Since Republicans made gains on Election Day, GOP leaders have insisted that their success came as a result of voters’ frustration with Dems’ obstructionism. The message of the election, we’re told, is that Dems would be foolish to stand in Bush’s way.
As Bob Stevenson, Bill Frist’s communications director told Roll Call this week, “The election is over. The American people sent a clear message that the politics of obstruction do not work.”
This is utter nonsense, of course, and now there’s even more polling data to prove it.
A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll (.pdf) is chuck full of interesting data, almost all of which should bolster Dems’ morale on the Hill. Consider this question from the poll:
As you may know, in the last term of Congress, some senators used a procedure called a filibuster when it came to some of President Bush’s judicial nominees. When this happens, it takes the votes of 60 senators instead of 51 to end debate and hold a confirmation vote for a nominee. In your opinion, should the senate maintain the filibuster rule or eliminate the filibuster for judicial nominees?
Now, if Frist & Co. are right, we’d see that most Americans prefer a change in the rules. But that’s not what people said at all. A strong plurality, 48%, said the Senate “should maintain” the filibuster rules already in place, whereas only 39% want the rule changed to benefit Bush’s judicial nominees. A stinging indictment of Dems’ obstructionist tactics? Hardly; more like encouragement for the Dems to keep up the good work.
But wait, it gets better.
Asking respondents for their opinion on how Dems should approach their work in general, the poll offered even more support for standing in the GOP’s way.
Which of the following roles would you like to see Democrats in Congress play?
Work in a bi-partisan way with Republicans to help pass President Bush’s legislative priorities so that we do not have gridlock, or provide a balance to make sure that President Bush and the Republicans do not go too far in pushing their agenda.
Just two months after Republicans gained seats in the House and Senate and won a presidential election, one might assume there’d be broad support for ending gridlock. Not so. A surprisingly strong 57% majority wants Dems to “provide a balance so Bush and the Republicans don’t go too far,” as opposed to only 33% who want the Dems to “work in a bi-partisan way to pass Bush’s legislative priorities.”
In fact, this poll report was chock full o’ fun…
* 52% want to “keep things the way they are” when it comes to laws on gay marriage.
* More Americans disapprove of Bush’s handling of Iraq (49%) than approve (46%).
* 56% said the election results do not give Bush a mandate to “pursue policies that he advocated during the campaign.”
* 43%, a plurality, said Social Security only needs “minor modifications,” not a radical overhaul.
* Only 14% agree with the president that Social Security is “in crisis.”
* 56% oppose a plan that would gradually reduce Social Security benefits in exchange for allowing workers to invest some of their payroll taxes in the stock market. (Only 33% supported such a proposal.)
It’s numbers like these that Dems should keep in mind the next time Senate Republicans start whining about how desperate the American people are to see an end to “obstructionism.” People want a real opposition party — let’s give them one.