The Mainstream Shifts...

...back to the sensible center.

A new ABC News/Washington Post poll indicates that Independent voters back Democratic candidates by a margin of nearly 2 to 1 (59%-31%). The poll indicates that this swing is motivated more by dissatisfaction with the GOP than by enthusiasm about the Democrats:

Forty-five percent said it would be good if Democrats recaptured the House majority, while 10 percent said it would not be. The rest said it would not matter.

However, the enthusiasm of Democratic voters compared with that of GOP voters remains high, as reported earlier.

Ninety-five percent of Democrats said they will support Democratic candidates for the House, while slightly fewer Republicans, 88 percent, said they plan to vote for their party's candidates.

In a related story, I haven't heard much from Howie lately...

Quote of the Week (#1)

"There has been no other government in Venezuela, and I say this with all humility, that has been closer ... to the mandate of Christ ... Socialism is the theory of Christ ... Love one another." -- Hugo Chavez, July 13, 2005

Party Affiliations Trend Toward Democrats

Rasmussen Reports -- er -- reports further indications that the GOP is in serious trouble as the 2006 midterm elections approach. There are now 5% more Americans calling themselves Democrats than Republicans.

In September 2004, as the nation prepared to re-elect George W. Bush and a Republican majority in Congress, the GOP had pulled just about even with Democrats in terms of party affiliation. At that time, 37.9% of Americans considered themselves Democrats while 37.3% considered themselves Republicans. That was the GOP’s best performance of 2004 and reflected a net gain of three percentage points in six months.

There are signs that the Democratic Party had best not get too complacent about this: it is not necessarily as much a pro-Democratic trend as it is an anti-Bush, anti-neocon, anti-GOP trend.

Overall, the number of Democrats is similar to 2004, but the number of Republicans has declined significantly. Today, 30.7% are not affiliated with either major party. That’s up from 24.8% two years ago.

Still, things are looking better for the Democratic Party than they were a year ago.

During September 2006, 37.0% consider themselves Democrats and just 32.2% identify with the GOP. That’s a net advantage of 4.8 percentage points for the Democrats and presents a much different political environment from the last election cycle. Not only that, this time around, it’s the Democrats who are gaining ground. They’ve gained a net three percentage points since the beginning of 2006.

Folks: don't get cocky. Do the right thing.

More Reason for GOP Pessimism

From the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press comes a new survey that ought to give Republicans -- yet again -- more reason to fear the coming midterm elections. A poll released today (margin of error +/- 3 points) indicates that there may be a larger voter turnout than usual, and a turnout that favors Democrats.

Today, 51% of voters say they have given a lot of thought to this November's election, up from 45% at this point in 2002 and 42% in early October of 1998. Even in 1994 ­ a recent high in midterm election turnout ­ just 44% of voters had thought a lot about the election in early October.

The difference appears to be due to increased enthusiasm among Democratic voters.

Currently, 59% of Democratic voters say they have given a lot of thought to this election, up from 46% at this point in the 2002 election. Republicans, by comparison, are no more or less engaged this year than four years ago (48% now, 47% in 2002). Democrats are also far more excited about voting this year, with 51% saying they are more enthusiastic about voting than usual, up from 40% in 2002. Just a third of Republicans say they are more enthusiastic about voting than usual, down from 44% four years ago.

Specifically, 51% of Democrats are enthusiastic about this year's midterm elections; only 33% of Republicans described themselves as enthusiastic. In addition, this enthusiasm is evident in likely voters as well as registered voters. And it predates the Foley fiasco.

This entusiasm is fueled by widespread displeasure with both the Bush administration and the GOP-controlled Congress.

To wit, a CNN poll released today shows that Americans think Democrats would do a better job than Republicans handling the war in Iraq, 51%-34%, and a better job hadling the war on terror, 44%-40%, 52% think the President should fire Defense Secretary Rumsfeld; and a USAToday/Gallup poll indicates that fully two-thirds of Americans -- 66% -- disapprove of George W. Bush's handling of the Iraq war,

Karma, baby.

Dig it.

What Americans Are Thinking -- RIGHT NOW

The President's approval numbers languish at about 39%.

An Associated Press/Ipsos poll asked the question: "Which comes closest to your feelings about the Bush Administration: enthusiastic, satisfied but not enthusiastic, dissatisfied but not angry, or angry?" The responses were: enthusiastic, 10% (there's Howie); satisfied, 29% (and those two groups account perfectly for the President's 39% approval rating); dissatisfied, 29%; and angry, 31%. Somehow, 1% of those polled described themselves as "unsure."

A Pew Research Center for the People & the Press shows that more Americans are dissatisfied with the job Republicans are doing in Congess than are satisfied, 56%-33%. However, the same poll shows almost the same level of dissatisfaction with Democrats, 53%-35%.

A Newsweek poll indicates that 64% of Americans think we're "losing ground" in Iraq, believe that Democrats would do a better job in Iraq by a 13 point margin, 47%-34%, and believe the Democrats would do a better job handling the war on terr by a 6 point margin, 44%-37%. The same poll indicates that now --finally -- 58% of Americans believe that the Bush administration "Purposely misled the public about evidence that Iraq had banned weapons in order to build support for war," i.e., LIED.

A CNN poll shows that only 47% of Americans think Republicans in Congress are ethical, while 54% think Democrats are ethical. A Newsweek poll finds more Americans believing that Democrats have a better handle on moral values than Rerpublicans, 42%-36%. And 52% of Americans think that House Speaker Dennis Hastert should resign.

And right now, the Democrats enjoy a 21 point polling advantage, leading Republicans 58%-37%.

Howie, welcome to reality. I've got your Zantac right here.

Olbermann Blasts Bush Again: Mr. President, Stop Making Things Up

Olbermann strikes again. His "Special Comment" is remarkably like what I've been saying to Howie for several years. The President, intimidated by the fact that "facts" don't support any of the policies his administration has put into place, or would like to put into place, just makes things up. The President, knowing that Americans -- and their values -- are actually opposed to almost everything this administration has tried to do, reinvents reality, a frightening nightmare version of reality, and warns us that our very way of life will come to an end if we don't do things his way.

I would love to have Keith Olbermann come out to Chicago and speak at Roosevelt University. Let me see what I can do....

IMPLOSION

Republicans face election disaster as e-mail sex scandal gathers pace
Beleaguered Republicans have been dealt a fresh blow by the publication of a new poll which suggests the Democrats are leading in 11 of 15 crucial races for the House of Representatives ­ the clearest indication yet that the party's stranglehold in Washington may be about to be broken.
Rep. Lewis cancels event with Hastert
U.S. Rep. Ron Lewis has canceled a fundraiser next week with U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, citing the growing scandal over former Florida Rep. Mark Foley.
Shimkus defends his leadership of the House Page Board
WASHINGTON - Rep. John Shimkus mounted an intense media offensive Wednesday, saying he has no intention to resign from the House Page Board and angrily lashing out at the press and Democrats who have questioned him about his role investigating ex-Rep. Mark Foley's contact with former House pages.
Aide reveals more details about timeline of complaints about Foley
WASHINGTON - A top congressional aide accused of trying to protect ex-Rep. Mark Foley abruptly quit Wednesday, but not before he accused House Speaker Dennis Hastert of ignoring the scandal for three years.
Questions About Page Scandal Leave a Republican Leader Buffeted on His Home Turf
AMHERST, N.Y., Oct. 4 — This was supposed to be a big moment in Representative Thomas M. Reynolds’s re-election campaign: a hotel banquet hall packed with Republican faithful eager to see one of the national party’s biggest attractions, the first lady, Laura Bush.
But outside the hotel, there was a reminder of the trouble hanging over the congressman these days: a group of people carrying signs with slogans like “Shame on You Tom Reynolds” and “Reynolds Resign Now.” And inside, the pastor delivering the invocation asked God to give Mr. Reynolds strength in this “hour of testing.”
Bush ‘disgusted’ as Republican sex scandal worsens
Washington: President George W Bush said on Tuesday that he is “disgusted” by a Republican party sex scandal worsened by new revelations over messages sent between a top lawmaker and teenaged Congress aides.
It Just Gets Worse
Joe Galloway October 05, 2006
After all that came down on their heads in September, the Bush administration and congressional Republicans must be wondering if the situation can possibly get worse.
Sure it can. Chickens tend to come home to roost all at once.
As Republican congressional leaders scrambled to do damage control and distance themselves from any responsibility from the fallout that Rep. Mark Foley left in his wake, President Bush stumped out West praising the GOP stalwarts and attacking the Democrats as weak on national security.
Please.

Hastert: IT'S CLINTON'S FAULT!!!

Unbelievable.

He went on to suggest that operatives aligned with former President Bill Clinton knew about the allegations and were perhaps behind the disclosures in the closing weeks before the Nov. 7 midterm elections, but he offered no hard proof.

If it wasn't so despicable, it would be sad.

Foley on Clinton Impeachment

"It's vile," said Rep. Mark Foley, R-West Palm Beach. "It's more sad than anything else, to see someone with such potential throw it all down the drain because of a sexual addiction."

"Judge not lest ye be judged." (Matt 7:1)

Hastert : Hell, No! I Won't Go!

The GOP is either entirely corrupt, and cares more about maintaining power than they do about the welfare of the nation -- including the nation's youth; or they are monumentally incompetent.

Either way, at this point, Hastert should GO!

Venezuela : UN Must Not Allow Terrorist Posada to Go Free

An Update on the "So-Called War on Terror"^TM

From the Associated Press, via the International Herald Tribune:

UNITED NATIONS Venezuela said Thursday that it has asked the U.N. Security Council for help in its demands that the United States hand over a Cuban militant accused of planning the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner.

Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said that his government is asking the Security Council to take action against Luis Posada Carriles, a militant foe of Cuban leader Fidel Castro who is wanted in Venezuela for allegedly plotting in Caracas the attack on the passenger flight that killed 73 people.

"Accused" of planning the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner. "Allegedly" plotting the attack that killed 73 people. All technically correct. The article might have mentioned that recently classified CIA documents provide evidence that Posada was, indeed, central to the planning of an attack that would certainly, if perpetrated upon Americans, be classified as "terrorism." He cooperated with other Cugan and Venzuelan right-wing terrorists, including Orlando Bosch, who was pardoned by the first President Bush.

Maduro reiterated Venezuela's demands that Posada Carriles, who is a Cuban-born naturalized Venezuelan citizen, be extradited to face charges of homicide and treason in the South American country.

"We hope that ... 30 years after the blowing up of the Cubana de Aviacion flight that there is justice (and that) Posada Carriles is extradited," Maduro said.

This is the first story I've seen in months on Posada in the western "liberal media." It has gotten enormous coverage in Latin American media, particulary the Cuban and Venezuelan press.

Why?

If we are a nation who has taken a bold moral stand against terrorism, why aren't we doing everything in our power to bring terrorists to justice? Or is terrorism "okay" when agents of the United States do it?

Do you wonder why we have no credibility in much of the world?