The way the polls are going, the this fight belongs to the Democrats

[Le Jacquelope]

... it's all theirs to win or lose.

Democrats find popularity problems, too
Saturday, June 09, 2007

~ The issue ~ Democrats’ popularity

~ Our opinion ~ Party finding difficulty in holding ’06 momentum

The Democratic presidential candidates have been attacking each other over the issue of the Iraq war. Refusing to vote to stop funding means failure to halt the war, John Edwards and others say of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd.

The fear is that the tide of anti-war sentiment that helped sweep the Democrats into power in the November 2006 election will backfire on the party if it is unsuccessful in bringing a satisfactory end to involvement in Iraq. With President Bush determined to maintain a strong U.S. force in Iraq, the Democrats have a dilemma. If they cut off funds for the troops, they are seen as anti-military. If they continue funding, they are by default cooperating with Bush’s war strategy.

According to Gary Langer in an ABC News Analysis, the Democrats already are feeling the impact of the impasse over the war. They talk about ending the fight but get no results.

Six weeks ago the Democrats held a 24-point lead over Bush as the stronger leadership force in Washington; today an ABC News/Washington Post poll shows a dead heat. The Democrats’ overall job approval rating likewise has dropped, from a 54 percent majority to 44 percent now – with the decline occurring almost exclusively among strong opponents of the Iraq war.

The Democrats’ losses have not produced much in the way of gains for Bush or Republicans, however. The president’s approval rating remains a weak 35 percent, unchanged from mid-April at two points from his career low in ABC News/Washington Post polls. The Republicans in Congress do about as badly, with just 36 percent approval.

According to Langer, “Another figure underscores the public’s broad grumpiness: Seventy-three percent now say the country’s off on the wrong track, the most in just over a decade.”

Democrats, too, are facing another problem issue. Indictment of Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson in a series of bribery schemes has the party leadership caught between acting to oust Jefferson or awaiting the judicial process. Such a serious charge will be seen by most Americans as reason to oust him.

A 94-page indictment accuses Jefferson of engaging in schemes – including racketeering – that yielded him more than $500,000. And he tried for millions more. Two years ago, $90,000 in FBI-marked money was found in Jefferson’s freezer.

Prosecutors allege Jefferson used his influence as co-chair of the congressional Africa Investment and Trade Caucus to broker deals in numerous African nations, and demanded kickbacks for himself and for family members.

With Democrats retaking congressional leadership, one of the promises was to clean up the scandals that had plagued Republicans in recent years. Jefferson’s situation does not help.

If Democrats are to keep momentum that makes them believe that can hold Congress and win the White House in 2008, they’re going to have to reverse the tide.

Here's what the Dems need to do.
a) They've already publicly kicked Jefferson. He's been stripped of membership in the Ways & Means committee. But this is still being spun as an example of Democratic corruption. They obviously need to go further. Oh, and the Democrats also need to kick Rep. Alan Mollohan right to the same curb with the same boot.

b) Democrats need to drop the anvil on another swelling issue of budget earmarks and quit sidestepping their own rules.

c) Dems need to hammer it in that they are fighting Bush over the war, but the obstructionist Republican minority is making it impossible to overturn a Bush veto. And Democrats who vote for continuing the war? Crucify them. Americans now overwhelmingly support ending this crap, NOW.


Democrats are losing their lead, but they still have a popularity lead over Republicans. They need to take a more caveman'ish, brutally direct approach to their pending issues, if they're going to establish a clear difference between them and the GOP - a difference which has and will serve them well in the past.