Sixty-four days and counting. With just about two months left before midterm elections, Republicans appear to be in hot water. The party faces the possibility of losing control of the House, major losses in the Senate and even districts considered only Republican are up for grabs as unsettled Americans look for answers.
According to a CNN poll released Tuesday, Americans are not happy with how the country is being run, and the majority overwhelmingly disapproves of Congress and many incumbents who are seeking re-election. The poll, based on 1,004 adult Americans, was conducted by Opinion Research Corporation and has a margin error of plus or minus 4.5 percent.
Only 12 percent of those polled said they are satisfied with what Congress has done, and a whopping 84 percent said they wished Congress had done more. And the GOP should watch out because the majority — 55 percent — is more likely to back a challenger in races on this year's ballot than sticking with the incumbent.
Many political analysts agree that the Republican Party's only chance to take this election is to divert voters' attention from national issues to a simpler choice between two candidates and a debate on local issues.
The party's usual issue — national security — is also a focus, but its tactics are becoming spectacularly transparent. Just look at Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's speech last week for proof. The Republican tactic of pumping Americans full of fear is wearing thin. Playing up national security as if Republicans have a monopoly on it — or as if they've actually made America a safer place for citizens — isn't working anymore.
The chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, Rep. Tom Reynolds of New York, even had the audacity to say in a New York Times article, "I don't really care what the national climate is. At the end of the day, House races are a choice between two people." The country is in a highly unpopular and contested war, so he should be concerned about national issues, and so should voters.
Some Democrats are utilizing creative campaigning strategies to show the weaknesses of our Congress. Indiana Democrat Baron Hill, in an attempt to reclaim the Congressional seat he lost two years ago to Rep. Mike Sodrel, pumped fuel at a gas station for $1.80 — the 2004 price — rather than $2.79, today's price.
If nothing else, voters are searching for change because they're tired of the way our country has been run. They're tired of outrageous gas prices, tired of a horrible economy and tired of the war in Iraq.
We hope how people responded to the CNN poll will translate into how people vote in November. Being upset about political issues doesn't matter if you're not willing to vote for someone who could make a difference.
