Democratic pollster Peter Fenn does not agree with the
conventional wisdom that the GOP will gain seats in 2010. In fact,
he thinks the Dems could actually pick up seats win in 2010 in they
play their cards right.
The party out of the White House picks up seats in
post-inauguration midterm congressional elections. It's a
political shibboleth trotted out with such regularity it's
impossible to avoid and it's usually a safe bet to make.
Historically, "only twice in 80 years has the party in control
of the presidency not lost seats in the first midterm: in 1932 and
2002."
In 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt was attacking the Great
Depression. In 2002, GW. Bush was riding a post-9/11 wave of
'don't upset the apple cart-ism.'
Fenn theorizes the 2010 midtems will also be singularly
different. Not so much because we are in uniquely historical
times, but because the existing GOP is positioning itself too far
from the center to
win congressional elections.
Here's why:
Lewis Black famously said, 'The Democrats are a party of no ideas and the Republicans are a party of bad ideas.' Now, according to Fenn, the electorate is increasingly seeing the Republicans as the party of "No." Obstructionists.
With Rush, Palin, Hannity and Glen Beck as standard bearers, what's a moderate GOP to do? Look at what happened in N.Y. 23 after that gang-of-four got involved.
"Despite the public's impatience with the economy and the desire for rapid change, voters know who caused the problem." Specifically, 63 percent of American voters believe Obama inherited this mess from Bush and the GOP.
Fenn's advice to Dems? Stay the course and clean up the
mess.