If Ever There Was a Time to Fight, It is Now

Two new polls make it plain as day that if ever there was a time to fight, it is now. A new Gallup poll has only nine percent of Americans expressing their desire to vote for "a Republican who supports Bush on almost every major issue." In other words, even if voting Republican, voters want people who will stand up to the President (this is wholly unsurprising).

DemocracyCorps has also released a new poll and strategy memo indicating that 61 percent of Americans desire a significantly different direction from the one we're on.

For the first time in years, generic polls show most voters would prefer new representation to their incumbent.

The pump is primed for a nationwide rebellion, so what needs to be done?

Well, Democracy Corps is saying the opportunity is great "if the Democrats use every controversy to separate themselves from the Washington mess and define the choice, themselves and their policies."

That sounds just about right, which means that is dead wrong to think that we win by being mealy-mouthed about everything from the war in Iraq to the pork-stuffed irresponsible budgets to the tax cuts being passed lately. The American people are looking for sharp distinctions with the President.

This, in fact, is exactly why it was so amusing to me that people were amazed that Hackett's criticism of the President worked so well in a conservative district. The truth of the matter is this: The American people fundamentally understand that our system works best with oppositional forces in play. In fact, most Americans welcome gridlock and opposition as a way to hammering out reasonable policy.

As such, even with popular leaders, expressing a willingness to criticize and differ from is an indication of strength on the part of a candidate. It's also a signal that the candidate will not be a yes-man. Now, more than ever, the Democrats need to stop looking like yes-men.

--Matt Singer

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