Dept. of Self-Inflicted Wounds

by Michael Sean Winters

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According to a new poll from CNN, only 33 percent of Americans approve of the Republican Party while 59 percent disapprove. That is a ten point drop from June.
At the same time, the Democratic brand slightly improved its standing with 47% approving and the same number disapproving of the Democratic Party. In June, 45 percent of those asked approved of the Dems and 49% disapproved.

What is most surprising here is that anyone approves of either party.

What is worrisome for Republicans is this: They have a core, and noisy, constituency, which they hear from a lot, but it only amounts to a third of the electorate. How to win a national election - in a presidential year, when the electorate will be broader and more diverse than in the 2010 midterms - when only 33 percent of voters approve of you? Surely, any presidential candidate can, usually, distance him or herself from their congressional party. But, the problem is that the reason that 33 percent still supports the GOP is because the GOP held the line on those points which are, for their base, a matter of orthodoxy. Running away from that will not be so easy for the GOP nominee. Just ask John Boehner.

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