As November nears, voters turn backs on both parties
What happens if they hold an election in which voters don't like either of their choices?
We'll find out in 43 days, as poll after poll shows that both national parties are deeply unpopular with an electorate looking for something new and different. Democrats have suffered from being the majority party for the past 20 months - in control of political Washington and expected to do more by voters who elected President Obama to change the culture in the nation's capital. But Republicans are not offering much that will earn them credit in the eyes of most voters, either.
In an Associated Press poll released last week, 38 percent of respondents approved of the job Democrats in Congress are doing, while 60 percent disapproved - not exactly where any party wants to be this close to an election. The ratings for Republicans in Congress, however, were even worse, with 31 percent approving and 68 percent disapproving. A New York Times/CBS News survey released last week also showed congressional Democrats' approval rating at a measly 30 percent, while congressional Republicans' sat at a ghastly 20 percent.
And in a Washington Post-ABC News poll released this month, voters expressed a distinct desire not to reelect incumbents in either party. Just 34 percent said Democrats deserved reelection, while 31 percent said Republicans did. The deep unpopularity of the GOP brand is one of the last vestiges of hope for Democrats seeking to retain their majorities in the House and Senate in what - if history is any guide - is shaping up to be a difficult midterm election season for the party.
Washington PostI wonder if this is the usual pre-elections disillusion with both parties in American politics, or if it's something more. We shall see. But since the electorate vote against a certain party rather than for one, it could very well be that during election day they will vote for one or the other, especially since there doesn't seem to be a third party on the spotlight these days.
In the long run, however, I think that the teabaggers are going to bring the Republican Party to its demise, while the moderate Republicans flock to the Democratic Party (rendering it a bit more right-wing than it already is, but definitely less so than the Republican Party is), with the more liberal Democrats and left-wing voters turning towards a more progressive party, perhaps the Green Party. Whether these elections are the beginning of this trend or not, though, remains to be seen.
Topic: US elections: voters turn backs on both parties