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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch
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To: koan who wrote (83170)9/16/2010 4:41:23 PM
From: tejek  Read Replies (1) of 89467
 
Is the Dems' Bush strategy finally gaining traction?

Okay, so we now have two national polls suggesting that the Dem strategy of tying the GOP to Bush may finally be gaining some traction. For Dems, it's not a moment too soon.

As I've noted here before, polls have steadily shown that the public may not be buying the Dems' central message -- that a vote for the GOP is a vote for the Bush policies that ran our economy into the ground. But that may be changing, if this finding buried in the internals of today's New York Times poll can be believed:

If the Republicans win control of Congress in November do you think they will try to return to the economic policies of George W. Bush or won't they try to return to the policies of George W. Bush?

Return to policies of George W. Bush 47

Won't return to George W. Bush policies 36

That's not all. Buried in the National Journal poll last week was a finding that attracted no notice:

By a plurality of 45 percent to 33 percent, poll respondents were more likely to say that congressional Republicans are offering an economic agenda similar to Bush's than to say they are proposing something different.

Why the shift? This is speculative. But my bet is that the shift is being driven by the debate over whether to extend the Bush tax cuts, which has dominated the news in recent days. The unanimous Republican support for extending the Bush tax cuts, especially for the rich, may have focused public attention on the Dem argument that Republicans want nothing more than a return to Bush policies.

Of course, even if the public is beginning to buy the central Dem case about the GOP and Bush, there's still no indication it will help limit Dem losses. Today's Times poll finds high anti-incumbent sentiment and widespread discontent with Obama's performance on the economy. Dem control of Congress is still in peril.

But the poll does also find that a whopping 72 percent think the GOP has no plan to get us out of our mess. Could that reflect Dem messaging about Bush? And if nothing else, growing public acceptance of the Dems' message about Bush is another sign that the fight over the Bush tax cuts is a political winner for Dems. After all, is there any issue that more clearly dramatizes the Dem case about the GOP and Bush than this one?

UPDATE, 12:31 p.m.: A top Dem pollster warns House Dems that they must hold a vote on extending the tax cuts for the middle class in order to galvanize their unenthusiastic base.

voices.washingtonpost.com
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