Posted by RENEWtv in If we’re going to keep hammering away at Obama’s penchant for deficits, we must also be ready to accept – then rectify — our own deficiencies. The GOP’s public support deficiency became a bit clearer this week after the release of a new Gallup poll that covers the Party’s losses in detail. According to Gallup,
“Since the first year of George W. Bush’s presidency in 2001, the Republican Party has maintained its support only among frequent churchgoers, with conservatives and senior citizens showing minimal decline. “
Males. Females. Whites. Young people. Midwesterners. The unmarried. College graduates. Low income. Middle income. Upper income. These groups all have one thing in common – they have all shown a decrease in affiliation to the Republican Party between 2001 and 2009.
While the parties were evenly distributed in 2001, now 53% of the nation identifies with the Democratic Party, with only 39% identifying with Republicans. But, there is a silver lining. According to Gallup,
“Aside from education, for which the parties were basically at even strength in 2001, the Republicans’ losses tend to be greater among groups that were not strong GOP supporters to begin with. These include self-identified liberals and moderates, church non-attenders, and lower-income and young adults.”
In other words — people who weren’t strong advocates of Republican policy to begin with.
Another positive is the unwavering level of conservative allegiance. The GOP has only lost one percentage point (in terms of I.D.) amongst members of this group. It is here, I believe, we need to focus if we want to reclaim the party and stabilize our democracy. Moderating is not going to appease the solid, conservative base.
Gallup notes that the Party has not lost support since Obama took office and attributes the major decline to the Bush administration’s handling of Hurricane Katrina and the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.
While the Party is surely in a tough spot, hope is far from lost. The public is already displaying differentiation from President Obama’s agenda. While his approval rating remains high, polls show a gap in his opinion and the notions held by the majority of Americans on several key issues of importance. But rather than focus on these deficiencies, we must look toward rebuilding the tenants of our own party – conservative ideologies that polls show majority support for.
The chilling message the poll sends is that in everyone of the 25 catagories: rich, poor, whites, non whites, college educaton, women, men, liberal and conservative, the Republican party has lost ground.
Republicans should be gaining ground among Conservatives. Instead they lost…although by only one percentage point..but they still lost.
And they didn’t even gain among people who attend church regularly.
If Obama comes to some kind of accomodation among churchgoers regarding abortion…the Republican party will have lost it’s base.
And the positive reception he got at Notre Dame, the Catholic flagship school should be a wake up call.
If Republicans want to win elections they are going to have to come up with a better ideas than the ones they currently have.
I think the public has grown weary of their low taxes, pro business, anti gay, anti immigrant mantra.
Comparing young adults in 2001 and 2009 is kind of silly, it is after all quite a lot of years between that and 8 + 25 = 33 would be someone approaching a different age bracket. Young adults become old adults become senior citizens. Sure it’s great to note these groups are going against you as discrete categories but i think you don’t have a good sense of time if you don’t think that people form opinions in their youth and often keep them throughout their lives. The Republicans have grown away from the mainstream. They can either come back or become a third party.
Elixabeth:
Read some polls. The American people (majority) support the GOP’s opinions on a number of issues. The GOP has not “grown away.” It’s lost its footing.