Quantcast

Widgetized Section

Go to Admin » Appearance » Widgets » and move Gabfire Widget: Social into that MastheadOverlay zone

After Downgrade Boehner, McConnell, and GOP Approval Ratings Plunge

By: Jason EasleyAug. 9th, 2011more from Jason Easley

A new CNN poll released today found that voters are angry and they are taking out their anger on John Boehner, Mitch McConnell, and the entire Republican Party.

The CNN poll found that John Boehner’s approval rating has fallen off a cliff. In July, Boehner had a 43% favorable rating and a 32% unfavorable rating, (net +11). After the debt ceiling debacle the numbers have reversed. Boehner now has a 33% favorable rating, and 40% unfavorable rating. The Speaker of the House has gone from a plus eleven to a net minus seven. That is an 18 point negative swing in one month.

In contrast, Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi has one from a 35% approval rating to 31% approval rating, and a her disapproval rating moved down a point from 52% to 51%. The loss for Pelosi was only a net three points.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnel didn’t fare much better than Boehner. McConnell’s favorable rating dropped from 27% to 21%. His unfavorable rating grew from 32% to 39%. In July McConnell’s net favorable rating was at a (-5), today his net negative is (-18). McConnell suffered a net thirteen point negative swing in a month.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid saw his favorable rating stay nearly the same. His favorable rating was 29% in July. It is now 28%. His unfavorable rating moved from 37%-39%. Reid’s net approval rating was (-8). It has increased slightly to (-11). The change in Reid’s numbers was within the poll’s margin of error, so his favorability can be considered unchanged.

The Republican Party itself now has a 33% favorable rating and a 59% unfavorable rating. In July the GOP had a 41% favorable rating and a 55% unfavorable rating. Republicans lost 8 points off of their favorable rating, and gained 4 points in unfavorability. The end result is a net (-12) swing in their numbers.

The Tea Party mirrored the Republican Party’s decline. In July, they had a 37% favorable rating and a 47% unfavorable rating. After pushing the country to the brink of default, they now have a 31% favorable rating and a 51% unfavorable rating. This is net (-10) point swing in their favorability.

On the flip side, the Democratic Party has a 47% favorable rating and a 47% unfavorable rating. In July the Democrats had 45% favorable rating and a 49% unfavorable rating. The party of Obama’s favorables went up by two points, and their unfavorable went down by two points for a net four point gain. The Democratic Party was the news maker to gain in favorability.

The grand Republican plan has always been to keep voters angry until the 2012 election by keeping the economy in the dump. It worked. The American people are angry. What the GOP brain trust never counted on was that the American people would be angry and blame them.

There are two important points to take away from this poll. First, the Republicans tank and blame strategy is backfiring. Second, the Democratic message of increasing taxes on the wealthy is a winner. Poll after poll has shown that the Democrats desire to have the wealthy and corporate America pay their fair share resonates well with voters.

By being reasonable and trying to make a deal, Democrats have emerged from this mess looking better in the eyes of potential 2012 voters. The combination of the Republican desire to cut Medicare combined the the Democratic fair share argument on taxation could create a powerful 2012 message. A new USA Today poll revealed huge potential for another wave election in 2012. Obama’s approval ratings show that he is in a better position than any of the other Washington components to survive a big wave.

The American people aren’t as dumb as the GOPs thinks they are. The high profile near default, and subsequent debt downgrade opened a lot eyes in this country. Those people now know who to blame for the nation’s current mess, and they are placing the majority of the blame on the Republican Party.

After Downgrade Boehner, McConnell, and GOP Approval Ratings Plunge was written by Jason Easley for PoliticusUSA.
© PoliticusUSA, Aug. 9th, 2011. All Rights Reserved

Related Posts :