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| Subject: When the pugs turn on bush to try and salvage '08, it will be a blood bath | |
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Author: Mo' Green |
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Date Posted: 16:23:24 03/23/07 Fri In reply to: Bev 's message, "SOme rep finally see the light ." on 13:20:36 03/23/07 Fri > >href="http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la >-na-shift23mar23,0,195804.story?coll=la-home-headlines" >>http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-s >hift23mar23,0,195804.story?coll=la-home-headlines > > >Fewer pledge allegiance to the GOP >A poll says 35% of those surveyed identify with >Republicans. Public attitudes seem to be drifting >toward Democrats' values. >By Janet Hook, Times Staff Writer >March 23, 2007 > > WASHINGTON — Public allegiance to the Republican >Party has plunged during George W. Bush's presidency, >as attitudes have edged away from some of the >conservative values that fueled GOP political >victories, a major survey has found. > >The survey, by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center for >the People & the Press, found a "dramatic shift" in >political party identification since 2002, when >Republicans and Democrats were at rough parity. Now, >50% of those surveyed identified with or leaned toward >Democrats, whereas 35% aligned with Republicans. > >What's more, the survey found, public attitudes are >drifting toward Democrats' values: Support for >government aid to the disadvantaged has grown since >the mid-1990s, skepticism about the use of military >force has increased and support for traditional family >values has decreased. > >The findings suggest that the challenges for the GOP >reach beyond the unpopularity of the war in Iraq and >Bush. > >"Iraq has played a large part; the pushback on the >Republican Party has to do with Bush, but there are >other things going on here that Republicans will have >to contend with," said Andrew Kohut, director of the >Pew Center. "There is a difference in the landscape." > >A key question is whether the trends signal a broad >and lasting change in the balance of power between the >national parties or a mood swing that will pass or >moderate. It remains to be seen whether Democrats can >capitalize on Republican weaknesses and achieve >durable political dominance. > >"This is the beginning of a Democratic opportunity," >said Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, chairman of the House >Democratic Caucus. "The question is whether we blow it >or not." > >Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster, said he believed >the Pew poll exaggerated his party's problems and that >the situation would improve as attention shifted to >choosing the GOP's 2008 presidential nominee. > >At that point, "we will have a far more level playing >field than we have today," Ayres said. > >But other Republicans fear the poll signals a clear >end to an era of GOP successes that began with >President Reagan's election in 1980, saw the party >take control of Capitol Hill in 1994 and helped elect >Bush twice. > >"There are cycles in history where one party or one >movement ascends for a while and then it sows the >seeds of its own self-destruction," said Bruce >Bartlett, a conservative analyst and author of the >2006 book "Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted >America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy." > >Bartlett added, "It's clear we have come to an end of >a Republican conservative era." > >The Pew poll measured the views of 2,007 adults from >Dec. 12 through Jan. 9. It has a margin of error of >plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. > >The current gap between Republican and Democratic >identification — which Pew measured by counting people >who said they leaned toward a party as well as those >with firm allegiances — is the widest since the group >began collecting data on party allegiance in 1990. > >As recently as 2002, the two parties were tied, with >each drawing support from 43% of those surveyed. But >Democrats have gained an advantage over Republicans >almost every year since. > >Kohut said the spread between the parties mostly >reflected the defection of independents from the GOP >more than a more favorable assessment of the >Democrats. > >The survey found that the proportion of those >expressing a positive view of Democrats has declined >since January 2001 — when Bush took office — by 6 >percentage points, to 54%. But the public's regard for >Republicans has cratered during the Bush years, with >the proportion holding a favorable view of the GOP >dropping 15 points, to 41%. > >Although Republicans rode to political power calling >for smaller government, support for government action >to help the disadvantaged has risen since the GOP took >control of Congress in 1994. At that point, a Pew >survey found that 57% said the government had a >responsibility to take care of people who could not >take care of themselves; now, 69% said they believed >that. > >On the other hand, support for Bush's signature issue >— a strong, proactive military posture — has waned >since 2002, when 62% said that the best way to ensure >peace was through military strength. In the recent >poll, 49% said they believed that. > >On social issues, the survey found that support for >some key conservative positions was on the decline. >For instance, those who said they supported "old >fashioned values about family and marriage" dipped >from 84% in 1994 to 76% in the recent survey. Support >for allowing school boards to have the right to fire >homosexual teachers has dropped from 39% in 1994 to >28%. > > >------------------------------------------------------- >------------------------- >janet.hook@latimes.com [ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ] |