Republicans Sink in Popularity

Thanks to Taegan for the big smile on my face.

First Read: "While impressions of Obama's professional performance are mixed, the same can't be said of the Republican Party at large. Put simply, the GOP's brand is still a mess. According to the poll, just 25% have a positive opinion of the party (compared with 42% for the Dem Party), which ties the GOP's low-water mark in the survey and which is a worse score than it ever had during the Bush presidency. (Honest question: Can the party still blame Bush for their problems if their numbers have gotten lower since he left the scene?) In addition, only 23% approve of the way in which congressional Republicans have handled health care (compared with 43% for Obama). And looking ahead to the 2010 midterms, 46% prefer a Democratic-controlled Congress, versus 38% who want a GOP-controlled Congress. Last month, Dems held a 43% to 40% advantage."

"Also, don't miss this: Despite being out of office and (relatively) out of the news, Sarah Palin's fav/unfav in our poll has dropped from 32%-43% in July to 27%-46% now. In fact, her numbers now are nearly identical to Nancy Pelosi's (26%-42%). By the way, both Palin and Pelosi are more popular than the Republican Party."

Republicans Seek to Make Election About Pelosi (Again)

No new ideas at all. Good luck with this attempt there buckos. Via Taegan-

"Republicans are stepping up attacks on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, deciding that a major part of their 2010 electoral strategy will be linking Democratic candidates to her," the Wall Street Journal reports.

A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll found 44% of respondents had negative feelings about Pelosi and 27% had positive ones, with the remaining 29% either neutral or not sure.

The only problem with the strategy: It's the exact same approach they tried in 2006 when Democrats regained control of Congress and in 2008 when Democrats increased their majorities.

Quote of the Day

And if Twinkle Toes there doesn't see a leader, they're really screwed.

"No one. It's all the same old guys who were in leadership with me, and those old guys aren't the leaders the party needs."

-- Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), in an interview with Politics Daily, on whom he sees as the party's "up-and-comers."

Republican Voters Say GOP Reps in Congress Still Out of Touch

Sigh. Even as the Dems screw up royally the R's are still outdoing them. It may be the only thing that saves us.

Seventy-four percent (74%) of Republican voters say their party’s representatives in Congress have lost touch with GOP voters nationwide over the past several years. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 18% of GOP voters believe their elected officials have done a good job representing the base.

Most Republican voters (55%) say that the average Republican in Congress is more liberal than the average Republican voter. Twenty-four percent (24%) say the average Republican in Congress holds views about the same as the average Republican voter while just 17% think the Congressional Republicans are more conservative than GOP voters.

Republican voters overwhelmingly believe it is more important for the party to stand for what it believes in rather than trying to work with President Barack Obama. Eighty-four percent (84%) of Republicans hold that view while just 14% favor more co-operation with the President.

Video- Wingers Coulter, Buchanan and Frum: Palin, "Bigger" Than Obama, or Quitter?

Even the wingers can't decide. I like the way Frum compared her to Michael Jackson.

(CBS) Is Sarah Palin still a star, or a fading quitter? What does the future hold for her?

If a three-way discussion among Republican pundits on "The Early Show Saturday Edition" is any indication, more of the same -- she'll remain as controversial and passion-provoking rod as ever.

Author and right-wing firebrand Ann Coulter, GOP strategist Bay Buchanan, and NewMajority.com founder and former George W. Bush speechwriter David Frum had at it over the question of whether Palin could be a viable presidential candidate at some point.

(snip)

Buchanan said Palin's quitting will tarnish her severely, Coulter claimed Palin is still so big she's even a bigger story than President Obama, and Frum cited the very discussion they were having as proof of how divisive Palin is, even in her own party.