Newsweek came out with a poll today that suggests Democrats may not be headed for nearly as massive a defeat as some are predicting. Why? Repubs are still running against the Bush legacy.
Forty-five percent of independents say they’ll vote for Republican candidates, compared with just 33 percent for Democrats.
Still, Democrats’ perceived weakness may not be so simple for the GOP to capitalize on this fall. Republican leaders still must deal with the Bush legacy, which 38 percent fault for today’s economic problems (compared with 19 percent who fault Obama’s policies). The public also strongly opposes extending the Bush tax cuts by a spread of 52 percent who think the cuts should expire at the end of this year, and 38 percent who would like them to be extended.
This confirms what a lot of us have long suspected--Bush is hanging around the GOP like a Texas-sized anchor.
The poll also offers other encouraging news. Obama's approval rating is at 47 percent--which according to Newsweek is much higher than it was at this point for Bush in '06 and Clinton in '94. Voters also generally approve of Obama's handling of Oilmageddon, and also feel he understands the concerns of ordinary people.