Two key points of interest came up in polling over the past week…
[#1] "Voters more likely to see Democrats as dominated by extremists"
Did you hear that Marjorie Smith and Mary Jane Wallner? Did you?
According to The Hill’s 2010 Midterm Election Poll, "likely voters in battleground districts see extremists as having more dominant influence over the Democrat Party than they do over the GOP." I can’t say that I’m surprised but it’s gratifying to see evidence of what you instinctively knew all along.
The difference in this is 7 points: 44% Democrat, 37% Republican. The poll, having a 1.5% MOE, was of likely voters; not from any particular party, not just independents, and not random people, but 4,047 likely voters, living in key-race districts.
The icing on this cake is the fact that 22% of Democrats in the poll said that their party was dominated by "extremists", compared to 11% of Republicans answering the same question….how ’bout that, ladies? (using the term very loosely)
The candy on top of the icing is what Independents said: 43% of likely independent voters thought that the Democrat party was more dominated by "extremists", compared to 37% who felt the same way about the Republican party.
Oh boy! Democrats had better get the burn cream and bandages out, and ready to apply in 14 days.
[#2] "Independents prefer cutting the deficit to spending on jobs"
In the same poll by The Hill (story here), Republicans’ message of reducing the Federal deficit "resonates" more with independent voters, from key battleground (swing) districts, who will surely swing this election.
52% of the likely independent voters polled favored deficit reduction, compared to 39% who favored Keynesian spending on jobs.
Did I mention that independent voters are going to determine which direction this election swings?
While I’m still on the fence about him, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) is campaigning on the promise that "every single week [the GOP will] move bills that will cut spending." If Republicans gain the majority in the House and Senate, and they fulfill this promise under his expected leadership, we may have a chance at stopping this out-of-control freight train.
Yet, somehow, I think Democrats are going to push back at these attempts, and we’re not going to go very far, despite Republican efforts, setting up the bigger upset of 2012.