Archive → January 9th, 2011
Gallup: Dem identification down
After making historic gains in the US House last November, GOP confidence is high; but that could quickly turn to overconfidence if the latest Gallup Poll is accurate. According to the latest survey, only 31 percent of Americans identify themselves as Democrats. That’s down five points from 2008, when Barak Obama swept into office, and the lowest the Dems have polled since 2003.
But if the GOP thinks the nation is turning to them, well… don’t jump the gun.
Those identifying themselves as Republicans stand at 29 percent currently, according to the same poll. That’s up from a low of 27 percent a year ago, but still nowhere near the 31-34 percent highs the GOP enjoyed in the late 1980s and the early part of the 2000s. In fact, it’s still a pretty low number, almost as low as the retails supplies of the Wii Black.
So what does this all mean? Well, those identifying as independents are polling at 38 percent, the second-highest result in the last twenty-two years. So while the GOP made big gains this time around, these poll results indicate that independents haven’t bought into Republican rhetoric just yet, and the new House leadership needs to prove themselves before the numbers start swinging the GOP’s way once again on a reliable basis.
If the party abandons the principles it ran on, or event produces lackluster results in the economy, the next election cycle could switch control up once again.
