Asleep at the Switch
October 27, 2014 - by
As bleak as Governor McCrory’s job approval numbers were in the WRAL poll, that wasn’t the worst news. Consider how Republicans, Democrats and Independents feel about the General Assembly.
Republican Voters
Approve 35%
Disapprove 38%
Conservative Voters
Approve 33%
Disapprove 37%
Independent Voters
Approve 20%
Disapprove 54%
Now I can imagine Republican leaders over in the legislature pooh-poohing and saying, Ah, well, that doesn’t really matter. We drew the districts.
But how long can a Republican state legislator in any district remain safe if Republicans and Conservatives think he’s doing a poor job?
Four years ago, Republicans won a majority in the General Assembly because voters were angry at Obama. Back then, two numbers ran through polls like plum-lines: Two-thirds of the Independents disapproved of the President – and almost to a man they voted Republican down the line. The correlation between the President’s job disapproval and the Republican vote was nearly absolute.
Which, after the election, led to a miscalculation: Human nature being what it is Republicans, naturally, figured the real reason they’d won was because voters had discovered their virtues, seen the light, converted to the true faith and agreed with Republicans down the line on issues from tax reform to education spending.
Next, naturally, as soon as they were sworn in Republicans started passing bills but before you, say, tell a senior citizen you’re going to start taxing his prescription drugs (as a part of tax reform) you have to explain to him pretty clearly why that’s a good idea and how he’s going to be better off in the long run – because if you don’t you may end up with approval rating of 23%.
When Reverend William Barber and his Moral Monday cohorts starting telling voters Republicans hated children and women and old people and dogs and cats, silence wasn’t the answer. Republican leaders needed to stand up, sound off, and make their case explaining why Reverend Barber was dead-wrong.
But that never happened. And it won’t happen before November 4th. So the next question is simple: How do Republican legislators turn those numbers around before the next election?
Asleep at the Switch
October 27, 2014/
As bleak as Governor McCrory’s job approval numbers were in the WRAL poll, that wasn’t the worst news. Consider how Republicans, Democrats and Independents feel about the General Assembly.
Republican Voters
Approve 35%
Disapprove 38%
Conservative Voters
Approve 33%
Disapprove 37%
Independent Voters
Approve 20%
Disapprove 54%
Now I can imagine Republican leaders over in the legislature pooh-poohing and saying, Ah, well, that doesn’t really matter. We drew the districts.
But how long can a Republican state legislator in any district remain safe if Republicans and Conservatives think he’s doing a poor job?
Four years ago, Republicans won a majority in the General Assembly because voters were angry at Obama. Back then, two numbers ran through polls like plum-lines: Two-thirds of the Independents disapproved of the President – and almost to a man they voted Republican down the line. The correlation between the President’s job disapproval and the Republican vote was nearly absolute.
Which, after the election, led to a miscalculation: Human nature being what it is Republicans, naturally, figured the real reason they’d won was because voters had discovered their virtues, seen the light, converted to the true faith and agreed with Republicans down the line on issues from tax reform to education spending.
Next, naturally, as soon as they were sworn in Republicans started passing bills but before you, say, tell a senior citizen you’re going to start taxing his prescription drugs (as a part of tax reform) you have to explain to him pretty clearly why that’s a good idea and how he’s going to be better off in the long run – because if you don’t you may end up with approval rating of 23%.
When Reverend William Barber and his Moral Monday cohorts starting telling voters Republicans hated children and women and old people and dogs and cats, silence wasn’t the answer. Republican leaders needed to stand up, sound off, and make their case explaining why Reverend Barber was dead-wrong.
But that never happened. And it won’t happen before November 4th. So the next question is simple: How do Republican legislators turn those numbers around before the next election?