Splicetoday

Politics & Media
Mar 20, 2009, 07:03AM

The other side of the poll numbers

A recent NPR poll shows some softening of independent support for generic Democrats.

If you ignore the whole "poll participants agreed—by margins of 6 to 11 points—with Democrats more than Republicans on each of the issues tested," then you could come up with this:

The simple facts that self-identified Democrats still outnumber Republicans and that Democratic voters support Democratic congressional candidates 83 percent to 7 percent underscore the importance of independent voters. Many Democratic congressional leaders shake their heads with disdain or in disbelief over what they see as the Obama White House's preoccupation or even obsession with pleasing independent voters by promoting bipartisanship, but reaching across party lines is critical to Obama's success. Independent voters do not like partisanship, whether it is practiced by Democrats or Republicans. If Republicans really have pulled even or slightly ahead among independent voters, that is a very ominous sign for Democrats, an indication that Obama's talking the talk of bipartisanship isn't sufficient and that he and the Democratic majorities on Capitol Hill have to walk the walk.

 

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