hitler to power in 1933. The following article is chilling. Everything we see the GOP doing today is right out of this playbook. With progressive Democrats, seemingly, unable to play offense and the Blue Dog coalition pushing almost every piece of legislation back to the right I see this happening here.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/03/15


<snip> Their strategy was two-fold: first, stoke the resentment of the population about the calamitous state of its living conditions-no matter that those conditions had been created by the very right-wing oligarchs who now pretended to befriend the little guy. Rage is rage. It is glandular and unseeing. Once catalyzed it is easy to turn on any subject. <snip> <snip>

<snip> The second strategy of the right was to prevent the new government from succeeding. To begin with, success of the left would conspicuously advertise the failure of the right. Moreover, success by the left would legitimize republican government, so hated by the oligarchs of the right. Much better for the people to be ruled by the self-aggrandizing right-wing autocracy that had governed Germany for centuries. So the rightists set out to do everything they could to make it impossible for the leftists to govern. They would use parliamentary maneuver, shifting coalitions, domination of the new mass media, legislative obstruction, staged public relations spectacles, relentless pressure by narrow but powerful interests, judicial intimidation and, eventually, outright murder of their political opponents. Contrition for their abject failure, humility for their destructive hubris, compassion for their crippled country-those had nothing to do with it. All they possessed was a blinding, visceral hatred of the left and a masturbatory lust for the return to power. Eventually, they succeeded. Every setback in recovery - and there would inevitably be many - was met with hysterical demonizing of the left wing government. The lie was repeated relentlessly that the government was run by communists, traitors, and Jews-the same furtive cabal that had purportedly stabbed the country in the back at the end of the War. They steadily chipped away at the efficacy and, thereby, the legitimacy of successive republican governments. By the time of the Great Depression, Adolph Hitler's ironically named National Socialist Party had become the biggest vote getter in the nation. The Nazis had once been derided as the lunatic fringe of the far right. But the "respectable" right-wing power brokers who had started and lost the Great War anointed Hitler Chancellor in January, 1933. <snip>

[SoCalDem]

22. Propaganda works.. always has, always will

People are tribal at their core, and anytime they can be convinced that their "troubles" are because of someone else, they will close ranks & attack the "other"..:(

[laughingliberal]

48. Right and we took a pass on the opportunity to define the upper socio economic classes

like CEO's, Wall Street tycoons, banksters, and overgrown corporate power as the "other." Those who created this situation over the last 30 years are still reaping it in like mad on our dime and the working and middle classes are dying.

[lonestarnot]

7. Fascist have new overcoats.

[marmar]

8. Let's be honest.....what have Dems done to really distinguish themelves from the Repugs?

They had a chance to seize on the populist moment but they, as ordered by their corporate masters, largely ran and hid under their desks....

They're just a slightly better version of the same clunker.....

[GCP]

10. Exactly.

Why should anyone be surprised.
I'm a life-long lefty and I've given up on the dems also.

[goldcanyonaz]

12. Yep, and istead of immediately getting to work on the peoples busineess (HCR) they had town hall

meetings to ask the public how they felt about it.

It's outrageous, they really don't do anything except talk.

[WillyT]

15. Yeah, And That's Reflected In The Statement:

"Since August, the number who support Democratic control of Congress has fallen farthest in the Northeast and the Pacific Rim -- two regions that have been Democratic strongholds for many years."

If we're losing support in our blue-state strongholds, we're in deep shit.

And I'm thinking that's not all Independent voters.

:shrug:

[Beetwasher]

29. Right Because If Repub were power they would trying to pass HCR legislation

Exactly the same. :eyes:

[marmar]

37. I'm not quite sure what version of English your response was written in, but whatever.....

..... No of course the results would not be exactly the same, but we didn't expect Democrats to enact a worthless health reform bill just so they could claim some sort of pyrrhic victory. And until they decide they represent the people and not their corporate sponsors, then yes, there will be little difference between the useless Dems and the rancid Republicans.

[unabelladonna]

78. they don't represent or work for the people...

we're just the means to their ends which are power and wealth. they do not work for us which is why i don't contribute to anyone's campaign. my $100 contribution means absolutely NOTHING to these whores...and yes they're whores(no offense to prostitutes who are more honorable) to their corporate masters. i'm disgusted and i don't even have financial problems but i do see people with young families struggling.

[Beetwasher]

96. Ipod Version

Bullshit there would be little difference. You must have been asleep during the last 8 years.

[QC]

30. Shhhh! We're not supposed to talk about that!

But yeah, the public wanted genuine change and the democrats have instead protected the corporate status quo.

Naturally people are disgusted. They have every right to be.

[goldcanyonaz]

9. I'm sure much of it has to do with not passing HCR soon after Obama was elected.

It's so sad that every time we have the majority we don't do anything with it.

The Repugs on the other hand seem to become together as one where we Dems like to argue with each other instead of doing the work that we the people elected them to do.

[katandmoon]

11. Let's give credit where it's due. The GOP didn't erase the gap. Dems did.

[WT Fuheck]

14. Actually the democrats erased that gap

through their own gutless stupidity. We need to light a fire under them!

[cascadiance]

19. +1000

Primary season needs to see the same attention that general election normally does this time around, even if we aren't "funded" to do so!

Need to OUT the Blue Dogs and other corporatist trolls!

[goldcanyonaz]

24. Problem is that they erase the gap by their own stupidity every time they have a majority.

[WillyT]

25. Welcome To DU, WT Fuheck !!!

:bounce::toast::bounce:

Glad ta have ya aboard!

:hi:

[WT Fuheck]

36. Thank You!

I'm glad to be here...


I think...


:hi:

[Enthusiast]

45. We haven't tried to light a fire?

I'm running out of matches.

[WT Fuheck]

50. for whatever reason (namely money), the kindling just won't catch...

[chandler2]

16. Thanks, President Obama nt

[GoCubsGo]

67. What does he have to do with it?

He is no longer in Congress, and that is who the poll is about, not the President.

[madokie]

21. Thats one poll and a cnn poll at that

so I won't put much stock in it.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

28. But you know it's going to be the ONLY poll we'll probably ever hear about

for at least the next few days at least- so that they can "catapault the propaganda". :eyes:

That being said, however, I wouldn't put too much stock in it either. A day is a lifetime in politics and we have 11 more months before Congress has to go before the voters. Anything can happen to turn those numbers around.

[Enthusiast]

46. I can just hear Wolf Blitzer now, nt

[WillyT]

40. Well Here Ya Go !!!

Here are all the polls:

Link: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/generic_congressional_vote-901.html#polls

Now start scrolling down (going back in dates) and you'll see that the trend is definitely not going our way.

:shrug:

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

26. Not to worry. It's all part of the Grand Chess Game...or something.

[shadowknows69]

32. The one Lucifer is playing with God?

[QC]

33. Quiet, you! It's 587,688,957-dimensional chess, and you are not intelligent enough

even to comprehend such a game, much less play it hundreds of billions of moves ahead of everyone else.

Soon, very soon, it will all come together and then you will see how wrong you were, as you sit there vomiting in shame!

[shadowknows69]

38. ROFLMAO. I laugh to dull the pain of reality.

[Karmadillo]

35. If we can turn it into a 10 point deficit, we'll have them just where we want them.

nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

72. The George Amrstrong Custer Theory of electoral politics.

[shadowknows69]

31. And the media will help it to continue just by covering polls like this

Because that's all political "reporting" is to most of these shows. A series of polls discussed by barely informed talking heads.

[Kermitt Gribble]

39. Maybe people can't tell the difference?? n/t

[WillyT]

42. Ouch !!!

:evilgrin:

[laughingliberal]

41. I just saw a classic example of Democrats not getting the message out

Christina Romer is on Meet the Press. David Gregory just asked her if the original stimulus had been the 1.2 trillion figure mentioned in the beginning, would it have worked better. She totally blew it with an answer like "we got the best stimulus we could get through Congress." She passed up an opportunity to say a bigger stimulus would have resulted in faster results and, more importantly, she missed an opportunity to point out that the make up of the Senate made it impossible to get the type of stimulus we needed passed. Why would she not have pointed out that it was the necessity to bring 3 Republicans on board to break the filibuster which required whittling the stimulus bill back to a less effective level. I would totally have reminded Gregory of that and then said, "What we passed was better than doing nothing but, due to the makeup of the Senate, we were unable to get the package which would have produced a better result."

Then he starts talking about deficit reduction and asks her if taxes will have to go up. She repeats the Republican talking point that raising taxes in a recession is a bad idea. What the hell would have been wrong with, "The tax cut Bush passed which benefited CEO's and the very wealthy was the first step in creating this deficit. President Obama said, during the campaign, that he would be raising taxes on those making over $250,000 per year. We still think that is necessary to restore fairness to the tax system. And he promised he will not raise taxes on anyone making less than that. Empowering the middle and working classes financially will be one of the most effective vehicles to turning the economy around, decreasing unemployment and bringing the deficit down."

Why do we demur at every turn to tell the American people the truth?

Watering down of the necessary steps to begin restoration of some of the wealth to the bottom 90% of the population and ineffective messaging of our positions is driving down our chances in 2010.

[WillyT]

47. All Excellent Points !!!

:thumbsup::thumbsup:

[QC]

49. Excellent example of bad messaging there.

Why are our people so reluctant to criticize Republicans? Why does the president continue (vainly) to pursue Republican support at the expense of his own agenda?

These people need to fight or make way for someone who will.

[Enthusiast]

52. I have seen the same thing

out of TV Democrats. They often have the wrong answer or no answer at all. They seldom challenge complete falsehoods like the bull shit we were hearing from Romney. It comes as no surprise that the electorate is losing confidence in the Democrats. I am a lifelong Democrat and I am losing confidence in Democrats.

[KoKo]

53. The ability of Obama administration people to get out there and fight for his policies

has been pathetic. And, probably is why the polls are dropping and we here are fighting among ourselves.

If Dems haven't learned to hit back hard at Repug Talking Points by now, it means that they just don't want to. One party system. Dems have had since Clinton was elected to learn how to do PR... We overwhemingly elected a Dem President after eight years of hell and four more with Clinton impeachment efforts...and what do we have?

[fascisthunter]

55. maybe because they don't want to get that message out there

it's not as if these people do not prepare for questions prior to being asked. To me, the democrats help the GOP more than hurt them.

[laughingliberal]

57. I can't disagree. After all the years of the right wing noise machines there should be no surprises

as to what their message is going to be. These people are too smart to be bumbling around with the message by accident.

[WillyT]

59. It's Like A "Good Cop/Bad Cop" Scenario

They play both sides... not to get the best results for the country, but for themselves and their careers.

:shrug:

[laughingliberal]

65. Yes, it is starting to look a lot like pro wrestling nt

[Kansas Wyatt]

54. That will happen when you work for Corporate America...

Instead of the American People.

And yes, that is the fucking bottom line!

[Strelnikov_]

56. "Given the choice between a Republican and someone who acts like a Republican, . . .

people will vote for the real Republican all the time."

[baldguy]

58. Note: The GOP hasn't increased their own popularity.

They've merely eroded the Dems lead. So: people who once supported the Dems and those who were once neutral do not necessarily support the GOP now. And the Dems still have the lead.

What polls like this should tell the Dems is: stop caving into the minority party & stand up to them instead.

Of course, the Dem leadership will contort themselves & bend over backwards to draw the opposite conclusion - and end up losing even more support.

[laughingliberal]

61. That was a very astute insight

The Republicans do not need to gain in popularity to make gains in the midterms. The only thing they need to do is to make sure Democrats are thwarted in their attempts to pass legislation and programs which would improve people's lives. Sadly, we have a handful of Democrats in the House and the Senate who are joining them in this.

[varelse]

60. The GOP strategy of NO is working

The GOP has been stalling Health Care Reform with the intent of eroding public support for the Democratic party and it is working:

According to the poll, a very large majority of Americans think that the health care bill that the U.S. Senate is considering would raise the federal deficit and raise their taxes, and while they think that the bill would help many families, only one in five think they would benefit personally if the bill becomes law.

"As a result, more than six in 10 say they oppose the Senate health care bill," Holland said. "Republicans obviously don't like the bill, but two-thirds of independents also say they are against it."

One of the main sticking points, a public option administered by the federal government that would compete with private insurers, wins support from 53 percent of the public.

[laughingliberal]

63. Obstructing real health care reform, Whittling away at the proposed stimulus package, preventing

robust reform of the financial institutions have all taken their toll. Not because people are smart enough to know how this affected them but because getting our programs in these areas through would have made a measurable impact in the lives of people and would have resulted in electoral dominance.

[jaded_old_cynic]

62. I think the public is finally starting to realize

That neither side is going to represent their needs. Since the dems have watered down the health care bill into virtual non existence they are disgusted. Us true progressives are disgusted as well. They have repeatedly thrown women's and gay rights under the bus in the name of bipartisanship.

Sorry guys but this whole health care debacle has sent me over the edge. I lost my husband to cancer 3 years ago, and the hell we went through fighting with the insurance companies just trying to get them to allow his treatments was a significant drain on our morale as well as our finances. Even though he was terminal, I truly believe that if they would have allowed him the proper treatments, I would have had a few more months with my husband. It may not sound like much, but I wanted every single moment I could get. So the whole health care issue is one that is very close to my heart due to personal experience and NOT an issue I am willing to compromise on.

I have decided that I will only vote for true progressives from now on. I am done with the "Blue Cross" democrats. I know that there are those here who will ask me if I want the repukes to take over congress and my answer to that is of course not. But I believe we are at a point now where we may have to destroy the village in order to save it. We are at critical mass here people. There may have to be a long road of suffering before we can turn this country in the right direction. I'm not usually this long winded and as you can see by my post count I don't post very much. I just felt the need to vent.

Peace.

[WillyT]

64. Yep... I Thought Two Terms Of Bush/Cheney Would Be Enough...

to turn Democrats in the correct direction. Looks like it wasn't.

And 'm very sorry to hear about your husband and the healthcare BS you had to go through. We just went through the same with my Aunt.

:grouphug:

:hi:

[jaded_old_cynic]

66. Thank you.

Thanks for your condolences. And I'm sorry for what you had to go through with your family. That is precisely why we need to take a stand. There are so many of us out there, and our numbers are growing more every day.

[Political Heretic]

70. "That neither party is going to represent their needs." That's it in a nutshell.

[emulatorloo]

73. "Looks like the public at large isn't ready to blame the Republicans for their obstruction."

Media does a lousy job of tellling them about it.

[WillyT]

76. True... But Then...

the Republicans aren't in charge of ANYTHING.

:shrug:

[emulatorloo]

79. Republicans are very good at "Working the Media" and obstructionism

And the media is more than happy to give them endless time with little rebuttal.

One obvious example -- John Kerry was allowed nowhere near a camera or microphone after Nov 2004. John McCain, on the other hand, may as well have a 24 hour channel devoted exclusively to him. You can't turn on the TV without hearing John McCain expressing his "opinions"

Notice how they are behaving as a block, all voting the same, all introducing delaying amendments and so on and so on. All of that is especially effective in the Senate, where our margin is really not as big as it appears, where the caucus includes Nelson, Liebermann etc who are very happy to play along.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

94. Their failure at enacting real healthcare reform will doom them.

An absolute, embarrassing clusterf!@#. You'd almost think they didn't. . .really . . . want . . . reform.