| Amidst the usual generic polls comes a startling bit of information on the latest Research 2000 poll. Alongside the usual tepid marks for Democrats (41/54 favorable/unfavorable for Congressional Dems) and bottom-sucking marks for Republicans (14/70 favorable/unfavorable for Congressional GOPers), comes this question: "In the 2010 Congressional elections will you definitely vote, probably vote, not likely vote, or definitely will not vote?"
The results:
Voter Intensity: Definitely + Probably Voting/Not Likely + Not Voting
Republican Voters: 81/14
Independent Voters: 65/23
DEMOCRATIC VOTERS: 56/40
Two in five Democratic voters either consider themselves unlikely to vote at this point in time, or have already made the firm decision to remove themselves from the 2010 electorate pool. Indeed, Democrats were three times more likely to say that they will "definitely not vote" in 2010 than are Republicans.
Steve Benen:
The results aren't a total surprise. President Obama, working with a Democratic Congress, generated high hopes. As the year progressed, the GOP base was worked into a frenzy, based on little but rage, ignorance, and confusion, while the Democratic base grew frustrated and impatient. They did their part on Election Day, and there's a sense that Democratic leaders aren't doing their part now. Policymakers have gone the better part of nine months without any major legislative accomplishments. That, coupled with a still-struggling economy, is not a recipe for widespread satisfaction.
Benen says the solution to Democratic woes is for party leaders to pursue an aggressive reform policy in health-care, climate change, union legislation, etc & co, that will reawaken the base. Don't expect that, however. Expect the news that Democratic voters are dropping out to spur politicians to again tack to the right to woo the voters that are planning to go to the polls. That is, of course, more in line with the actual record of many politicos.
I'm not sure if I have a solution to this as a voter and activist. At best, we can try to pressure politicians to do the right thing by lambasting from doing the wrong things, threatening primaries, or directing money, time, and resources elsewhere. Maybe we need to implement another long-term strategy to weed out the worst offenders and work to overturn the procedural roadblocks, like the Senate filibuster and seniority rules, that cause crucial legislation to fester in DC.
But really, this should serve as a wake-up call to Obama and other Democrats who rode in to office on a tidal wave of anger against the political status quo. Remember, a lot of your support came from young voters who actually expect you to fulfill your promises. You can't go back on the expectations you set, and then point to the unenthusiastic voters as reason you did so in the first place. You have to work to keep us engaged and on your side... |
