Posted on 07/03/2007 2:52:13 AM PDT by markomalley
SACRAMENTO — Political power means a lot to some, but in Nancy Pelosi's case it came at a whopping price. The Bay Area Democrat's honeymoon as House speaker, which started in January, is just a distant memory now, despite California's Democratic leanings, a late-June statewide poll reveals. Pelosi's approval rating has plunged 13 percentage points in California since March, from 52 percent to 39 percent, according to the survey by the San Francisco-based Public Policy Institute of California. "A fantasy land" that stirred the dreams of the Democratic Bay Area in particular has given way to something akin to "the worst of reality TV," said David McCuan, a political science professor at California State Univer-sity, Sonoma. Analysts said the congressional member has put the best face she can on loss of majority support. A spokeswoman says it's born of frustration Pelosi shares with Democrats and independents over President Bush and the Iraq war. So the speaker's tactics won't change. "Democrats will try again and again to hold this president accountable," said spokeswoman Nadeam Elshami. Virtually gridlocked over war and immigration, the popularity of the U.S. Congress in general has fallen in California. But at a decline of 9 percentage points, from 42 percent in March to 33 percent, it's not quite the slap Pelosi has suffered. Californians may be so discouraged about Washingtonthat thay're giving up hope of progress and are growing gloomy about the nation's direction. Nearly 70 percent of residents have "little faith" the Republican president and Democratic-led Congress will do much this year, poll director Mark Baldassare said.
"Only 28 percent believe they will accomplish a lot — a 10-point drop from the 38 percent who believed they would in January," he said. Elshami said the speaker believes "frustrated people in California, just like across the country, aren't happy with the war" and "believe Congress should force the president to change course." Pelosi is blaming Republicans for using a Senate rule requiring 60 votes for a bill to be heard on the floor — which exceeds the Democrats' thin majority — in order to neutralize Democrats. But analysts point out that California, though lacking enthusiasm about Bush, is sharply divided over its opinion on the war anyway — splintered across political parties, regions and racial groups. For instance, though a majority of Democrats and independents say the war is going poorly, far less than a third of Republicans hold that view. Pulling back to the bigger picture, the poll indicates only about a third of Californians believe the nation is going the right direction in general, while nearly two-thirds say it's not. Majorities across political parties believe matters are going the wrong direction — 74 percent of Democrats, 66 percent of independents and 54 percent of Republicans. "With many voters seeing our political leaders unable to deal effectively with complex public-policy issues, looking for competent candidates to emerge has become an unusually intense focus this presidential election season," McCuan said. |
In the case of her constituents, mandatory abortion for all, gay marriage for minors, and equal rights for animals.
I don't understand people's answers to this kind of question. I never worry about what government's going to do in terms of "progress"--what the hell does that MEAN, anyway? Progress all the time means what, exactly?
Better phrased...
“Californians may be so discouraged about Washingtonthat thay’re giving up hope of progress and are growing gloomy about the nation’s direction. “
Maybe they will seceed and take Pelosi, Ahnuld, Boxer, Frankenfeinstein, New York, New Jersey, Taxachusetts, and Chicago with them!!! They can leave us Duncan Hunter.
Nice dream.
More and more power assumed by the federal government.
Why did we even bother separating from England? I could have sworn it was something about people living as they wanted, the pursuit of happiness, not happiness being handed to us in the form of other people's money and the state deciding what's best for us.
Babbling again, sorry...
i guess the mandatory public third bathroom option amendment is being flushed down the toilet.
To paraphrase Dennis Miller I think it had something to do with us not wanting to pay a tax on our breakfast drink.
Why, it means constant progression of the proletariat to be dictated to, silly.
Sigh...I wish we were kidding...
She had no problem with the rule when Slimy Harry was invoking it against the GOP in recent years...
“Progress” to the majority of kalifornians is the steady march to a stalinist state. If it were not the majority... the dims would NOT have a lock on the State. Truth hurts!
LLS
She never had a real honeymoon because she kept her legs shut tight and would not shut up about how good she was in bed.
Those Colleyfornians should stop whining. Pelosi support waxing in Syria. /sarcasm
Lots of good news for a July morning
Subversives reap what they have sown. They have been doing nothing but bitching since 2000. Now they find out governing in that atmosphere is a bitch, indeed.
What a dolt! I think GOP can make gains in 2008. If they don/t screw it up...as always.
I get the analogy...but it came at the price of a horrifying mental picture.
Ahhh poor widdle nanceeee...ain’t so easy is it nanceee? Well, why not take another widdle trip to see your buddies and then be so smug as to speak for our country again. Just dress up in your rich, red suits with those shawls and get out there and smile and prance and you know...do what you do best...be arrogant and talk about the President.
Oh boy, she had a big coronation if we all remember, and talked about being a grandmother as well and on and on and on and on and on....................the worm turned nanceee...it ALWAYS does. Oh and by the way, how come we havne’t seen much of your face lately hogging the cameras? Where have you been? Keeping a low profile I imagine, huh? Those wasculeeee media can be awful hard on one can’t they? HOw does the shoe feel on the other foot, huh?
Your ratings have plumeted ... you have shown exactly what you CAN’T do. Are you still celebrating nancee? Huh?
Oh well, have a nice day nanceee.
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