POLL WATCH:
The Democrats are losing popularity, says CNN:
"A new national poll indicates that the Democratic party's becoming less popular with voters. But the CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey, released Monday, suggests that the Republican party has not been able to capitalize on the Democrats' downturn....Fifty-two percent of people questioned say they have a favorable opinion of the Democratic party, down six points from February. Forty-one percent say they have a positive view of the Republican party, up just two points from February. "Most Americans still have a favorable view of the Democrats; half have an unfavorable view of the GOP," says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland."
True, Republicans have yet to capitalize on this.
But I have little doubt they can, and will, should the Dems' slide continue.
All Republicans need is a positive message to go along with their criticisms of the Democrats.
Maybe next year it will be time for a new "contract with America."
DEMOCRATS SHOUT AND SCREAM AGAINST EXTREMISM DEPT:
Democratic Congressman Brian Baird sees evil intent in these Republicans attending town hall meetings to criticize ObamaCare:
"[Baird] said a "coordinated national effort" to disrupt public meetings with shouts and demonstrations, which he said Republican leaders were "egging on," was reminiscent of the kinds of things that drove Timothy McVeigh to bomb the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995. "He believed himself to be a patriot fighting against an oppressive government," Baird said of McVeigh, whose act killed 168."
This is an old Democratic tactic--paint your opponents and their arguments as a part of horrible "extremism", link it to violence somehow, and thus make it so your opponents don't have to be listened to, their arguments ignored. Hey, why refute those damned Republicans anyway? They're just "extremists."
One of the best fundamentals to use to counter this is a simple one: Republicans and conservatives are ORGANIZING. They are seeking to get citizens involved in the democratic process, to make their voices heard. Attending town hall meetings is, indeed, an important part of community organizing.
You know--that thing Barack Obama used to do.
UPDATE: Reps. Pelosi and Hoyer have now escalated the battle over this by accusing the town hall protestors of being "un-American."
Funny--over the past 5 years or so, we've all seen those protesting the Iraq war or the Code Pink group do plenty of protesting and disrupting. Why didn't Speaker Pelosi denounce those groups as "un-American"?
BASEBALL DIARY: catching up from the weekend...the Tigers had a good weekend overall, winning two of three from Minnesota, including yesterday's come-from-behind win, 8-7. At least the Tigers are scoring some more runs. But now, a challenge--on to Boston. The Tigers now lead the division by 3 games.
It was a good weekend for the Texas Rangers, too. They won two of three over the Angels--that's now 9 wins for the Rangers in 12 games with the Angels of Anaheim this year. And yesterday rookie pitcher Derek Holland was simply masterful in blanking LA, 7-0. This kid has a chance to be something really special.
But the Cubs lost two of three over the weekend, including yesterday's game to Colorado, 11-5. The Rockies are tough at home, and are 43-22 under manager Jim Tracy. The Cubs need to keep chasing St. Louis...
