Today the Washington Post had this little article in it that I thought was interesting:
Republicans, worried that their conservative base lacks motivation to turn out for the fall elections, have found a new rallying cry in the dreams of liberals about censuring or impeaching President Bush.
The proposal this week by Senator Russell D. Feingold, Democrat of Wisconsin, to censure Mr. Bush over his domestic eavesdropping program cheered the left. But it also dovetailed with conservatives’ plans to harness such attacks to their own ends.
With the Republican base demoralized by continued growth in government spending, undiminished violence in Iraq and intramural disputes over immigration, some conservative leaders had already begun rallying their supporters with speculation about a Democratic rebuke to the president even before Mr. Feingold made his proposal.
Nothing spectacular. As matter of fact it is a pretty common move out of the big book of political plays. Its the old “circle the wagons” trick.
Now having said that, Raw Story has come up with something else interesting regarding a new poll just released:
A poll taken March 15, 2006 by American Research Group found that among all adults, 46% favor Senator Russ Feingold’s (D-WI) plan to censure President George W. Bush, while just 44% are opposed. Approval of the plan grows slightly when the sample is narrowed to voters, up to 48% in favor of the Senate censuring the sitting president.
Even more shocking is that just 57% of Republicans are opposed to the move, with 14% still undecided and 29% actually in favor. Fully 70% of Democrats want to see Bush censured.
29% of the Republicans favor this and only 57% are against it.! That should be alarming to the GOP war room.
Consider the last two Presidential elections. They were two of the closest in history. That means in order for the Republicans to call to arms all the Bush supporters out there would be just short of a miracle. Also consider how many voters from 2004 didn’t vote for Bush, but instead voted against Kerry. That diminishes the GOP’s odds of motivating their base even more. Actually they may motivate them but there just isn’t that many to motivate.
“Clear and decisive message” That is what Ken Mehlman says the Democrats lack whenever he takes to the talk shows. Well looking at numbers like these, Bush lacks it just as much, if not more than the Democrats. There are still 14% in that number that don’t know if they want their supported leader censured or not. This all adds up to even more good news for the Democrats and hopefully a strong message to some Democrats in Senate that they need to stand up and get behind Feingold’s resolution.