DNC Goes On Offensive Against Politico For Claiming Indys Are Fleeing
In its new, hard-edged incarnation, the Democratic National Committee has at times seemed to relish calling out specific reporters by name, and now the DNC is going on the offensive against a new Politico story that blares: “Dems alarmed as independents bolt.”
The story argues that Dems face deep problems among independent voters and that Dems are hotly debating what to do about it. But DNC spokesman Hari Sevugan is pushing back, and in a blog post he calls out reporter Alex Isenstadt by name for, he says, refusing to publish contrary evidence the DNC provided:
There are a number of recent polls that support the contention that the President maintains support across the ideological spectrum, including with Independent voters. For example, according to the latest ABC/Washington Post poll, President Obama’s job approval among Independent voters is 55% positive. Even a recent Fox News poll has the President with a +15 point spread with Independents and with his numbers trending upwards.
The President retains high approval ratings across the board including with Independents — comparable to those he had on Election Day. But the most telling trend for 2010 and beyond is the purge of moderates from the Republican Party by right-wing ideological extremists. As we saw in the NY-23 election, by driving out moderates, the Republican Party is turning off Independents, even in areas where they should have a demographic advantage.
While Mr. Isenstadt chose not to include any of this data which would undermine the premise of the story he chose to write — and which was provided to him once it was learned he was writing it — it does tell a much more accurate story of not only the feelings of the Democratic Party, but also of the state of play of Independent voters.
In fairness to Isenstadt, the DNC’s pushback is focused largely on Obama’s standing with indys, while the Politico piece seemed more focused on the overall party’s problems. But the DNC is arguing that a broader focus — one including a look at Obama’s standing with indys, and at the current abysmal state of the GOP brand — offers a more accurate picture of internal Dem thinking on the indy question.
Which may be true: The national Democratic Party does in fact seem heavily invested in the idea that Obama’s personal popularity — and the GOP’s enduring image as hostage to extremists — can go to great lengths to offset whatever problems Dems have heading into 2010. Whether that will prove correct, of course, remains to be seen.
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Another issue with “independents” is that people are leaving the repiglican party in droves. Fewer than 25% of people self identify as republican, and most of those former republicans may be identifying as independents, which would skew the “independent” vote to the right when independents sans repiglicn defections are still in about the same place.
“Mr. Isenstadt chose not to include any of this data which would undermine the premise of the story he chose to write”
Thank you thank you thank you DNC! They do this non-stop. And the comments section is worse than freeperville. Time to bring Politico to its knees. Force them to report honestly or suffer the wrath.
We know there are more people calling themselves independents these days. But which party is losing more self-identified members? Wouldn’t that be a pretty good indication of which direction independents are moving? I mean, if a teabagger goes from R to I, independents become conservative, whereas if the newest member is a Glenn Greenwald fan, it goes the other way. It’s a mistake to conclude that the newest member has changed his or her worldview.
“Which may be true: The national Democratic Party does in fact seem heavily invested in the idea that Obama’s personal popularity — and the GOP’s enduring image as hostage to extremists — can go to great lengths to offset whatever problems Dems have heading into 2010.”
Pass a strong health care reform bill – problems solved.
Politico cares more about sizzle than it does about responsible journalism. You can see examples of this everyday in their reporting and especially in their choice of headlines.
Politico, along with their web site, is a piece of ****. I’ve never seen the vileness that exists on their website at any other site that tries to portray its self as a legit news outlet. The amount of racists and sexists that comment there is overwhelming. I’d be embarrassed to call that website mine. I’m surprised they don’t even try to tone down the hate speech over there.
About time the DNC took Politico to task on this. Funny how the same article did not address how horribly the GOP is doing with independents.
@Tena
“Pass a strong health care reform bill – problems solved.”
It’s so strange to me. Normally, politics is full of nuanced and complex issues – but not this time. It’s clear as day what the right course of action for the Democratics is.
Everytime one of them talks about “special interests”, they are openning admitting to Congress being a sidestreet full of corporate w****s.
Pass health care, take a SINGLE victory lap (no grandstanding), then move on to one of other massive failures of the last 3 decades. Be it immigration, financial regulation, climate change, whatever. Get THAT done early next year…then by the time 2010 rolls around you’ve got a super energized base, and a s*** ton of positive policy positions to run on.
Sad, that they can’t figure that out.
Forget about the right thing to do for the people or the economy. The Republicans know what a strong health care bill means for them, and that’s why they’ll do anything they can to derail it.
Also, OT, cannot abide Bart Stupak. I’m surprised he’s not on line at the bookstore in Grand Rapids today.
I suspect half or more of the wishy-washy wet noodles currently (and speciously) identifying themselves as “independents” are nothing more than cowardly, angry Teabaggers who no longer wish to accept responsibility for the ABJECT NIGHTMARE they and their low-info ilk foisted upon this nation by voting TWICE for the corrupt, criminal Darth/Shrub ticket, and also giving these fascist SOBs rubber-stamping right-wing majorities in the House and Senate for six of those eight MISERABLE, DEMORALIZING, MONSTROUS years.
Most of these Teabagging clowns will go right on voting for the GOP nitwits who created our current domestic and international quagmires in the first place, all the while clinging to their bogus claims of “independence.” Yeah, I got’cher “indies” right here, pal!
Try this again before I issue a Missing Comments Alert -
“The Republicans know what a strong health care bill means for them, and that’s why they’ll do anything they can to derail it.”
Word up, Kathleen.
politico is a right-wing, RNC-shilling, card-carrying member of the worthless, dying MSM, staffed 100% with the usual Villager Idiots. I’ve completely abandoned all of these corporate whores, and no longer watch, reader or click on their right-wing drivel.
And though not specifically a politico *****, David Broder is arguably the biggest MSM sack of them all. Time to retire, useless Villager.
As Froomkin (I think) so elegantly put it, the Villager Idiots are nothing but “STENOGRAPHERS TO LIARS.”
The Onion does an indept profile of an ardent Teabagger.
Local Area Man Passionate Defender Of What He Imagines Constitution To Be
http://www.theonion.com/content/news/area_man_passionate_defender_of
“ESCONDIDO, CA—Spurred by an administration he believes to be guilty of numerous transgressions, self-described American patriot Kyle Mortensen, 47, is a vehement defender of ideas he seems to think are enshrined in the U.S. Constitution and principles that brave men have fought and died for solely in his head.
Kyle Mortensen would gladly give his life to protect what he says is the Constitution’s very clear stance against birth control.
“Our very way of life is under siege,” said Mortensen, whose understanding of the Constitution derives not from a close reading of the document but from talk-show pundits, books by television personalities, and the limitless expanse of his own colorful imagination. “It’s time for true Americans to stand up and protect the values that make us who we are.”
According to Mortensen—an otherwise mild-mannered husband, father, and small-business owner—the most serious threat to his fanciful version of the 222-year-old Constitution is the attempt by far-left “traitors” to strip it of its religious foundation.”
Please use the link to read his entire profile.
Hell, that doesn’t even sound like parody, Liam. Reality has gotten so surreal that the Onion can’t match it anymore.
Privately, the teabaggers are TERRIFIED that the Dems are about to pass HCR — I mean, terrified literally to the point of browning their panties over it. They are about to pass a collective brick over it! I LOVE it!
They KNOW what it will mean, and the thought strikes political TERROR in their tiny, shriveled-up, black “hearts.”
You BET these amoral teabagging gooons want to kill HCR. You BET they do….
Democrats hold The White House and Congress and still can not do anything. What would be the reason to put more Democrats in the Federal Government?
To keep out more Republicans who are the handmaidens of The Robber Baron Oligarchs.
The reason would be that the Republicans are a bunch of mindless ideologues who had their 8 years and frakked up totally.
Who in their right mind would vote for a Republican now?
They totally crashed the economy twice in 80 years. In between times, they invariably left office with a huge deficit and a recession for the next president to deal with.
Repugs cannot be trusted with our tax dollars or the lives of our military. They are prone to think they are pawns on a giant Imperial chess board.
Repugs hate democracy
Why would anyone vote for those goons?
Obama’s Home Teleprompter Malfunctions During Family Dinner.
News Report Video Clip.
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/obamas_home_teleprompter
politico, drudgery, ratsmussen, luntz the dunce and Really Unclear Politics are all essentially the same evil right-wing spin machine, to my mind. These fraudulent, uber-partisan jackals really should combine their operations and get it over with. Together, they might even give rupert’s Focks Noose a run for its RNC-shilling money.
Dems are going to learn the hard way in 2010 that Obama is not the party. Obama has no coattails.
Obama is not on the ticket in 2010, you ignorant imbecile. We won in 2006 without anyone’s coattails.
I love it. The Politico reports on a story that Independents are leaving the Dem Party in droves and the moonbat commenters rail against Politico as being a right-wing hate machine. That left-wing echo chamber is getting a bit tight isn’t it?
The bottom line is that despite what the progressives force themselves to believe, this is not a left-of-center country, and most Americans DO NOT support left-wing extremism as the basis of government.
Democrats regained control in 2006 because of moderates in the House and independents who voted for them, not because of a yearning for a return to FDR-style liberalism, but because of inept Republican governance. Obama won because he wasn’t named George Bush.
If liberals still want to believe the problem is articulating the message rather than the message themselves—-have at it. Push for more nationalizing healthcare, push for cap and trade, push for more spending. The Republicans will thank you for it in 2010…
Politico.com is a Republican propaganda outlet.
Politico.com is still funded with Republican sugar-Daddy money.
Unless things have recently changed, Politico.com is still LOSING money (just like the Republican Messiah Moon’s Washington Times has always done).
Politico.com is the money-losing hobby of a Republican welfare-aristocrat spending his Daddy’s money to push right-wing narratives (again, just like how Republican Messiah Moon’s son runs the Washington Times).
http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2007/05/04/politico_funding/
And MSNBC is a Democrat propaganda outlet.
Which probably explains its dreadful, dreadful ratings. A money loser for GE.
What’s your point?
I am a life long Republican voter, yet no longer consider my self a ‘Republican’ because they are no different in philosophy than the Democrat Party these days. So, by default I am an ‘Independent’. I know quite a lot of other Republicans who feel the same way. So, when they talk alot about less people identifying as Repub’s, I would not take that as a net plus for Democrats. It’s just that we are more likely to vote for a third party Conservative candidate then a Democrat or Republican.
And to the moron who belives the Politico is a ‘Republican Propoganda’ website. The owner of the website is Robert Allbritton, a registered Democrat.
Explain Jim Brady, former Executive Editor of the Washington Post’s involvement as co-owner. I guess the Washington Post is a “Republican Propoganda” newspaper now.