The Republicans are convinced (or at least appear to be convinced) that they are winning the debate on the economic stimulus package. Eric Cantor produced an obnoxious video that I refuse to link to that has a giant floating “0” (the numeral zero) amidst things that were supposedly in the stimulus bill (most of which have been debunked) all set to “Back in the Saddle” by Aerosmith. Rush Limbaugh exhorted his Conservative Republican dittoheads during a 90-minute speech last week where he said, among other things:
“One thing we can all do is stop assuming that the way to beat them is with better policy ideas…To us, bipartisanship is [Democrats] being forced to agree with us after we have politically cleaned their clocks and beaten them.”
And House Minority Douchebag John Boehner (D-Bag, Ohio) says things like “The era of big government is back, and Democrats are asking you to pay for it”. What, like all that spending under his watch and under the Bush administration never happened? Big government is BACK? Hell, when did it ever LEAVE?!
But these Conservatives are in complete denial about how the rest of the country sees them. While they crow about their victories and how they are standing up for real Americans, real Americans are giving them the big thumbs-down.
A plurality of Americans — 46 percent — now approve of the congressional Democrats, compared to 45 percent who disapprove. Congressional Republicans lag far behind, with a dismal 17-68 favorable/unfavorable rating.
For all the GOP talk of “unity” and having “won the stimulus debate,” the fact is, the American people don’t like them or their do-nothing obstructionist agenda.
The regional breakdowns of the favorability numbers are even more fascinating. Respondents in the South gave congressional Democrats a 30-59 approval rating, by far the worst in the country. But elsewhere — in the Northeast, Midwest and the West —Democrats enjoyed solid majority support. Take out the South, and congressional Democrats can boast a respectable 53-39 favorability rating.
For congressional Republicans, the Southern favorability numbers don’t look much better than they did for the Democrats — 30-55. But outside of their Southern home turf, congressional Republicans face a catastrophic 11-74 favorability rating. The GOP’s status as a regional party couldn’t be more obvious.
They’re becoming pathetic in their self-delusion. While the rest of the country moves on and recognizes that change was needed and change has come, the Republicans are stamping their little feets and standing pat, convinced that what American needs most right now is for them to stand in the way of anything President Obama and his administration do.
I wonder if any of them realize how irrelevant they are becoming? Based on their actions, it appears that not too many, if any, of them do.
I’m just sayin’…
