Political Noodling

I’ve read so many “Republicans are in trouble” articles that they’re starting to take on an almost jazz-like quality. Journalists, bloggers, and pundits are riffing on poll numbers and conventional wisdom the way musicians improvise on a melody. There’s so many familiar themes being weaved together like Foley, Abramoff, Iraq, and Katrina that you’d think it would get repetitive after a while, but I gotta admit that it’s a pretty damn catchy tune.

But, it’s sad when a major media outlet like Newsweek is consumed with playing the same song that they end up burying a lede like this (via Digg):

Other parts of a potential Democratic agenda receive less support, especially calls to impeach Bush: 47 percent of Democrats say that should be a “top priority,” but only 28 percent of all Americans say it should be, 23 percent say it should be a lower priority and nearly half, 44 percent, say it should not be done. (Five percent of Republicans say it should be a top priority and 15 percent of Republicans say it should be a lower priority; 78 percent oppose impeachment.) Rolling back some of the Bush tax cuts would be contentious too: 38 percent of Americans say the Dems should make that a top priority; 28 percent say it should be a lower priority; and 28 percent say it shouldn’t be done at all.

Now wait a second…doesn’t 28% plus 23% equal 51%? I’d think that a poll showing the majority of Americans favor impeaching the President would be pretty newsworthy, especially considering that this far exceeds the numbers of a President that actually was impeached. If the majorities favoring impeachment and repealing Bush’s tax cuts is how Newsweek defines “less support”, then the GOP is in a lot more trouble that I thought. I still can’t bring myself to start celebrating before the polls even open, but it’s nice to hear.