Exit poll: Voters unhappy with Obama and GOP

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By CONNIE CASS and EMILY SWANSON

WASHINGTON (AP) — Most Americans voting Tuesday were unhappy or even angry with the Obama administration, exit polls show. But most were upset with Republican leaders, too.

The biggest concern is still the economy, the surveys of people leaving polling places showed, six years after the 2008 financial crisis helped propel President Barack Obama into his first term in office.

Most voters say the economy is stagnating or getting worse. Just 1 in 5 say they trust the government to do what is right most or all of the time, slightly fewer than in the 1994 midterms, when Republicans seized control of the House and Senate, and the last time the exit poll asked that question.

Most midterm voters were pessimistic. They were more than twice as likely to say that life will be worse for the next generation than to say things will get better.

FULL story at link.



James Lankford, left,, greets Sophie E. Boutell, 96, as her daughter Karen Boutell looks on during a Republican rally at LaFortune Park on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014. (AP Photo/Tulsa World, Mike Simons) ONLINE OUT; KOTV OUT; KJRH OUT; KTUL OUT; KOKI OUT; KQCW OUT; KDOR OUT; TULSA OUT; TULSA ONLINE OUT


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20141105/-us--exit_poll-25fd27cbbd.html

[arcane1]

1. And the idiots react to that unhappiness by reelecting the incumbents that made them unhappy.

[Mz Pip]

2. So vote in more Republicans

That's the solution

[BlueStater]

3. And their solution to this is to vote Mitch McConnell in for yet another fucking term?

The lack of logic here is just amazing.

[Dawson Leery]

4. So vote for more Rethugs?

[unblock]

5. "economy stagnating or getting worse" is demonstrably, very false.

unemployment cut in half, deficit cut in half. stock market well more than doubled, 5 solid years recession-free.

that most voters think the economy is "stagnating or getting worse" is yet another testament to the power of relentless brainwashing.

yes, i know the growth hasn't been well distributed but the description is just plain wrong.

[sendero]

15. What brainwashing.

... the brainwashing is coming from the folks telling you everything is great. It's not. And working people know when things are bad, they are smart enough to ignore the idiotic number like "5.9% unemployment". Only if you beat the numbers with a 2x4.

Tell me about the recovery when interest rates are normal again, and not one fucking second before.

[unblock]

16. i acknowledged the economy isn't perfect, but "stagnating or getting worse" is outright false.

it's undeniably getting better. we're not done, we haven't gotten to nirvana yet, but it's certainly not "stagnating or getting worse".

[sendero]

17. In fact..

... it is. As you will see more clearly in the coming year. As is Europe's, as is Asia's, especially China. And we really do live in a world economy now.

The ultra cynical among us think that oil, now at very low prices, will spike higher as soon as this election cycle is over. I don't because I believe the low prices are a classic supply-demand play, demand is softening while supplies are increasing. That's because the world's economy is slowing as we speak.

Forget all the bullshit numbers coming from the BLS and everywhere else. The stock market is high because the Fed is pouring money into it. All of the increases that are real have gone into the hands of the 1%. Working people are struggling and they know it. Everyone understands "recession" but they don't understand why that after 6 fucking years nothing has really changed. And they blame the executive, whether that is fair or not.

[unblock]

19. so you think the economy was better one years ago? two years ago? three?

i think i have a pretty good handle on the issues in the economy, and "not everything is fixed yet" is about the worst thing you can say about it on a macro scale. unemployment is low enough that people are starting to re-enter the job market, and eventually labor will start to have some semblance of negotiating power in terms of wages.

energy prices are low partly due to sluggish global demand, yes, but also because of remarkably supply gains, mostly in the u.s. regardless, lower energy prices is a boon for manufacturing and transportation, and we will see some improvements there.

yes, i understand that effectively all of the growth has gone into the hands of the super-rich, and that certainly points to some ill-conceived policies that our mess in washington has produced. yet, industry is on the mend, and this has translated, frustratingly slowly, into more job openings, and this will continue, along with eventual wage increases.

in any event, "stagnating or getting worse" certainly is an incorrect description of the economy.

[One_Life_To_Give]

22. Shit stew vs shit pie

Decent paying jobs replaced with slave wage jobs is no recovery. Nor is the lowest labor force participation rate in a generation. For most of us we are to afraid to take vacation because loosing the job we have means at best a huge pay cut. Because the jobs being created mostly pay *&it. It was alot better 10 years ago and much more so 20yrs ago.

[unblock]

26. so vote against shrub. wake up, we've had steady improvement over the last 5 years.

[One_Life_To_Give]

27. 5 years in which buying power has dropped

For all those lucky enough to still have a job when Shrub was through. We have watched our real earning power decrease through recent years. Everyone who managed to not have to settle for a much lower paying replacement job, is paranoid they could be let go still. Stability and peace of mind have not returned. For many of those people watching their congress-critters focusing too much on anything else becomes an issue after several years.

[apnu]

29. Its called "FUD" and the Republicans are masters at it.

F.U.D. Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt.

IBM actually invented it and used it against Apple to promote is PC and its clones running Windows.

Republicans use it on the Democrats.

Yes things have improved greatly. Democrats aren't crowing about it, and because they aren't crowing about it, they leave the Republicans to hiss and wail about how crappy the economy is. People look around and see that wages don't match the cost of living and they see that it sucks and so they believe the FUD.

All of Obama's Hope and Change was just marketing. As a President he doesn't radiate any hope or change. He doesn't talk bout hope and change. Yes I know the GOP does nothing but gum up the works, but they can't silence Obama. He could have still talked about hope and change and used the bully pulpit to hammer the GOP over its antics. But he doesn't. And if he does so now, it will be hallow and false. He'll be johnny-come-lately and everybody will just ignore him.

If Democrats get fired up, it they talk with passion about the issues. If they deliver simple messaging, they'd destroy the Republicans. But no, Democrats, while in office act like tired old cats and are painfully boring and incompetent. Republicans are more incompetent, but the aren't boring and the electorate responds positively with bold, exciting action, be it negative or positive.

Out party has a painful messaging problem. Our elected officials are terrified to stand up and be counted as liberals and to boldly call out for important liberal principles -- freedom, equality, opportunity, work and reward.

If all Dems did that, the GOP will become a regional party in one election cycle.

[Loki]

6. Fuck 'em.

They vote for Republicans they will get what they deserve and unfortunately we will have to figure out a way to survive this ratfuck until 2016.

[Bradical79]

24. Unfortunately, I get what they deserve too

At least we get to try and counteract that damage in another two years.

[apnu]

30. Relax. We will survive.

Check this out, from yesterday: A Retired Navy Officer’s Message to Liberals on the Eve of the GOP’s Big Mid-Term Win

TL R version: Strap in for stagnation and nothing much happening. Obama will wield the Veto, and the R's don't have the votes to over ride it. The main worry is how big are Obama's balls now that he's got a hostile Senate.

The route in the Governor mansions are a worry, but this election cycle involved mostly Red states so it was a stretch for the Dems to expect much this time. Same is true for the Senate. Most of the seats that were up were in very red states and the Dems already held very slim majority in the Senate.

The GOP continues to reap rewards of the 2010 wins. I blame Democrats squarely for that one. We were all in a fucking coma in a Census year. The R's won control all over the place and promptly gerrymanderd everything under the sun. The House won't change until 2020, another midterm, and its up to the Dems to figure out how to show the fuck up in the midterms, otherwise we can kiss the House good buy for another decade.

[ballyhoo]

7. The entire election results will be all about Obama; so

completely, I think the actions or in-actions rather of Congress will be ignored. The road to neo-serfdom may well start today even though the Republicans won't get much done the next 2 years even if they do win the Senate.

[Turbineguy]

8. "....Voters unhappy with Obama...."

That's probably true since many who are happy with Obama will be prevented from voting

[still_one]

9. Just goes to show the stupidity of the American public

[NSFfan78]

10. A joke

American politics is a joke. A lot of Democrats are corrupt and incompetent while greed controls the GOP.

[KittyKat13]

11. I don't believe it

They are just lying to make Obama look bad because he is a threat to the corporate power structure. They can't handle someone like him in the White House.

[Doctor_J]

21. Obama is a threat to the corporate power structure?

In what way?

[Roland99]

12. I'm not happy with Obama. Republicans obstructed him every single day. Hmmm...

I'll vote for more Republicans!!!

[apnu]

31. They don't see it that way.

Because the Democrats won't come out and call the Republicans on their bullshit.

So the voter doesn't know the Republicans are gumming shit up.

Hell in my office, which is 90% Republican, are amazed when I show them what their party is doing. These guys are on the inside and they have no idea that the Republicans have done nothing but say "no" for 6 long years. They honestly believe the Republicans are doing something in Washington.

The Dems had 6 years to let the public know that Republicans are holding America back. Except for a precious few (Warren mostly) Dems have been silent here.

Dem leadership has only themselves to blame.

Can we get rid of Debbie Wasserman-Schultz as DNC chair now? She's managed to ruin every bit of work Howard Dean constructed. Granted, the DNC was doing a great job of blowing it before she took over, but she's accelerated the deterioration.

[Gloria]

13. Idiotic public

Put the guys in who have blocked anything coming down the point, cost us tons of money
on gov't shutdown crap, etc. etc.

Honestly, I would love to see an ad doing a "pin the tail on the elephant" to remind people
of the GOP crap.

What a stupid country this is, these idiots deserve what they get...,but I DON'T.....

UGH!

[ellie]

14. Then all those people

who hate Obama should give up their Obamacare. Immature? Sure but they started it. Assholes.

[Kablooie]

18. When Democrats as well as Republicans agree that it's all Obama's fault, what do you expect?

All over the country Democrats were running against Obama, not Republicans.

[apnu]

32. ^^^ This.

Democrats are afraid to stand up and be counted for what they've done, tried to do, and what our principles are.

They're still the same spineless jellyfish from the Dubya years. We have only a handful of bright ones (Warren, for example), the rest are terrified chickens.

Going back against the President like that tells the voters that Democrats have no idea what they're about. Republicans, on the other hand, are a known thing. Voters, clearly, choose the devil they knew over the devil they didn't know.

Messaging, its all about messaging. 2014 is a messaging fail for Democrats.

[kelliekat44]

20. This needs to be explained. It's counter intuitive. nt

[JoePhilly]

23. The right and the left blame Obama.

For the last 5+ years the media sings two totally opposite songs.

1) Obama is an evil socialist who will take your guns, raise your taxes, and let Mulsims kill you. This message targets the folks who lean right. It makes them mad and energizes them to vote.

And then the opposite version ...

2) Obama is an evil corporatist who hates the poor, will cut social security, spy on you, and started like 10 new wars and is really no different than Bush. This message targets those who lean left. It discourages them. The twp parties are the same and its not worth voting.

The first message increases turn out from the right. The second discourages turn out from the left. And let me be clear, I do not mean the far right and far left. I mean the leaners in the middle.

This tactic, plus voter suppression, plus tons of money to back crazy right wingers ... and we lose.

[Hugin]

25. So, they punish the Democratic Senate?

I think maybe it's the media doesn't have a clue.

[Beacool]

28. People are unhappy and they lashed out at the party in power.

Same as they did in in 1994 and 2006. Democrats can only hope that Republicans overreach as they did in 1994.

[apnu]

33. That's pathetic.

Dems need to step up and loudly state what we're about.

Waiting around for a GOP over reach, which is what 2006 was all about, is not how to run a party or a nation.

Yet I don't see Democratic leadership doing anything else but sitting on their hands as usual.

[candelista]

34. Here's the thing.

Many voters are unhappy with Obama and the Dems, and they have no other way to express their unhappiness except to stay home or vote Republican. They won't be happy with the Republicans, either, but that's the dictatorship of our two-party system.