06/26/2002 Archived Entry: ""economic patriotism" "corporate responsibility" debt vote"

Independent pollster John Zogby, who is widely respected inside GOP circles, recently found that voters no longer trust Republicans more than Democrats on economic issues. That's a no-brainer.

The WA Post's In House Bid, Democrats Target Corporate Abuse, show that Democrats finding a strong message. The Corporate Patriot Enforcement Act of 2002, and the Patriot Purchasing Act of 2002, focused on tax-evading companies, puts the hurt on the GOP's financial backers. Gephardt is showing what it takes to become the next Speaker. Dowd shows her pessimisim in The Age of Acquiescence, but most of these enablers don't vote anyway.

Countdown, Bush Urges Congress on Debt Limit. Bush is playing the patriotic card, Gephardt is right on note. I like the way he's tied SS into the issue. No wonder the Harris (imo, the best) Generic poll shows the Dems up by 9% currently:

House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., said his party was eager to help increase the debt ceiling - if GOP leaders agree to a campaign-season series of votes on the broader issues of taxes, spending and borrowing from Social Security trust funds.

You can just imagine the fiscal conservative Republicans jockeying for those few open slots at voting nay, on the side of fiscal responsibility. The other 218 are getting the Hardball from Rove about now. Bush cannot afford to make this a big exposure issue. It's a negative-negative issue for Republicans, reinforcing the perception that Zogby shows: voters no longer trust Republicans more than Democrats on economic issues.

Replies: 3 comments

I hope Gephardt holds his guns and forces the GOP to pass the debt limit increase. If a Democrat votes for it they are very stupid.

Posted by Ced @ 06/27/2002 05:40 AM PST

There would be plenty of southern Democrats who voted for the tax cut, who would vote for debt increase...led by Zell Miller of Georgia.

Posted by G.C. Raj @ 06/27/2002 06:54 AM PST

"Independent pollster John Zogby, who is widely respected inside GOP circles, recently found that voters no longer trust Republicans more than Democrats on economic issues. That's a no-brainer."

But, Zogby also thinks that the GOP would keep the House in yesterday's Hill Magazine, as there are no "overriding" issues this year...for some reason the insiders ignore the stock market and the economy. Perhaps that is the biggest no-brainer, with the almost all polls except the Cook Report's IPOS-Reid Polls, showing the race close with a large undecided block or Democrats well ahead. Even the Battlegrounders put the Dems up by 5, although they as usual put any news favorbale to the Dems with a twist: this time the GOP is more motivated to vote than the Democrats. As for me, I suggest that everyone watch the numbers and not listen to the analysts. Had stock investors done that with Enron and World Com, perhaps they would have lot more money in the Bank today!

Posted by G.C. Raj @ 06/27/2002 07:01 AM PST