Pew Poll: God Gap Closing

From the Washington Post:

Even a small shift in the loyalty of conservative Christian voters such as Sunde could spell trouble for the GOP this fall. In 2004, white evangelical or born-again Christians made up a quarter of the electorate, and 78 percent of them voted Republican, according to exit polls. But some pollsters believe that evangelical support for the GOP peaked two years ago and that what has been called the "God gap" in politics is shrinking.

A nationwide poll of 1,500 registered voters released yesterday by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center found that 57 percent of white evangelicals are inclined to vote for Republican congressional candidates in the midterm elections, a 21-point drop in support among this critical part of the GOP base. Emphasis mine. - cman

Even before the Foley scandal, the portion of white evangelicals with a "favorable" impression of the Republican Party had fallen sharply this year, from 63 percent to 54 percent, according to Pew polls.

In the latest survey, taken in the last 10 days of September and the first four days of October, the percentage of evangelicals who think that Republicans govern "in a more honest and ethical way" than Democrats has plunged to 42 percent, from 55 percent at the start of the year.

As I've said before, I'm not entirely convinced that sane Democrats should want any part of the next two years. I'm perfectly content to play rope-a-dope and run out the clock on the Bush Administration. I'm actually amused by them now. My level of reaction to their governance over the past six years has gone from:

• Shoulder-shugging bemusement as they inevitably implemented the policies everyone knew they would once elected.


• Anger at the sheer gall of the omnipenetration of partisan hackery into every level of policy pre-9/11.


• Rage at the pissing away of the world's goodwill and our country's good name on this mind-numbingly incompetent Global War on Terrur.


• And finally in the last week or so to a very odd feeling -- I'm sure there is a German word for this -- of slack-jawed disbelief and sick amusement such as one might feel upon watching an especially dangerous and sick prank go wrong. For lack of a better phrase, let's just call it Jackass Schadenfreude.

So, actually I'm kind of facinated to see what they will come up with if left to their own devices for two more years.

A lot can change in four weeks but at this point I'm prone to say that if the Democrats don't regain Congress the party should be disbanded and Rahm Emmanuel, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid should be sued for political malpractice.

Ditto for Chet Culver, who if he looses to that hack Nussle should be run out of the state.