Top Dem Pollsters Say Voters Aren't Crediting Dem Congress With Change
Democracy Corps, the firm of top Democratic pollsters James Carville and Stan Greenberg, has conducted a series of focus groups and reached a stark conclusion: Voters aren't crediting the Dem-Controlled Congress with changing things in any way.
In a new memo, the firm lays out the results of focus groups it held in a pair of Congressional district held by GOP moderates who barely survived 2006, Mark Kirk (IL) and Jim Walsh (NY).
"Democrats in Congress are given credit for wanting change and most especially for ensuring that Bush no longer has a blank check from Congress," the memo says. "But in most voters’ minds, it boils down to results; good intentions and legitimate finger-pointing aside, things simply haven’t changed under Democratic control."
The memo concludes that Dems would fare better if they worked harder to focus voter attention on the fact that the Dem leadership's agenda is being stymied by Presidential vetors and GOP obstructionism.
"This message fundamentally shifted the debate in the groups," the pollsters conclude, "with voters wondering why Democrats weren't including those facts in their advertising and expressing shock that Republicans are continuing to support President Bush and to defend his vetoes."
Maybe it is because the Democrats were "supporting the troops" by giving a blank check to Bush to kill them.
Best, Terry
July 30, 2007 11:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's crazy how docile the Dems are on the permanent GOP filibuster. The Dems used the filibuster and the GOP went crazy over that. Now, the GOP is turning the Senate into a de facto 60 vote body. Even the people I know who are well informed don't really know about the gross obstructionism.
July 30, 2007 11:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
some blame goes to the GOP, but the truth is Democrats are playing a cautious game with an eye on 08. There will be no bold legislative strokes until at least Jan 09.
Nancy Pelosi promised a comprehensive energy plan by July 4 of this year -- a date which came and went, and there is no aggressive energy bill on the floor. If fear of the next election is going to parlyze Congress into inaction, then we might need to re-consider term limits. Congress approval rating is as bad as Bush or worse. That's not a good sign.
July 30, 2007 11:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
I've said this several times in several different places. It drives me crazy that people do not understand how the House and Senate work, don't understand that Republicans still have way too much power, and blame the Dems for a process designed purposely so one side can't run away with everything. I blame the Dems for not being more obstructionist when they were the minority and for not educating the public about how Republicans are currently being successful at obstructing.
There are one or two others who post on this site who are aware of what is happening and why, but in general even the politically aware don't seem to understand the process that is allowing Repbulicans to still have the amount of power they have--not to mention that the Dems allowed the Repubs to co-opt the Judiciary and executive branches of govt.
July 30, 2007 12:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I was talking to a Congresswoman a year or two to go and one thing she was quite adamant about was, should the Dems take control, they would never resort to the thuggery that the GOP exercised. I agree, for the future of the legislative branch that is the right thing to do.
But you're right, they need to do even a little PR to explain what's going on. I think that would crush the GOP for years to come. They had one internet video on this and, well, that's about it. They need more.
July 30, 2007 12:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Gee, ya think??
It's deeply frustrating to watch how inept the Democratic PR machine continues to be. The obstructionism by Bush and the Republicans should continually be brought up. Why not run ads that just list the bills the Republicans have filibustered? And more ads that list the bills that Bush has vetoed? Make it an issue.
July 30, 2007 12:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
And WHO is Speaker? And WHO is House Majority leader? Majority whip??
Sorry assed duds, the lot. But youve got to remember something: Dims arent opposed to crackpot wars, blood money, or assuming/usurping powers. Thats the problem here. The Dims would like this war to end, but want the option to launch one sometime down the road.
If you remember, the Central American & Viet Nam butchery was bi partisan.
And no, Im not a pacifist. I AM opposed to public wars for private profit, & the way to end this crap isnt voting for (gag) Hillary, but removing the profit from wars....
christ, Im more ticked off than usual today.
July 30, 2007 12:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
The 2-chamber design of our system was to mitigate the possiblity of a radical, Chavista-like movement gaining control of government. That's why you have 6-yr terms for Senators. In theory they would balance the political change. Requiring state ratification of Constitutional changes was another safeguard. Without these you could elect a Hitler that would systematically destroy any chance of his party losing another election.
The Senate is really the obsctructionist body in our Congress, because one Senator can hold up a bill passed by the House. Pelosi has the power of a czar to decide what will be brought up and what will not in the House.
So, the question -- is the design of our Senate with it's parliamentary rules outdated and in need of reform? It functions as designed, but does it now move too slow for the fast-paced global world we inhabit?
July 30, 2007 12:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's true that Congress is designed to be slow and "balanced", but I think critics do understand that. The real issue is not the difficulties of getting legislation through, but the Dem's inability to make their case to the public. How many more decades do we have to listen to Dems telling us that once they get unstoppable power, then they'll actually start to fight?
The congressional Republicans are in a position similar to that of the Dems previously. I think it's clear that they're doing a much more effective job as the opposition than the Dems ever did. Yes, the structure of US government stinks and is no longer workable in current society. The problem is, does anybody really believe the Dems will ever take on such a "radical" issue, no matter how strong their majorities become? Um, scratch that -- with their ineffectual performance so far, they'll never win strong majorities.
July 30, 2007 1:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's in fact so inept that one has to seriously wonder why. They could be pulverizing the GOP right now but are still playing timid defense. Nader, like Marx, was essentially correct in his analysis of the political realities under the two-party system, there is no voice for real change. Like Marx, he was tragically wrong in his prescription for fixing the problem.
July 30, 2007 1:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well I'm certainly not going to heap any praise on the Democratic PR machine but at least some of the blame has got to lay with our broken media as well.
I know I've heard the Democrats grumble about the filibuster situation and recently too. But if memory serves, when the Republicans whined about it the press picked it up and ran a marathon with it. I did not see them do likewise in this case. It's got to be even more frustrating knowing that you are in the right and even shout about something but it still can not reach the masses.
Besides I want to know more about Lindsey Lohan...have any of you heard anything new?
July 30, 2007 1:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, right--that's what we're looking for: whining. Instead of getting tough and finally getting some things done, Democrats just need to be more vigorous in passing the buck. That would sure as hell sell me. I can't believe I used to actually admire Carville.
What would help the Democrats is a little follow-through. File perjury charges against Gonzales. Impeach Bush and Cheney. Stop talking and start acting. In short, they could stand up on their hind legs and do their job.
If they start trying to blame the Republicans, it's only going to make matters worse. Carville is just as dead wrong on this as he was on the Iraq vote.
July 30, 2007 1:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't forget that the media portrays this as "Congress blocking [initiative X]" rather than the fact that a majority of Senators wanted to vote for it but were prevented by the GOP filibuster. You can hardly fault Dems for such shoddy media coverage.
The Dems have a lot of money, why don't they start taking big media buys now? Even in the "he-said-she-said" world of the media, the story would get out.
July 30, 2007 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Duncan C. Kinder
http://www.billingsgatereport.net
Why is it I get the impression that
July 30, 2007 2:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thuggery is fine if it gets good work done. We're talking about Congress here--not the local women's auxiliary. They can be polite at cocktail parties.
What the Democrats have lost is credibility. The only cure for that is results. I don't really believe most Americans care how those results are achieved as long as things get accomplished. You can't be nice to Republicans. You need to hit hard and be relentless. That's the way they fight, and that's the way they'll continue to fight, and if the Democrats don't fight back, they'll get beat and they'll deserve it. You don't reason with a pit bull when it's got you by the leg unless you're not fond of the leg. You don't reason with Republicans either, and you NEVER give them an inch.
July 30, 2007 2:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great comment.
The Democrats had an opportunity that, I think, is mostly gone now, to launch a PR campaign that highlighted the obstructionism of the GOP while it was happening. Instead, I heard on "Day to Day" today that Democrats in the House were surprised by the "John Doe" amendment that has been attached to the 9/11 bill (Thanks to help from my very favorite Senator, Lieberman). Surprised? It's like Charlie Brown and Lucy. The Democrats being surprised about any xenophobic piece of legislation being proposed by Republicans makes as much sense as Charlie Brown being surprised when Lucy doesn't hold the football, as promised.
The Democrats had an opportunity, and I think they're lost it. Mindboggling, isn't it?
And yes, everyone, I know they don't have a veto-proof majority--I'm talking about a public relations opportunity that they have completely bungled.
July 30, 2007 3:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
A few points, none of which are meant to be excuses for the Congressional Democrats, but which do, I think, help explain their behavior.
In the House Pelosi actually has a very thin majority to work with for substantive legislation that divides the Democrats in any significant way. Unwilling or unable to run the House the way the Tom DeLay did and without the additional pressure of the WH to maintain party discipline, she faces a tough challenge.
On the Senate side in addition to a razor thin majority, if that, I have the feeling that there is a desire on the part of many to re-establish the "comity" that used to characterize the body. For many of these folks, the atmosphere of the Senate trumps most, if not all, other considerations.
As noted, this isn't an apology for the Congressional Democrats. Pelosi's efforts to find a way to generate a veto-proof majority or enlist support of the WH is, I think, foolish. And those who believe the Senate can be returned to a gentlemen's club still don't recognize how profoundly times have changed.
The House should be passing bills with 218 votes if necessary and the Senate with 51. Send them to Bush to be vetoed and repeat the process. The "failure" to override vetoes is far less damage than the "failure" to pass bills in the first place.
July 30, 2007 4:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
mcboo and gqmartinez make excellent points. The Democratic-led 110th Congress blew a golden opportunity to include media reform in their hundred-day agenda. Even if any such legislation failed, the issue could have at least brought the need for re-regulating ownership consolidation and re-instituting the equal rights provision of the fairness doctrine into the overall discourse, and maybe even shed some light on the broken media that way too many in the elctorate fail to even notice.
July 30, 2007 4:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
mcboo,
Rehabbing at Walter Reed, where no one will pay any attention.
July 30, 2007 4:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think many people are aware of "how the House and Senate work" and the system is fundamentally broken. Its not an issue of design, in my opinion, but corruption of that design. Congress has become increasingly insulated from responding to the people because of the power of special interest campaign contributions. Lots of cash seems to work on both sides of the aisle to get exactly what the high powered lobbyists want (e.g., Medicare Drug Plan, Iraq War and spending, etc.)
Why should people who want the war to end accept "the way Congress works" if it does not end the war? You re-enforce the notion that shifting balances between Republicans and Democratic majorities is not the solution, when many lawmakers make noise in public, deal secretly, and help each other stay in office. Breaking the senority system by returnig no incumbents might be a start in changing the way both the House and Senate work. The status quo is accomplishing nothing.
July 30, 2007 4:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
The all night sesion was a bust because it was Dems talking. Just say, "We're ready to vote. You may vote or talk." That is the choice that the Dems in the senate need to give to the GOP. Bring up the things that the GOP wishes to block and then sit down and shut up. Let the GOP actualy filabuster if that is what they want to do. Tell them you may speak on this measure from now untill hell freezes over or we can vote on it. Put the onus on them.
July 30, 2007 4:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Democratic agenda is not being obstructed by Presidential vetos or GOP obstructionism any more than by Democratic timidity. In anticipation of a veto, they pass no legislation. Why not pass everything they can and wear out the president's veto stamp? That's one way to show the public and history who's really blocking progress.
July 30, 2007 4:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree with the assessment of the do-nothing Democratic Congress, but am very suspicious of the source. Does anyone really trust James Carville? He is married to (and reported sleeps with) Cheney-loyalist Mary Matalin.
I remember MJ Rosenberg-TPM Cafe reported a gem from Bob Woodward's latest book (p344)saying that Carville tipped off Matalin to Kerry plans to challenge provisional balllots in Ohio the morning after the with Cheney and Bush, who had operatives contact J. Kenneth Blackwell, the Republican Secretary of State in Ohio, to block the effort. As Rosenberg said, "The rest is history." www.tpmcafe.com/blog/coffeehouse/2006/oct/07/did_carville_tip_bush_off_to_kerry_strategy_woodward
What's the old adage: Loose Lips Keep Bush in Office? Carville-Matalin work both sides of the fence for their own advantage.
July 30, 2007 4:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
well, today they stood to up the Japanese government and demanded they come clean about the sexual slavery of Chinese during WWII. That's leadership!
July 30, 2007 10:18 PM | Reply | Permalink