Less than two years after leaving office, only 25% of Americans believe that if Republicans return to power in Congress their economic agenda will mean a return to former President Bush's economic policies. 65% say that a Republican Congress will promote a "new economic agenda that is different from George W. Bush's policies." Even Democrats and liberals are unconvinced that a Republican Congress means a return to Bushanomics. And moderates and Independents, the key swing blocs in all major policy debates, have completely divorced congressional Republicans from the economic philosophy and failed policies of President Bush.That's from a poll conducted by Third Way, and it's got the Democrats completely panicking. The centrists/moderates/Independents overwhelmingly believe the Republicans will be fiscally responsible if elected back into power, despite the idiocy that "tax cuts pay for themselves".
They have been convinced that austerity is the way, and that only Republicans can bring austerity about. Furthermore, they believe that austerity will only hurt the "lazy and undeserving" and that Real Americans will be fine if we make massive spending cuts.
Even Democrats don't believe that the GOP will return to Bush's economic policies...and yet constant wars, tax cuts for the wealthy, repealing everything Obama did, removing regulation on banks and Wall Street...isn't that exactly a return to Bush's economic policies?
And you're telling me the Dems can't sell that point?
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And you're telling me the Dems can't sell that point?
Democrats couldn't sell a life preserver to a drowning man.
@Steve M.:
True enough, but the thing that really bums me out, and that's killing the Donks as much as their wretched salesmanship, is that there shouldn't be anything to sell. The Republicans in Congress and leadership now are, for the most part, the same Republicans that unambiguously annihilated the long-term budget when they were in power, using the exact same fiscal playbook from the later Reagan Republican years. Republican leadership swears on a stack of bibles that they've learned their lesson, and then in the same breath, scoff at the idea that tax cuts ever need to be offset.
Every time, every freaking time that I think that I've put a new, realistic floor on the intelligence and engagement of Swing Vote America, I'm proven wrong again. It's part of the grudging respect I have for Dubs: you really can fool some of the people all of the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on. The Republicans have that set of people locked the fuck up.
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