What Affect Will the Foleygate Scandal Have on Christian Value Voters?
The Donk's October Surprise smear campaign was calculated to offend the Republican's Value Voters base, but what affect has it had on this base?
Naturally the pollers were ready and willing to see what the affect would be on the "people". So let's start with the Newsweek poll:
Gloom and Doom, the Donks in control. But is this due to the Foleygate scandal or just due to the dissatisfaction with Congress in general?
Now let's hear from the "Kerry Will Win" Zogby:
Instead of moving over to voting for a Donk, they seem to have become "undecided" voters. This is a good thing or maybe a bad thing, that means that they can either decide to still vote for the local Republican or decide not to vote at all.
But the one poll I fond real interesting was in an article by the NY Slimes in which they directly asked Christian Value voters what they thought:
These responses are what I feel are a true representation of the Christian base. The blame falls on Foley, not the Republican Party, which is not what the Donks want to see. I also feel that the smear campaign may actually backfire and energize the Republican voters, not to sit back and abstain from voting, but to see the Donks as power hungry mud slingers that should not be allowed to control Congress.
We are less than 30 days away from the election, and that is still a lot of time for the Donk's sneakiness to be exposed, and for King Karl to pull a rabbit out of his hat.
National Security, Tax Cuts, strong economy, lower gas prices or Foleygate, which will matter most to the voters?
Mr Minority
Naturally the pollers were ready and willing to see what the affect would be on the "people". So let's start with the Newsweek poll:
For the first time since 2001, the NEWSWEEK poll shows that more Americans trust the Democrats than the GOP on moral values and the war on terror. Fully 53 percent of Americans want the Democrats to win control of Congress next month, including 10 percent of Republicans, compared to just 35 percent who want the GOP to retain power. If the election were held today, 51 percent of likely voters would vote for the Democrat in their district versus 39 percent who would vote for the Republican. And while the race is closer among male voters (46 percent for the Democrats vs. 42 percent for the Republicans), the Democrats lead among women voters 56 to 34 percent.
Gloom and Doom, the Donks in control. But is this due to the Foleygate scandal or just due to the dissatisfaction with Congress in general?
Now let's hear from the "Kerry Will Win" Zogby:
Polling by Zogby International this summer and fall shows this undecided audience, having sat through ugly plot twists involving Foley, William Jefferson, Bob Ney and Jack Abramoff, and others, may be disgusted with the program. Congressional job approval is at just over 20% positive - a low not seen since the midterm elections of 1994, the last time this Washington production faced massive changes in the cast.
The latest Reuters/Zogby poll, released this past week, shows America’s undecided likely voters—almost a conundrum in that they are planning to vote in the midterm elections but can’t decide whom to support—have swelled to such numbers that they may well hold the key to who will control the gavels on Capitol Hill.
Pollster John Zogby: "There are certain groups I look at to see how they are trending, and it’s interesting this year. For instance, born-again Christians generally can be counted on to give Republicans 70% to 75% of their support, and the rest go to the Democrats. But this year, what I’ve seen is that in the races where the Democrats are leading, the Republicans are getting only 52% to maybe 61% of the born-again support. But what’s happening is, the Democrats are not getting the rest. They are instead moving into the undecided column, and that’s standard. That means they are disappointed in the Republicans, and whether or not they can be brought back into the fold is the challenge for the GOP.
Instead of moving over to voting for a Donk, they seem to have become "undecided" voters. This is a good thing or maybe a bad thing, that means that they can either decide to still vote for the local Republican or decide not to vote at all.
But the one poll I fond real interesting was in an article by the NY Slimes in which they directly asked Christian Value voters what they thought:
VIRGINIA BEACH, Oct. 7 — As word of Representative Mark Foley’s sexually explicit e-mail messages to former pages spread last week, Republican strategists worried — and Democrats hoped — that the sordid nature of the scandal would discourage conservative Christians from going to the polls.
But in dozens of interviews here in southeastern Virginia, a conservative Christian stronghold that is a battleground in races for the House and Senate, many said the episode only reinforced their reasons to vote for their two Republican incumbents in neck-and-neck re-election fights, Representative Thelma Drake and Senator George Allen.
...
Most of the evangelical Christians interviewed said that so far they saw Mr. Foley’s behavior as a matter of personal morality, not institutional dysfunction.
All said the question of broader responsibility had quickly devolved into a storm of partisan charges and countercharges. And all insisted the episode would have little impact on their intentions to vote.
These responses are what I feel are a true representation of the Christian base. The blame falls on Foley, not the Republican Party, which is not what the Donks want to see. I also feel that the smear campaign may actually backfire and energize the Republican voters, not to sit back and abstain from voting, but to see the Donks as power hungry mud slingers that should not be allowed to control Congress.
We are less than 30 days away from the election, and that is still a lot of time for the Donk's sneakiness to be exposed, and for King Karl to pull a rabbit out of his hat.
National Security, Tax Cuts, strong economy, lower gas prices or Foleygate, which will matter most to the voters?
Mr Minority
