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Subscribe to RSSRepublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his running mate Paul Ryan shifted their focus to the economy Wednesday, but Akin's "legitimate rape" gaffe continued to dominate the conversation. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reports.
There are worrying signs about the Republican brand nationally, just five days before the party gathers for its convention and 76 days before Election Day.
A majority of voters in the new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll called presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and GOP candidates for Congress "out of step" with most Americans' thinking compared to President Barack Obama and Democratic candidates.
And 29 percent of registered voters said they had "very negative" impressions of the Republican Party – the second-highest number of voters to give the most intensely negative assessment of the GOP in the history of the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, dating back to 1990.
The only other instance in which the “very negative” rating for the GOP surpassed that was in 2006, before Republicans received a drubbing at the polls.
The numbers underscore the headwinds facing Republicans heading into an election they're eager to win, and illustrate the stakes for the GOP next week in Tampa, where they'll have an opportunity to soften impressions of the party.
"It’s frustrating. This president has spent tens of millions of dollars trying to tag Republicans as the party of the rich and the 1 percent," said Frank Donatelli, the chairman of GOPAC, a group dedicated to training Republican candidates.
The Daily Rundown's Chuck Todd breaks down the latest NBC News/ WSJ poll.
"Republicans need to push back even harder talking about growth and jobs," he said. "That is the issue of the election; we’ve gotten a little bit away from that."
Indeed, the campaign has been focused mostly on Medicare in the week and a half since Romney added Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan -- the author of a plan including controversial reforms to the entitlement program -- to the Republican ticket.
That focus was only eclipsed by the controversy this week involving Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin, whose impolitic comments about abortion rights in the instance of rape threatened to raise a messy debate that could cost GOP candidates among women voters, with whom they already generally lag.
"Republicans have really gotten off-message in the last week and a half," said a veteran GOP operative well-versed in the party's campaign efforts. "If you’re Mitt Romney or a Republican candidate, you need to be operating within a message framework centered on economic issues, not on issues that are historically unfriendly to Republicans."
But the souring GOP brand likely has a longer tail than the last few weeks. A bloody presidential primary and congressional gridlock have contributed to a sense that Republicans don’t represent the mainstream.
GOP leaders like Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn were hoping Rep. Todd Akin wouldn't be running for Senate in Missouri, NBC News' Chuck Todd suggests. Todd joins a conversation about Akin's impact on the GOP brand, why Mitt Romney needs to make the RNC count for him and a new NBC News/WSJ poll on the '12 election.
Fifty-four percent of voters said that Republican candidates for Congress were out of step with the public, versus 38 percent who called them mainstream. By contrast, voters view Democratic candidates more evenly: 45 percent said Democratic congressional candidates were mainstream, and 48 percent called them out of step.
"The Republican brand has become the opposite of what the middle class is looking for," said Jesse Ferguson, a spokesman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
He pointed to House Republicans' votes to approve Ryan’s controversial budgets, and repeated votes to repeal health care reform -- among other instances of legislative gridlock -- as contributing to a decline in the GOP's image.
To that end, Democrats opened up an advantage over Republicans on the question of the generic ballot -- which party voters generally prefer to control Congress -- in the August NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Forty-seven percent of voters said they prefer Democratic control of Congress, and 42 percent support GOP control; a one or two-point margin had separated the parties on that question since April.
Several Republicans who spoke for this story expressed concern that Romney's selecting Ryan as a running mate had needlessly made Medicare a central issue in the campaign. While Republicans had expected to fight on that issue, and had sought to inoculate themselves from having voted for Ryan's controversial budgets, some questioned the wisdom of having spent much of the last week and a half fighting on that issue -- one usually favorable to Democrats -- rather than the economy.
But voters’ adverse impression of Republicans might not translate to losses in Congress, at least in the House. Most election prognosticators have said their models don’t predict the kind of Democratic wave in the House that would deliver the net gain of 25 seats they need to retake control.
Brian Snyder / Reuters
Several Republicans expressed concern that Mitt Romney's selection of Paul Ryan as a running mate had needlessly made Medicare a central issue in the campaign.
“The popularity of Congress, top to bottom, is not extremely high,” said Brad Dayspring, a senior adviser to the Young Guns Action Fund, a super PAC founded by former aides to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va. “That being said, a lot depends on what happens in the individual races. Individual members of Congress, especially a lot of our freshmen, remain popular at home. Additionally, the Republican majority becomes a lot more important to people when it serves as a check and a balance.”
The brand problem could be more serious in statewide races for Senate or governorships – or on the national, presidential level. But some conservatives are betting their enthusiasm and general disappointment in Obama’s performance after four years might be enough to deliver the election.
“The Republican brand is not fully restored to its pre-2000 level. But this election isn’t going to be won by the Republican brand, it’s going to be won by what I call the ‘Allied Forces’ – the Tea Partiers, the establishment and everybody working toward a common goal,” said Al Cardenas, the chairman of the American Conservative Union.
“You don’t need the Republican Party to be at full strength, but what you need is all of those forces to be working together,” Cardenas added.
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Republicans like to say that Obama polarized the nation. I'll agree with that, everything would be different if he weren't black and if he didn't win the election. Before he was in office, the GOP declared war on the Democratic party and President Obama. They vowed to destroy his Presidency and make it fail. They became the party of No, obstructing every effort to pull this Country out of the recession that the Republican lead deregulation of Federal oversight on business created. They have also started an all out war on the rights of women rights to control their own bodies as directed by their right wing Christian Taliban. Do they think that the Nation would gather around them in agreement? What they have brought upon themselves is hatred and rejection.
Its going to be difficult for Republicans to run away from their legacy of the past two years. Both House and Senate Republicans have worked feverishly to stop any Obama initiative in hopes that if he fails no one will notice that Republicans had a heavy hand in that failure. People have noticed. With a 10% approval rating in congress where Republicans control the House by majority and they also control the Senate by filibuster (41 of them), people have taken notice. There is little congress can do in eleven weeks to bolster the GOP brand and the top of the ticket is proving to be of no benefit in that regard whatsoever.
Wrong, Obama divided the nation with his class warfare and anti-businesses policies. His handling of the economy has been totally inept. Based on these facts, the Republicans should be in the lead for the election, but the party leaders have gifted another term to Obama, through their stupidity. Instead of focusing on the very many serious issues facing the nation, they're wasting their time with abortion, etc. Obama won't win the election, the Republicans will be gifting it to him.
Blaming President Obama for polarizing the nation is like blaming Jews for the holocaust.
Folks ..... I hate to be the one to tell you ... but if we continue to elect politicians and not patriots. We are doomed. BOTH sides only do what is best for them.
And I'll also concede that I have no idea how to fix it. Voting out the current office holders (Rep & Dem) .. will probably not fix it.
Term limits. Without them, those idiots have no incentive to do the right thing.
And with them, they'd only have incentive to push through bills and earmarks to guarantee a job in industry as soon as their term was up. Term limits don't fix the problem. They just change it to a worse one.
If voters don't feel represented, they can vote the person out. A renewed term is not guaranteed to anyone. Voters keep them in office through elections, and that's Constitutional in every way. Term limits restricting voters to not be able to re-elect their representatives seems to actually go against the Constitution.
What we do need are ethics and conflict of interest laws that prevent people in Congress from benefiting from actions that are not in the general interests of their constituencies and the country as a whole.
One year ago I believed that Obama had no chance to get re-elected because of the economy. I didn't blame him for it and I don't blame him for not doing more. These melt downs take about ten years to run their course which means that if Romney is elected the people who support him now will be giving excuses for his performance in about three years. Now I think it is an even money bet because republican leadership is so incompetent. They have stolen a page from the democrat playbook and actually seem to be better at the circular firing squad right now.
"A majority of voters in the new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll called presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney and GOP candidates for Congress "out of step" with most Americans' thinking compared to President Barack Obama and Democratic candidates."
Only a fool would take NBC and its biased poll to mean anything. I go to Rasmusen for the real data.
The dems only attack while hiding their own SOB's. Obama is scary weird now. I cringe when I see the look in his eyes. Just the thought of not having the perks for another 4 is driving him to madness.
And the vine is just a place for the same 200 people that are just as nuts to come and politically masturbate.
Rasmussen's compensation for the appearance is the free cruise itself for him and his wife.
Given concerns about the pollster's Republican-friendly results, it's safe to assume Rasmussen appearing on a cruise alongside right-wing celebrities to help National Review make money will not quiet fears that the pollster is far from independent.
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024685.php
Simply check out his record. Fool.
"Only a fool would take NBC and its biased poll to mean anything. I go to Rasmusen for the real data."
Rasmussen is the most biased poll in the nation. In effect, it is a mouthpiece for Fox News. When every other major poll has Obama up 4 points, Rasmussen will have him up by 1 point. They are very consistent in this.
That it's the only poll you pay attention to, given everything you wrote above, does not surprise me in the least.
Barack HUSSEIN Obama in 2012. Mitt wanted to talk about the economy, we've been talking about his taxes, Medicare, and no abortions for victims of rape or incest.
It is the republicans that are saying a woman cannot be pregnant if raped. Talk about the dumbing down of a party. Now another GOP representative has come out to say "he has never met a woman who became pregnant after being raped", so therefore he doesn't think it is possible. Are all of these people home-schooled by idiots.
Pretty much yes.
Yes but Democrats have a better image. Now if they could only get some balls and capitalize on a weak Republican party.
MSN is dreaming and hoping to convince other than the usuals on their site. Akin is a Democrat plant - nobody in their right mind would say such things. The Democrats voted for him in the primary. Figure it out - Chicago politics at work.
I suppose that's your excuse for electing a nitwit.
I think everyone probably has you figured out.
Mimi, Akin is a long time Republican."Nobody in their right mind would say such things." He's been a Republican for decades pushing to take away women's right to choose under the misinformed view point that raped women can't medically get pregnant. Did no other Republican take the time to tell him that is entirely wrong, or did they let him stay misinformed because it fit their agenda just the same. Ryan worked with this man to pass anti-abortion legislation so I have to assume that he shares the same point of view, or Ryan didn't care what this guy believes as long as they are both trying to achieve the same thing.
"... Akin is a Democrat plant ..."
Thus spoketh the nitwit.
Democrats wanted to run against the nutjob in the General because he was the weakest of the Republicans in the primary.
duh.
Republicans strive to INCLUDE all people who want to succeed, who honor traditional American values, who strive to obey the laws, who want to play fair, who want to be religious, honest and hardworking, who believe in GOD.
Democrats prefer to exclude those type of folks and strive to include all others. That's why they appeal to the mass. that's why they will win, as always.
So you're saying the repubs exclude the non-religious? Define those who want to be religious. Do they have to be Christian to be in your club?
Oh, my bad. I thought that I lived in the United States of America, where freedom of religion meant that I didn't HAVE to believe in GOD if I didn't want to, and that my lack of belief would not EXCLUDE me from being a part of any political party. Oh, it's that whole irritating "separation of church and state" argument again, I know...
Have you looked at the history of our "traditional" American values? American history is rife with using race and religion as excuses to not only discriminate but to outright exclude and attack other people. This is not ancient history; it is just as active today and within recent memory.
The 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, later extended to the Geary Act in 1892, and it took until the Magnusun Act was repealed in 1965 to FINALLY loosen up and allow these American citizens equal rights. Based solely on race, these laws restricted immigration, naturalization, citizenship, land ownership and marriage based solely on race--a blatant hate bill designed to keep the U.S. "Asian-free"... and completely ignoring the fact that it allowed every other country's residents to immigrate. Although apparently they were still "good enough" to use for railroad-building and mining purposes as cheap labor, however. Anti-Chinese persecution in the US.
During World War II, we passed laws against the Nisei and Sansei, second- and third-generation LEGAL Americans of Japanese descent. We built internment camps in inhospitable places, and stripped these U.S. citizens of their land, businesses, homes, possessions and shipped them out (sometimes with only a few days' notice) from their home states. This is something that lawmakers and service organizations throughout America sponsored 100%, the notion of locking up potential spies or traitors to America based solely on race (yet they didn't do the same to German citizens--funny, that...) And it's one of those racist actions that we try to bury in our current consciousness; go up and ask your average high school student if they know anything about the internment camps.
After the camps were closed, some of these crudely-built internment camps were "generously" turned over to the Native American population for housing. Weren't we sweet? After WWI, we even gave the Native American old Army uniforms so they could make clothing out of them! Wasn't that nice of us? "The Japanese were ordered to build the infrastructure — schools, dams, canals and farms — so the U.S. government could consolidate scattered American Indian tribes from smaller reservations in one place after the war."
There is ongoing racism in the United Stated towards Mexicans, particularly in southern and Western states--even those who might be two- or three-generation Americans. Not so with Canadians, our neighbors to the north. Why the difference? Part of it is cultural, part of it is racial. Due to about 30% of the population being Latino, hatred and discrimination towards those south of the border is probably the most predominant hate activity going in the U.S.
Never mind the long history of open, blatant racism against Africans brought to this country--not of their own will, but as slaves. And the Native American population, pushed out and segregated on some of the most inhospitable lands in this country while the "good" land went to its new citizens. So what we're talking about here is a long and drawn-out history by Americans to discriminate against various races and religions based on ignorance, fear, the need for domination, and greed (you've got/I want). It's nothing new.
And THOSE, Mr. Adams, are a reflection of our "traditional values."
StandUpJokeOff- Nailed it
No, no, Chad. To speak out against any Republican assertions such as Mr. Adams laid down means that I MUST be some kind of lowlife, liberal media-loving Democrat who has no love for God and no respect for my fellow man. Why, I should know my place! Shame on me! ;-)
Jesus was crucified by politicians because he taught that you don't need the church to have God. That pissed them off because they used the church to control the people. Jesus supported the Separation of Church and State because he saw how it was used to corrupt the word of God. Allot of people say the Jews killed Jesus but Jesus was a Jew and he didn't kill himself, the political "Jews" killed Jesus. Now all the "Christians" are doing their damnedest to put their religious beliefs into politics, I wonder what Jesus might say about that.
Wrong. Old time Republicans never expected members of the party to be religious, that was totally irrelevant. Being Republican used to mean being fiscally conservative and believing in small govt...than meant believing government should have a minimal role interfering in our lives. Govt was supposed to be for infrastructure, national defense, etc. They were not supposed to police the medical and sexual lives of our citizens.
Perhaps they're feeling cold (after all, there is no such thing as global warming) and the best place to keep their nose warm is in a woman's vagina.
Seriously, though, on the issue of Akin... he no sooner apologized for his ridiculous biological assertion (that women can just "shut it down" and halt the process of pregnancy voluntarily--which then begs the question why abortion exists at all, doesn't it?) than he laid down the belief that abortion should be illegal because women MIGHT lie about being raped, and therefore should not be afforded an abortion.
Since when do we make laws in this country based on a representative's personal suspicions against women and what they MIGHT do? Apparently Akin took the "House, M.D." motto ("Everybody lies") to heart with his politics...
I daresay after a rape victim has been attacked, taken to a hospital, forced to have her legs pulled apart again so that evidence can be gathered and medical treatment can be administered, that giving her a LIE DETECTOR TEST would be a little bit beyond ridiculous. Sorry, Akin. If you are anti-abortion, you're going to have to find a better backing for your policy-making attempts.
Righto. Another left-wing polling fiasco.
Man...are the poor libs going to be surprised on Nov 6th. RETRIBUTION DAY!!!
Both sides have run more than their share of nitwits. American voters put them in office. It is just the nature of a representative government. Both sides lie and accuse the other side of lying. Republicans cry about deficit spending but didn't see anything wrong with deregulating financial markets or fighting two wars while lowering taxes. Democrats believe the poor should be able to buy homes. There is a reason they call them "poor" We probably get the representation we deserve because we are no longer driven by the facts but by partisanship. Both sides cherry pick the facts that make their point. Pretty much like people who quote the bible. Sad for us.
I also got a kick out of the GOP's rep saying they were "driven off message"...
Too funny... They drove themselves into the ditch with no help whatsoever...
It's nice now, that I don't need to write how wacky people like Romney,Ryan and Akin are. They are doing a outstanding job showing us. I just don't think we have that many husbands telling their wife. If you get gang raped and beaten by a bunch of thugs, I demand if you get pregnant , you will not have a abortion. Telling the wife she haves no choice in it, because he rules over her. Most of us husbands would get our ass kicked by our wife. As Romney,Ryan and Akin will get their ass kicked by the female voters in America.
Nothing is wrong with religion. What is wrong is the people that go by parts of the Bible that writes females should not have any choices in life.
President Obama "That supports female rights" --2012
LOL The brand didn't suffer it's the lousy product that is starting to finally stink to the masses.
It's real simple. Until they marginalize the crazies & baggers and start seeking more moderate compromise with the opposition
the republican party is doomed to punishment at the polls this November.
The Republican Party has changed from conservative moderates to the very far right with a take no prisoners attitude, my way or the highway and a strict doctrine that demands no compromise.
The Republicans want to run my private life, get into my bedroom, run my marriage and keep my income down and my medical expenses in favor of giving the rich a tax break that they do not need.
For the past thirty years Republicans have used every argument under the Sun to convince Americans that giving the wealthy more entitlements was the path to prosperity through their absurd trickle-down economics scam. Americans never quite caught on to the theory’s failure, and during the Bush administration, Republicans promised that if the people gave more to the rich and eliminated regulations, prosperity would finally trickle down to the working class. Instead, working Americans got a Great Recession, declining wages, lost jobs, and the wealthiest Americans got richer.
So, how do you end up with "Allied Forces" when one group of Republicans attacks the other for it's core beliefs about politics... in particular that working with the other party... that nasty word "compromise" should never happen? REAL politicians realize that it's the give-and-take that gets things done and that compromise is what independents look for. Elections aren't won or lost with the base... it is persuading a handful of people in key counties in a few key states that will make the difference. If that handful of independents wants compromise and results and all you offer is hard-headed dogma, then you are done.
The Democratic Party Brand is severely damaged now and President Obama cannot hide from his record.....
In the end all this minucia will be forgotten and his record will be the main issue. There are still enough working people out there. If Obama was a CEO he would be fired.
It's that simple. The choice is clear. Both parties are corrupt and that has to be addressed but FIRST the most dangerous President in history HAS TO GO.
On the bright side illegal immigrants will be receiving seven BILLION in tax refunds this year even though they paid no taxes.
But that will not be reported here.
Vote Obama out before those with their hands out will be so huge of a voting block we will forever be mired in poverty until the next real revolution that will require blood to be spilled.
A lot of it.
RealDemocrat, hardly...
Do yourself a favor and look up the record.
Change your handle to "RealTroll"
and none of your posts are worth the 5-cents you're getting for them.
:D
When the GOP put a vulture capitalist and a disciple of Ayn Rand on the ticket, they should have expected bumps in the road.
Look out folks, the Tea Party Republicans are growing in numbers every day and they are coming after you crazy Liberal Nutjob Democrats and RINO establishment hacks.......
Yep. There is a LOT of anger out there. That is the silent majority that NBC will not talk about and they DON'T use bumper stickers and the don't do polls.
They work and they are sick of this NBC and main media crap.
Definitely very angry. Definitely not the majority.
Global Warming is JUNK SCIENCE......
Date RAPE
"Ignorance is strength"
--1984
2012 is the last gasp rearguard action of the "Old" style W.A.S.P.s who have lead this nation SINCE the Revolutionary war------Get over it and Adapt or become irrelevent in the multi-colored mosaic called America in the 21st century .
Could not agree more raymond -- I plan on adapting and you are too ignorant to think that you vision is going to be all okay.
Read your history.
The republican party suffers because they cater to the TP, christian taliban, gun toters and gay haters. The tea party ideas wont work, yet that is all that is being proposed. You don't fix government issues by shutting down government. It will take a couple of bad results in elections for them to return to their real base rather than catering to the luny bins. Keep your religion out of our government and we will stay out of your religion.
This was predictable. When the gop threw in with the tea party they put a giant yoke around their neck. I was a republican once, and a committed one at that. No longer. And I'm not alone. I don't know who those people are any more.
The premise of this article is false. No one is switching sides. The GOP can be as extremist as they like and still not lose support. Because people are voting not out of like for their party but out of hatred for the opposition. That's the sad fact. Akin may have crossed some sort of mythic line but the beliefs of the Tea Party branch of the GOP are no less archaic. If he is replaced that 11 point lead still holds against McCaskill, because most were not voting in support of Akin but against her.
Nothing good will come of an election determined by such hate. In fact it may bring us an extremist Far Right government and that is poison for the future of this country.
Thty 11 point lead has been all but erased.