Independents Abandoning Obama

There are several new polls out today and they're all bad for Democrats. You can get general analysis of the ABC News/WaPo poll a bunch of places. I wanted to focus on the independents. If, as Ace proposes, we want to make the blue states purple, the purple states red, and the red states redder, this is great news. To win elections, we have to turn out the base, but that's not enough. We've also got to convince a portion of the movable middle that things could be better if they moved right this election.

Mission accomplished:

Independents' disapproval of the president has reached an all-time high, with 57 percent giving him negative marks. About 61 percent of independents say Obama has not brought change to Washington. Nearly half now consider him "too liberal" ideologically.

Overall, by a 13-point margin, independent voters say they would support Republican over Democratic candidates in their House districts. A majority of independents - 59 percent - say they would prefer to have Republicans in charge of Congress to serve as a check on the president's agenda.

It's just now occurring to these movable middle types that Obama's disastrous economic policies are part of the problem. For the first time since 2002 in this poll, Republicans are more trusted on the economy: 43/39 percent.

And, there's room to grow these numbers.

Nor do many voters credit the opposition with a distinct message: Forty-five percent say Republicans are offering the country a clear direction that is different from that of the Democrats, while 48 percent say they are not.

On that issue...having a GOP "distinct message"...stay tuned.

On the WSJ/NBC Poll: Obama is losing key groups:

For Obama, however, the most troubling numbers are those showing that his popularity has taken a hit with some key swing groups. Among seniors, his favorable/unfavorable rating is 39 percent to 53 percent; among blue-collar workers, it’s 36 percent to 45 percent; among suburban residents, it’s 39 percent to 48 percent; and among independents, it’s 39 percent to 45 percent.

And only 39 percent approve of the President's handling of the economy.

posted by Gabriel Malor at 09:34 AM

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