The party 'in need of a major makeover'

[Playinghardball]

There's quite a bit to chew on in the new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, but of particular interest was the gap between the parties on the major issues of the day. Fred Yang, who conducted the poll with Republican pollster Bill McInturff, said, "If the president needs some tweaks and adjustments, the Republican Party is pretty much in need of a major makeover.... The Republicans don't need a silver lining; they need a whole new playbook."



The same poll, it's worth noting, showed Republicans have an advantage on the reducing the deficit, "controlling" government spending, and national defense, but on every domestic policy issue -- including taxes and looking out for the middle class -- Democrats enjoy the edge.

For all of the efforts on the party of the political establishment to "blame both sides," the public, at least for now, seems capable of preferring one over the other.

What's more, the public doesn't even think much of the GOP's efforts. Respondents were asked whether the parties are "emphasizing unifying the country in a bipartisan way or emphasizing a partisan approach in a way that does not unify the country." For President Obama, 45% see a leader focusing on unity, while only 22% say the same about Republicans.

On a related note, the Pew Research Center also released a new poll yesterday, finding some related results that raised eyebrows.

The Pew poll found the Republican Party's image "at a historic low," driven in part by the GOP's extremism.


More at: http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2013/02/27/17116916-the-party-in-need-of-a-major-makeover?lite

[msongs]

1. let's give the democratic party a makeover as well = dump republican-lite stuff nt

[woo me with science]

6. Yup. Saying that only one party is broken

completely misses the point.

Democrats used to be the ones who stood between Americans and predatory corporate policy.

But both parties are purchased now.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

2. Bring back the cast of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"

and let them do a Republican Party makeover.

Hilarity ensues...

[pansypoo53219]

3. the last 2 is scary.

because we are where we were in 2007 because of REPUBLIKKKLAN policy thinking. GROVER has killed the exceptionalism the republikkklans keep SQUEALING about.

[LittleBlue]

4. What did they expect? They mortgaged the future to pay for the present.

Pandering to the prejudices of older white/male voters at the expense of all other groups got them where they are. These margins will increase over time and there's not a damned thing they can do about it, having hitched their wagon to fundamentalist Christians.

F*** them.

[Jamaal510]

5. How could Republicans still be leading on the deficit and national defense, though?

Were people not paying attention when there was a major attack during Bush ll, and when he increased the deficit with those two wars?

[pampango]

7. If it weren't so bad for the poor and working class in the interim, this almost makes you wish

that the tea party and fundamentalist wings of their party will keep tugging it hard do the right. Putting up more idiotic candidates, passing bad laws and blocking good ones are great ways to further discredit the republican brand.

Of course, none of this does the country and its people any good in the short run, but it is hard to ignore the benefit in the long run of giving the fundamentalists and tea partiers the rope with which to hang the republican party.