Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Wednesday, April 29, 2009

MORE ON THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING GOP







How much more can the Republicans take? Demoralized, shrinking and seemingly lacking an agenda beyond the word "no," Republicans today saw their ranks further thinned with the stunning news that Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter is switching parties and will run for reelection in 2010 as a Democrat.


Specter is worried about his own survival -- and particularly a primary challenge from the right. Many in the GOP might say good riddance.


After supporting President Obama's stimulus package, Specter was persona non grata in his own party. So it may be easy for some Republicans to conclude that they are better off without people like Arlen Specter.


But his defection is a reminder that the Republican Party continues to contract, especially outside the South, and that it appears increasingly less welcome to politicians and voters who do not consider themselves solidly conservative. Northeast Republicans have gone from an endangered species to a nearly extinct species. Republicans lost ground in the Rocky Mountains and the Midwest in the last two elections. That's no way to build a national party.


The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll shows the depth of the party's problems. Just 21 percent of those surveyed identified themselves as Republicans. That's the lowest since the fall of 1983, when just 19 percent identified themselves as Republicans. Party identification does fluctuate with events. But as a snapshot indicator, the latest figures highlight the impact of Obama's opening months on the Republican Party. From a high-water mark of 35 percent in the fall of 2003, Republicans have slid steadily to their present state of affairs. It's just not as cool to be a Republican as it once was.


The Republicans have many demographic challenges as they plot their comeback. Obama has attracted strong support from young voters and Latinos -- two keys to the future for both parties and once part of the GOP's calculation for sustaining themselves in power. Suburban voters have moved toward the Democrats. Specter can see that problem acutely in the suburbs around his home in Philadelphia home. Obama is also holding a solid advantage among independents, the proxy measure for the center or swing portion of the electorate.


Reihan Salam, co-author of "Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save America," said this week that the danger for Republicans is to believe they now represent a vast, silent majority that is waiting to reassert itself. A louder voice from a smaller cadre of supporters is not the answer, he warned. That will just prevent Republicans from reassessing their old agenda, developing new ideas and once again learning to reach out broadly.


The Post-ABC News poll points to the progress Republicans have not made since Obama was sworn in last January. The approval rating for congressional Republicans has slipped from 38 percent in February to 30 percent today. Congressional Democrats have seen their support drop too, but still remain 15 points higher than the Republicans.

29 comments:

Unknown said...

Republican ideology is now an extreme ideology. Their party will soon be the size of the Green, Communist, or Socialist parties.

They are a party of exclusion, not inclusion and they deserve the ridicule and humor they are now receiving by most Americans.

Anonymous said...

Is the GOP small enough so we can drown it in a bathtub yet?

Christopher said...

The GOP is less popular today than Swine flu. Amazing.

I hope junkie and pedophile, Rush Limbaugh and serial adulterer, Newt Gingrich, are happy.

You would think after the mess Bush got the country into from lying us into a protracted war in Iraq and destroying the economy, these clowns would want to help save their party but instead, they seem committed to wanting to kill it.

Anonymous said...

Christopher, I didn't think it was possible, but I think you hate Rush Limbaugh more than I do. Kudos.

libhom said...

When I heard this, I wondered if the Goppers were headed the way of the Whigs. I think I heard something similar to that kind of speculation on Olberman.

Christopher said...

Anonymous,

Limbaugh is a pig.

A lying sack of shit and a pedophile and a junkie and I have zero use for him.

IMHO said...

Blogger Christopher said...
",
Limbaugh is a pig.
A lying sack of shit and a pedophile and a junkie and I have zero use for him."

Christopher, you are mixed up I'm talking about Rush not Shaw

James' Muse said...

Sigh. IMHO, if I understand you correctly, you are implying that Shaw is a pedophile and a junkie and...if I'm right in this interpretation, then I feel justified in this, IMHO: You're a douchebag.

Chris, again, I can agree with you on the other charges about Rush. But pedophile? Are you seriously unaware of what libel is? You have no proof. None, whatsoever. Let's stick to the facts, shall we?

dmarks said...

James: Perhaps they are two trolls for the price of one.

JustWantedToSayIt said...

Christopher said...

Anonymous,

Limbaugh is a pig.

A lying sack of shit and a pedophile and a junkie and I have zero use for him.
============================

Typical of the Liberal way of blog posting.

dmarks said...

Sayit: Typical? Actually, he appears to be alone among the liberals making the fake accusation.

Shaw Kenawe said...

IMHO,

LOL! I've been called worse.

Once someone accused me of being a Republican!

Dave Miller said...

Add this to the mix from the Des Moines Register.

Another GOP voice saying they have big problems.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090430/NEWS09/904300361/-1/SPORTS12

James' Muse said...

And this: The GOP needs to move past gay marriage.

http://www.newmajority.com/ShowScroll.aspx?ID=78d3a9fa-61d5-4095-924a-89bfd49af349

dmarks said...

"And this: The GOP needs to move past gay marriage."

And leave President Obama as the only one opposing it? Interesting strategy.

Christopher said...

DMarks,

Stop with the doppelgangers.

This is so transparent and silly.

James' Muse said...

Chris, I'm not a dobbleganger. Dmarks and I have disagreed more often than not.

But here I agree. Calling someone a pedophile without proof is both juvenile and ridiculous, not to mention libelous.

dmarks said...

"This is so transparent and silly."

That is a good description of when you called me a NAMBLA member.

Christopher said...

DMarks,

OK, if you insist. You're a NAMBLA member.

Glad that's cleared up.

dmarks said...

You insisted earlier, in fact.

IMHO said...

It’s only been one hundred days. It is far too early to make any judgments about the course of Obama’s presidency. So far, Obama has acted like a typical Democrat—high taxes, high spending, lots of regulation. That’s bad news for conservatives, but many voters like that sort of thing, and Obama certainly isn’t doing anything that you wouldn’t see Hillary Clinton, or John Edwards doing.

dmarks said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lynne said...

Comment deleted
"This post has been removed by the author."

I guess that either Beth aka Pro-Life was here again

Pro Life said...

Your post starts off by saying "How much more can the Republicans take? Demoralized, shrinking and seemingly lacking an agenda beyond the word "no," Republicans today saw their ranks further thinned with the stunning news that Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter is switching parties and will run for reelection in 2010 as a Democrat.'

This is so far from the truth. In fact a RINO like Arlon Spector was anything but liked within the whole party. True that numbers are numbers, but in full conscience he was not liked at all. So you can have the traitor.

I hold my religion closely within my own breast. In my own head. I don't share it with anyone. I don't attend congregations or churches because I don't trust Man. I don't make mention of it publicly. I wear a metal cross over my own chest, around my neck, on a chain, presented to me by a man the likes of which I won't question his duty or diligence because I know from whence he originates. It is more important to preserve the sanctuary of life than to worry about swine flu.

Anonymous said...

I am sure RINOs like McCain would act the same as Spector, which is why I never liked him, Huck and Guillini probably the same.
Thompson I think would have let level heads prevail and acted with a proper response and not "taken advantage" of a situation to push some agenda.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Pro-Life,

No one denies you the right to protect the "sanctuary of life." We all need a place where we can escape to and find peace.

The rest of your comment is somewhat cryptic and mysterious and reads like a Dan Brown novella.

dmarks said...

Anon: I can't imagine what splinter group would consider McCain, with his strong record of voting with his party (most of the time, in fact), and actually earning the Republican nomination, of being a "Republican in Name Only".

"Thompson I think would have let level heads prevail...."

Level heads.. as in flat-lined. The man was like death warmed over. All the while looking like Kelsey Grammer crossed with an angry trout.

libhom said...

James' Muse: Limbaugh was caught with Viagra in violation of his probation on a trip to the Dominican Republican. The main reason American tourists bring Viagra to the Dominican Republican is to partake in the services of underage prostitutes there.

The evidence is not absolutely conclusive, but it is significant.

libhom said...

Oops! It was a freudian slip. I meant to type Dominican Republic. Given the rampant pedophila among GOP political leaders, I can't blame myself really.