« Disgusting | Main | Reality Check »
March 12, 2007
The Natives Are Restless
It has been a rough turn of events, in recent months, for loyal Republicans. Their once-popular president, George W. Bush, has been bogged down by myriad scandals and a bad, and steadily deteriorating situation in Iraq, and is sounding more and more like a lame duck these days. They lost both houses of Congress in the November 2006 midterms, and the party's presidential prospects look uncertain to say the least.
Tuesday's NY Times is out with some fresh polling data to quantify that GOP malaise.
In short, Republican voters remain steadfastly loyal, if unenthusiastic, to their president but are dispirited about the party's near term prospects for success. One thing is clear: most GOP voters have yet to find a suitable standard-bearer for next year's presidential election among the current crop of contenders. 6 in 10 Republicans surveyed said they want more choices for their presidential nominee, while Democrats are far more satisfied with their candidate pool.
Bad news for current GOP "frontrunners" McCain, Romney and Giuliani. Even Rudy, who, largely unscrutinized, has benefitted in the polls from a McCain decline, isn't exciting the Republican base. Somehow, we think the more folks learn about America's Mayor, the less they will like him, but what do we know?
Such lackluster polling numbers must make unannounced candidates like Fred Thompson and Newt Gingrich lean even further toward getting in the race. Hey, the field's clearly wide open.
As we have written, the 2008 GOP nomination process is most unusual in modern Republican Party politics. Nothing is decided, no one has been annointed, and the natives are restless.
Posted by houtopia at March 12, 2007 10:57 PM