Sea change ahead, folks, as Gallup reports that Dems have a six-point lead in generic ballots for the 2010 Congressional elections.
In the same week that the U.S. Senate passed a major financial reform bill touted as reining in Wall Street, Democrats pulled ahead of Republicans, 49% to 43% …
If you read further, you’ll find this is the first statistically significant lead for the Dems since March, when Gallup dreamed up the poll. Now, let’s see – what have the Dems done since March?
Well, there was the Big F*$%@!$ Deal health care reform. Which, typically, the Republicans opposed because, um, making sure insurance companies don’t take your money and then refuse to cover you is apparently un-American.
Financial reform, that little project reforming Wall Street and reigning in the Big Bonus CEOs whose greed sent the economy crashing and burning, just passed. Of course, the Party of No said No, because, yeah, it’s un-American to tell Big Business and CEOs that they’re not allowed to cheat, lie and steal, nor are they allowed to reward themselves with taxpayer dollars when their cheating, lying and stealing necessitates a bailout.
The Party of Not On Your Side also stymied what seemed to be the most across the board beneficial legislation when it filibustered the extension of unemployment benefits, kicking hundreds of thousands of struggling families in the shins to stay on message, as provided by the deficit hawk caucus.
Now, I’ve written before about the hypocrisy of the deficit hawks (link to “News Flash” post) but it bears repeating that these conservatives so worried about the national debt weren’t at all worried when they passed massive tax cuts for the wealthy and signed the checks for two expensive wars. Nor are they now worried about paying for an extension of those same Fat Cat Tax Cuts, which they prefer to enact over benefits for the working class.
Now, with two Republicans joining ranks to stop the Right’s assault on middle class Americans, an unemployment benefits extension is poised to pass, and Dems are climbing in the polls.
Coincidence? I think not.
Barring a severe case of Stockholm syndrome, Americans are increasingly unlikely to vote for the same party that seems hell-bent on raiding their meager retirement funds, wallets and tax payments to give away to the wealthiest Americans and greedy CEOs. (Talk about redistribution of wealth, Batman!)
The polling suggests independents are largely responsible for the uptick in Dem support, and that can’t be too surprising, either – the Repubs anti-everything policies don’t play well across the board. It’s less about party lines than the continued assault on all but the wealthiest Americans and corporations.
Here in Michigan, the fallout should be noticeable. With our unemployment rate consistently highest or nearly so in the nation, voters might punish Congressional delegates like Rep. Pete Hoekstra – who is running for Governor, too.
Perhaps Pete will feel the heat for not only standing against Michiganders on every issue of importance, but for skipping the vote on unemployment bennies because he was busy drumming up money from wealthy donors for his run at higher office.
You stay classy, Pete, and you stay classy, Party of No More Spending Unless It’s On the Rich and Big Business Tax Breaks.