A poll of opinion polls shows Americans' attitudes are changing rapidly.
They are less and less thrilled about the country's direction and Congress, according to Tom Bevan, executive editor of national polling aggregator RealClearPolitics. He says independent voters are shifting away from the polices of the Obama administration and Democrats.
"Independents have flipped negative," warns Bevan. "That's not a good thing for any party."
The first gubernatorial races since Democrats took control of Washington, in New Jersey and Virginia, show voter angst and ire. Those races appear to be heading in different directions but are two sides of the same coin.
In Virginia -- which swung Democrat first in 2006 to Jim Webb in his Senate race, then further to Obama in 2008 -- Republican Bob McDonnell leads Democrat Creigh Deeds by widening margins.
In New Jersey -- which last went for a GOP presidential candidate in 1988 -- Democrat Gov. Jon Corzine averages about 40 percent. GOP challenger Chris Christie has fallen more than six points in two weeks. The beneficiary is independent Chris Daggett, winning double-digit support.
"What do these phenomena have in common? In two words: disillusionment and disgust," says Lara Brown, Villanova University political science professor.
Registered and likely voters, in particular, are disillusioned and disgusted with both parties and their candidates, who seem to over-promise, under-deliver, ask for too much and take advantage of their positions, explains Brown.
The poll speaks for me.
You?
"A poll of opinion polls shows Americans' attitudes are changing rapidly."
Wonderful, but we've got three years of what they now find to their disliking because of their "attitudes" during the election. It’s not Obama is doing anything different than what he said he would (with a few exceptions).
Posted by: tim aka The Godless Heathen | Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 11:06 AM
Yup. Me too.
And yup. You're right, tim.
I'm hoping for this metaphor to play out. I'm hoping the Obama administration is like a virus that "we" caught because of "our" (collective) attitude (compromised immune system) at election time.
Now we're sick, and we have to let the virus run its course (though we can try to minimize the damage it does while we have it).
The independent "flip" response, hopefully, corresponds to antibodies against sliding back into that attitude to both destroy the infection (cast out the administration and the Democrat majority) and guard against future infection.
Well, a guy can hope, can't he?
Posted by: philmon | Wednesday, October 28, 2009 at 12:58 PM