The GOP has plenty to fear

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0504robb04.html


The deterioration of the Republican brand in national politics continues to be astonishing.

According to the latest WSJ/NBC survey, voters prefer, without reference to particular candidates, that Democrats take over the presidency by a 51 percent to 33 percent margin. A remarkable 45 percent of the electorate feels "strongly" that a Democrat should be the next president. That's a stunningly strong base going into the general election.

Voters also prefer Democrats to control Congress after the next election by a 49 percent to 34 percent spread. That's a 6 percentage point greater advantage than Democrats had going into the 2006 election, when they regained control of Congress. So much for Republican theories that the actual experience of a Democratic-controlled Congress has given voters second thoughts.

In terms of which party voters identify with, Democrats now have a 13 percentage-point advantage. Earlier this decade, Republicans had pulled nearly even with Democrats on this measure.

Voters have a slightly positive view of the Democratic Party, with 44 percent viewing it positively and 37 percent viewing it negatively. The general image of the Republican Party is sharply adverse, with 45 percent of voters viewing it negatively while only 27 percent view it positively.

All indications are that voters have largely made up their minds about this election: They want Democrats back in charge of the federal government. While all elections come down to a choice of candidates in individual races, the general political atmosphere suggests a tidal wave election, such as 1974 or 1994.

Republican hopes are buoyed by the fact that John McCain is currently running neck-and-neck with either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. And certainly both Democratic candidates have been damaged by the soap opera of a primary the Democrats are having.

But a political gravitational pull this strong will be very difficult, in the final analysis, for McCain to overcome, irrespective of who the Democratic nominee turns out to be.

And even then, it will go to the House of Representatives.

:rofl: :rofl:

That is the only way the Reps could possibly win this year.