Democratic Former Presidential Pollsters Lean Toward GOP Rout In November

Doug Schoen and Pat Caddell, former pollsters, respectively, for Bubba Clinton and Jimmuh Carter, co-authored an interesting editorial in the Wall Street Journal nearly two weeks ago.

Entitled The United States of Throw the Bums Out, they contend that merely being the other party will confer some benefits on Republican candidates in November.

For example, they write,

"Given the general climate of disaffection and mistrust with Democrats and Republicans alike, it's clear that the Republican Party's greatest asset right now is that elections are binary choices and voters tend to turn against incumbents."

The former pollsters note that a recent Washington Post/ABC News Survey found only 29% of Americans supporting their House member in the next election. That's lower than the 34% reading of this measure prior to the 1994 Republican retaking of the House.

Later in the piece, the authors note that voters are truly concerned with Wonderboy's piling on so much more debt, and that those wanting action on spending and deficits rose from 13% in January to 20% in May.

Health care, too, remains unpopular, as do House members who voted for it.

The bulk of the piece is informative and strikes a hopeful note for conservatives. However, at the end, being Democrats, even these two have to display willful ignorance of the Congressional Republican attempts to inject sanity into health care, economics and financial sector regulation. Instead, they merely declare that the GOP doesn't offer any clear "core principles," nor "bold new ideas."

This is simply untrue. But, if you're a lifelong Democrat, I guess you're going to ignore conservative ideas when you see them, and claim there's just nothing there. Perhaps because it isn't a fancy new social spending program with a large price tag?