TIME Poll: Registered Republicans Less Enthusiastic About Voting Than Dems

[Hissyspit]

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1555024,00.html

TIME Poll: Registered Republicans Less Enthusiastic About Voting Than Democrats
The G.O.P. also faces a stark drop-off in support from evangelicals and men, according to a new survey
By MICHAEL LEMONICK

Posted Sunday, Nov. 05, 2006
With just three days left until the midterm elections, a new poll commissioned by TIME shows that Republicans may be approaching voting day without one of the big advantages they enjoyed in November 2004 — their ability to motivate supporters to go out and vote. Among registered Democrats polled, 52% say they're more enthusiastic about voting than usual, compared with just 39% of Republicans. Thirty-seven percent of Republican respondents are less enthusiastic than usual, while only 29% of Democrats feel that way.

Another challenge facing the GOP is a stark dropoff in support among what is usually a core constituency: white evangelical Christians. According to TIME's poll, only 54% of people in this group favor Republican candidates, with 5% undecided. Thirty-eight percent of white evangelicals polled say they'll support Democrats. In 2004, exit polls indicated that 78% of this constituency voted for Bush. While the GOP won out in the poll by seven points (42-35) as the party perceived as best equipped to protect moral values, a matter especially important to this group, the party's standing among evangelicals may have been hurt by recent Congressional scandals, which have tarnished the GOP especially. Forty one percent of registered voters said Congressional scandals were extremely or very important as voting issues this campaign.

A third factor running against the GOP is an improvement in men's attitudes towards the Democrats. Males provided much of the Bush victory margin in 2004: the President took 55% of the male vote while John Kerry won 44%, according to exit polls. For the 2006 midterms, the TIME poll suggests men are almost evenly split, with 43% supporting Republican candidates and 47% Democrats. Women in the TIME poll support Democratic candidates by a lopsided 59% to 33% for Republicans. In 2004, Kerry had just a three-point edge among females.

The poll indicated that the Iraq war is the most important voting issue among nine TIME tested. Thirty five percent of registered voters labeled the war an “extremely important issue” and 44% called it a “very important issue” in deciding which Congressional candidate to support. A majority of Americans, according to this poll — 53% in both cases — say the war was a mistake in the first place and that the U.S. is losing it. Democrats held a slim five point lead (44%-39%) on which party would do a better job of dealing with the war.

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[Raine]

1. Good

let them sit at home too demoralized to vote. :rofl:

[Birthmark]

2. For the record

Bush carried white evangelical Christians by a 78-21 margin in 2004. If the gap is now just 54-38, that's a HUGE pick up for Dems.

[symbolman]

4. Also for the record

Those exit polls were a Bunch of HOOEY.

It was trumped up to cover the theft, that the Christians had shown up in droves at 4pm turning the tide to Bush, total abberation and documented by many electronic Voting fraud advocates.

Not to cast doubt on your post, but Just in case folks don't know that. I was covering this for a film we were doing on electronic voting, so I watched this baby CLOSE.

But I have no doubt that the uberchristians are even falling to the side, maybe we should start a campaign telling them to instead of voting, they should go to their CHURCHES and PRAY for Bush. :)

[Birthmark]

5. No problem

I just posted the numbers. How accurate the official numbers are or aren't has zip to do with me. So your expansion/correction is cheerfully accepted. :D

[watrwefitinfor]

3. A little odd to see them quoting the exit polls.

"Males provided much of the Bush victory margin in 2004: the President took 55% of the male vote while John Kerry won 44%, according to exit polls." (Emphasis added)

Even though those same exit polls were so wrong about the overall vote, I guess they were spot on when it was broken down by sex?

:sarcasm:

Wat

[Hissyspit]

7. That's one reason I included that part in the post.

Ironic for them to do that, isn't it? Inconsistent? Contradictory? (Could be called hypocrisy in "impolite" company.) I don't know. Maybe that were trying to make a subtle point by doing that.

[Sad4world]

6. White evangelical "christians"

should stay at home and pray for the souls of the dead that they voted to kill.

[Jamastiene]

8. Good, maybe they'll decide to stay home.

I guess it is kind of hard for them what with the recent news that their party is full of pedophiles and meth procuring preachers.

[symbolman]

10. LOL

Maybe the Streets will be a LOT SAFER that day with THOSE people at HOME :)

[DemocratSinceBirth]

9. I Feel Better....

There's a Washington Post/ABC poll that has a six point generic advantage for the Dems... It looks more like the outlier I thought it was.


The bigger the generic advantage the better our chances.