At the time of year when polls usually start to tighten, the latest generic poll from USA Today/Gallup shows quite the opposite. Democrats are moving further ahead -- surging even. And, the Republican's leader, George Bush, is in a free fall, too:
Four weeks before congressional elections, a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows Democrats hold a 23-point lead over GOP candidates. That's double the lead Republicans had a month before they seized control of Congress in 1994.The GOP was counting on their 9/11 exploitation to give them a political advantage. Oh well. Bush and the GOP wanted everyone to forget about Iraq. Karl and Ken really thought they could get Iraq out of the news -- and somehow morph that quagmire in to a success in the so-called war on terror. That's not happening. And, the Republican child sex predator scandal and cover-up are adding to their woes. I think the Foley scandal crystallized the bad feelings people were having about Bush and the Republicans.
President Bush's approval rating was 37%, down from 44% in a Sept. 15-17 poll. The approval rating for Congress was 24%, down 5 points from last month.
The plummeting GOP ratings in the poll of 1,007 adults, taken Friday through Sunday, come after a series of dismal developments for the party. They include high levels of violence in Iraq; a National Intelligence Estimate that contradicted upbeat administration statements on Iraq; a new Bob Woodward book about internal White House disagreements over Iraq policy, and the Sept. 29 resignation of GOP Rep. Mark Foley hours after reports that he exchanged sexually explicit instant messages with teenage House pages.
Last month's poll showed a bounce for Bush and Republicans following the fifth anniversary of 9/11 and a party-wide focus on terrorism. "Not only is it gone, but the Democrats have momentum," Democratic strategist Anita Dunn said.
She called the Foley scandal "the absolute crystallization for people of everything they dislike about Washington and the congressional Republicans."
It's still four weeks til election day. But, these aren't bad numbers to have heading in to the home stretch.
