Change in the air

The latest Washington Post-ABC poll numbers must have the Republicans in Congress feeling a little uneasy.

When people were asked:

"Which party do you trust to do a better job in coping with the main problems the nation faces over the next few years?" -- 51% Democrats, 37% Republicans

"Do you think the country should go in the direction (Bush wants to lead it), go in the direction (the Democrats in Congress want to lead it), or what?" -- 35% President Bush, 51% Democrats

"Would you describe the state of the nation's economy these days as excellent, good, not so good or poor?" -- Excellent or good 40%, Not so good or poor 60%

"If the election for the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2006 were being held today, would you vote for (the Democratic candidate) or (the Republican candidate) in your congressional district?" Democrat 55%, Republican 36%

That means the Republicans are only getting their base to support them right now. Not great news for an election year. These numbers do ebb and flow and Republicans have brought low numbers back up in time for elections before. However, the Democratic number hasn't been this high in this poll since 1984. Two years ago in January, the numbers were 50% supporting Republicans and 43% supporting Democrats.

A change is coming my friends.

Side item - my personal favorite of the poll is the finding that people think the overall level of ethics and honesty has fallen with President Bush compared to President Clinton. You will remember of course that President Bush made a huge deal about restoring integrity and honesty in the White House. Well, 43% of the American public thinks it has fallen as opposed to 24% during the Clinton years.