I missed this when it first came out last week, but Gallup has a new poll on the political preferences by state. According to Gallup, there are now only 4 solid Republican states: Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Alaska and 1 leans Republican state: Alabama. The new swing states (within 2 in party affiliation) are Mississippi, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Arizona, Texas, South Carolina, and Montana. The continuing weakness in the economy is starting to hurt Obama’s approval ratings, but Republicans haven’t been gaining – approval/disapproval for the Congressional GOP now stands at 10/74.
I just wonder if we’re starting to see a backlash. I know the Republicans are proud of their ability to disrupt townhall meetings, but they have to remember that they are not just shouting down Congresspeople but also regular constituents. I think this strategy carries more risk than benefit for Republicans. For one, they are extremely rude but their arguments don’t even make sense (see this post from yesterday). The national party Republicans have not been hiding their involvement in these events, either. In fact, John Boehner was actually bragging about it! The Republican party is really in danger of not just looking like the party of obstruction but the party of teabaggers and Crazy Eileen. (That Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll last week really caught the media’s attention). With crazy, silly people like Orly Taitz in charge of the movement that includes 50% of Republicans, are we really surprised?
Update: It looks like today is the day to write about this subject. Republican columnist Kathleen Parker has an op-ed today titled “A Tip For The GOP: Look Away.” In the op-ed she is urging the GOP to channel their inner Voinovich:
Not all Southern Republicans are wing nuts. Nor does the GOP have a monopoly on ignorance or racism. And, the South, for all its sins, is also lush with beauty, grace and mystery. Nevertheless, it is true that the GOP is fast becoming regionalized below the Mason-Dixon line and increasingly associated with some of the South’s worst ideas.
It is not helpful (or surprising) that “birthers” — conspiracy theorists who have convinced themselves that Barack Obama is not a native son — have assumed kudzu qualities among Republicans in the South. In a poll commissioned by the liberal blog Daily Kos, participants were asked: “Do you believe that Barack Obama was born in the United States of America or not?”
Hefty majorities in the Northeast, the Midwest and the West believe Obama was born in the United States. But in the land of cotton, where old times are not by God forgotten, only 47 percent believe Obama was born in America and 30 percent aren’t sure.
Southern Republicans, it seems, have seceded from sanity.
A Daily Kos diarist also picks up the theme with a diary called “Umm, GOP? You got a second? I want to show you something.” The diary shows some of the excesses of the teabaggers and anti-reform activists, reminding us that this is who the GOP is celebrating right now. (There are an incredible number of Obama = Hitler signs.)
Republicans, you are losing the fight for public perception. I know you don’t feel that way right now because the GOP is following John McCain’s strategy of winning the news cycle (I guess some people really believe there’s no such thing as bad publicity). Republicans are losing control of their own narrative and have already forgotten the message discipline that they used to be famous for. The debate is now about the tactics of the activists and insurance companies and I don’t think that’s the ground that Republicans want to defend.