The rules have changed: Independents strongly trending to GOP
By: Mark Tapscott
Editorial Page Editor
09/20/10 8:05 AM EDT
Douglas Schoen and Heather R. Higgins are in today's Wall Street Journal with massive new evidence that the center has shifted fundamentally to the Right as independents are going strongly Republican.
"Today, independents say they lean more toward the Republican Party than the Democratic Party, 50% to 25%, and that the Republican Party is closer to their views by 52% to 30%. This movement comes in spite of independents' generally negative views of the GOP—a majority of independents (54%) view the Republicans unfavorably, compared to 39% who have a favorable impression," Schoen and Higgins said.
And, they add, "the poll also revealed that 48% of independents were either 'sympathetic to or supporters of the tea party.'"
What independents want the GOP to do is essentially what it has for decades promised to do but rarely delivered when in power:
"More generally, independents made clear in the survey what they want candidates to do: Decrease the size and scope of government, cut spending and taxes, balance the budget, reduce the federal debt, reduce the power of special interests and unions, repeal and replace the health-care legislation, and decrease partisanship," Schoen and Higgins said.
"The survey also showed that independents believe they aren't getting any of this from the current representatives in Washington," they added.
Lest Republicans start thinking all they have to do between now and election day is run out the clock and make no mistakes, Schoen and Higgins include this crucially important warning:
"While the current numbers look promising for Republicans, the GOP should recognize that these voters remain up for grabs," Schoen and Higgins said.
"If Republicans fail to convince voters that they are committed to scaling back government and cutting taxes and spending, these independents may become so disgusted that they simply stay home rather than vote," they warned.
Hopefully the WSJ folks will put this important oped outside their firewall, so that non-subscribers can read it. The oped is here.
This campaign is beginning to feel a bit like the seventh inning of a baseball game in which the pitcher has tossed a no-hitter, but nobody wants to say anything about that fact for fear of jinxing him.
Read more at the Washington Examiner: washingtonexaminer.com |
