What Does the Generic Republican v. Democrat Ballot Say About Election 2010?

Republicans have opened a lead, but what does it mean for November?

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September 3, 2010 RSS Feed Print
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Presidential approval itself depends on other factors, particularly the economy. Blumenthal notes, "When the economy's bad, presidential approval is low, and the 'out' parties tend to do better. Those things are all related." With Obama's approval rating in the mid-40s and unemployment nearing ten percent, these figures point to a good election year for Republicans.

Even with many indicators pointing in the same direction, prognosticating remains an uncertain science. Rasmussen emphasizes that presidential approval ratings and generic ballot poll results are only "general indicators of mood." He continues, "Anybody who wants to try and delve deeper and say you can take these broad indicators and project precisely how many seats somebody will gain or lose is missing the point."

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Democratic Party,
2010 Congressional elections,
Republican Party,
Congress,
Barack Obama

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I'm not surprised your mind is boggling at the news. I question how old you are, because it seems your memory doesn't go back far enough to recall just how bad the Democrats were and why they got tossed in 1994.

Because as bad as the GOP is, the Democrats are worse.

The same cast of characters who lead the Democrats then, lead them now. Charlie Rangel, Barney Frank... they were all there, and were handed the reins again in 2006 because an ignorant electorate either forgot how bad they were, or were too young and ignorant of history to realize it.

You really need to wake up and get it through your own thick head - Obama and the Democrats are NOT working for you.

Neither will the Republicans.

They're two sides of the same coin, and THAT is why "change" never comes - what we need is a new coin.

Now, I'm kinda with you, but from a different angle. Why settle for the lesser evil? The GOP won't fix the country, they'll just kill it slower than the Democrats. Vote Democrat, kill the country faster, start over sooner.

Rich of CO 2:31AM September 08, 2010

I think the midterm statistics can be looked at one of two ways. Firstly, it could mean that we have a highly corrupting system in Washington which leads presidents astray, thereby resulting in voter rebuff. It could also mean the people are fickle and are just looking for hand-outs, and if the party in power won't give them any, they'll switch to the other one.

What is critical to remember here is that the Republican Party has been long-known to have abandoned its core conservative values for the purposes of political expediency. This possible flipping of the House, the Senate, or both is fundamentally meaningless unless it's due to the election of people "who are conservatives and incidentally they're also Republicans". The other thing which I feel is critical is that these newly-elected conservatives need to tell the Republican Party leadership to sit down, shut up, and get out of the way. If they're not willing to do that, then this whole midterm cycle will ultimately prove to be fairly meaningless as well.

I think the message of financial and political reform has generally permeated through our culture. The question in my mind is if it has done so sufficiently such that it is being acted on appropriately. Time will tell; it always does.

Mike of FL 7:48AM September 05, 2010

The "world" is watching America and the words about direction! It just has to be a more "informed" emotional interpretation for the voting masses. Otherwise many will wonder: where is moderation in the face of all? assuming that we see [the] all in the best pragmatic and positive way.

People cannot just be made pawns and I note: "when did the word politician become another word for worthless"? America is exemplary, but it is increasingly that of a challenge for what voters are fed with. Can they ever be made to reflect well on "there is time for everything"? There was an "old" world, but now many look-up to a "new" world. American voters must understand and make that possible. Surely it is why the world will be watching with interest!

Lawrence Efana 6:09AM September 05, 2010

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