A poll taken in Florida shows that 49% of the people there believe that Republicans are deliberately sabotaging the economy. This is an extraordinary statistic, because while this has been happening in plain sight, it has until very recently been considered impolite for our lords and masters who style themselves Democrats and/or pundits to take notice (Paul Krugman always excepted). That means, of course, that a distracted and anxious populace has come to the conclusion pretty much on their own.
Angry Black Lady at Balloon Juice, who wrote the post to which I’ve linked, has this to say:
Got that? Nearly half the respondents, including 52 percent of independents and nearly a quarter of Republicans believe that Republicans are sabotaging the economy. If Republicans “stay the course,” those numbers will only rise.
The question remains, however, will voters punish Republicans for this behavior in the voting booth?Even more succinctly, are voters going to fuck up this election?
Well, maybe, but the voters are going to be faced with concrete choices in 2012, and with actual campaigns, which will choose what issues they care to stress. It’s not just voters that fuck up elections. If Harry Truman were in the White House we know what he would do with an issue like this, because it’s precisely what he did do in 1948. The question is whether the modern Democratic party, weighed down by its allegiance to Wall Street and its overall timidity, can push at this. If 49% of the people believe this unprompted, a little skillful campaigning ought to be able to push that to 60%, which ought, even given the American electorate and the incompetence of the Democrats, make for some surprises come November, if only the Democrats were willing to risk hurting Republican fee-fees.
That requires some action at the top, and that presents the question of whether Obama can convince the American people that he feels any sense of real urgency about this issue, assuming he’s willing to make and stick by the charge of deliberate sabotage. Maybe a “no more Mr. Nice Guy” line of attack against a do nothing Congress might do the trick, but can he really convince anyone, at this point, that he won’t revert to form once he’s safely re-elected? After all, he has to convince people that he not only disagrees with what the Republicans are doing, but that he will do something about it if he’s reelected. What evidence is there for that? And given the fact that the Democrats practically embrace their filibuster created impotence, why should anyone believe that voting Democratic will make any difference?
Still, it’s a splendid opportunity and it will be interesting to see how the Democrats throw it away.
Speaking of Harry, a musical bonus:
