It’s Ours to Lose

Posted on 09/07/2010 at 7:42 am by Bob Cesca

The new NBC/WSJ poll has some mixed news:

Among all registered voters, however, both parties are tied on the generic ballot, 43 percent to 43 percent, suggesting that Democrats could potentially blunt GOP gains in November with high turnout at the polls.

But right now, according to the poll, the interest level in the midterms is down among Democrats, African-Americans and younger Americans compared to 2006, when the Democratic Party won control of both the House and Senate.

If Democrats lose control of Congress, Hart argues, it’s “because they didn’t vote.”

Two things need to happen, then. I think we need some red meat from the Democrats — some juicy liberal legislation rocketing through Congress and the president on the stump pushing for it. And we also have a responsibility to generate some excitement ourselves. A movement is supposed to, you know, move. We can start here and go.

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  • sukey Pratt

    And sadly stay away from Kos. Every post that echos this one is shot down by the folks who have taken over.

  • http://www.politicalruminations.com/ Nicole473

    Bob—>>We can start here and go.More motivation. What the Firebaggers think about the site linked at the bottom of bob’s post. Read Ray’s comments.

  • http://www.intoxination.net IntoxiNation

    I was talking to a friend yesterday, who is a Pol Sci professor at a local university. He’s also pretty much a rightwinger. He brought up something really interesting yesterday that I hadn’t thought about.A lot of these polls use data from 2006, since that was the last mid-term. The dynamics made a pretty big change in 2008 when so many young people and African Americans got involved. Those unpolled demographics could end up really making an impact this year and give the Democrats a much better chance at retaining everything. I really hope he is right.

  • kansasdem

    @ Nicole473,Ray Beckerman can go screw himself. I’m Kucinich left so I get frustrated and throw a tantrum from time to time when any fellow Democrat lets me down, but I’m also a realist.If Obama had accomplished nothing but the appointments of Sotomayor and Kagan I’m smart enough to know that may not have happened had Democrats not held a majority in the Senate.Of course he accomplished much more, but any Democrat that sits this election out better STFU for a long, long time!

  • EGB

    How could democrats be anything other than unenthusiastic about the election-you cannot pick up a paper, or log on to the web and not read, “big losses for the democrats this year”. We’re afraid of what’s gonna happen, so yes, we are not enthusiastic. But, does that really mean democrats won’t get out to vote? I’m not so sure about that. As the wingnuts smell victory, they are getting more and more sloppy about hiding their craziness.I remember in the presidential campaign, all the news used to say, “people don’t start paying attention until after labor day”. Now suddently “the cake is baked” last spring. We’ve just came out of another August of insanity. I think frankly it’s about to turn.

  • emsique

    @IntoxiNation- I’m not sure how polls can be accurate anymore since so many people have unlisted cell phones instead of land lines and a listing in the phone book. My guess is that most of the old style communicators are older folks who tend to be more conservative. Since this is the case almost all polling is going to be skewed in favor of Republicans.The new infrastructure proposal is an excellent start in making Dems look better. So would an Elizabeth Warren appointment to the new banking consumer protection agency. Let the Repubes try and fight those two things before elections to remind the public just what a pack of jackals they actually are.

  • ec

    I don’t like Orzag’s NYT editorial today. Not one bit. He argues for extending all Bush tax cuts for two years and then ending them all for good.I can understand making this argument for political expediency but I didn’t catch him saying that. Maybe I missed something.

  • http://www.politicalruminations.com/ Nicole473

    @ecA good article on the BTC arguments at TPM.The Four Possible Outcomes Of The Fight Over The Bush Tax Cuts

  • http://www.politicalruminations.com/ Nicole473

    @kansasdemBasically how I feel too. I think that the Firebaggers who are planning to sit out the election and encouraging others to do the same, are irresponsible idiots.Beckerman’s anger over a website which simply documents what Obama has accomplished is so typical of the Firebaggers……they just hate him regardless. Not that they have nothing to complain about, but that they refuse to see that there is also much good there.I prefer pragmatism. :)

  • ec

    @Nicole473Thanks.

  • Allen Frederick

    “A movement is supposed to, you know, move.”Problem is Bob, the people the poll refers to are not part of your movement. You know, YOUR movement. The “We Must Always Elect Democrats At All Costs” movement, followed by some FEAR FEAR SCARY SCARY. Thanks, but no thanks.To quote Rahm Emmanuel in 2006: “I’d rather be us than them tonight.” That’s right Rahm.

  • http://tarackian.deviantart.com J M Ashby

    Is “interest” really an indicator of who will and will not show up at the polls though?You could be extremely interested and still not show up.