The one guy with numbers as bad as his own
Think I’m kidding? 66% of women disapprove of W in Illinois and even in the collar counties he’s at 44 Approve/56 Disapprove
He’s worse downstate 42% Approve/56 Disapprove.
No wonder El Geraldo ran away from social security privatization (details after the jump)
Congress Daily PM, 9/20/05
SOCIAL SECURITY
Weller Comes Out Against McCrery-Shaw ‘GROW’ Accounts
?????Rep. Gerald Weller, R-Ill., a member of the Ways and Means Committee, will oppose legislation that would use the Social Security surplus to establish personal accounts for workers. The legislation by Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Jim McCrery, R-La., and Reps. Clay Shaw, R-Fla., Sam Johnson, R-Texas, and Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is the most prominent House Republican Social Security plan. It is widely expected that — if any Social Security legislation moves though the committee and to the floor this year — it will include a version of the McCrery-Shaw bill, which is also known as the “Growing Real Ownership For Workers” proposal, . A spokesman for Weller confirmed that Weller stated his opposition to McCrery-Shaw during a Monday meeting in his district with officials allied with Americans United to Protect Social Security, a group that opposes the GROW accounts and any legislation that would use Social Security taxes to fund personal accounts. “He is not going to vote for it as it is currently written,” a Weller spokesman said today.
?????Americans United has been seeking to organize sessions with lawmakers around the country to ferret out their positions on Social Security. The group hailed Weller’s statement as a “huge victory” for its effort to defeat private accounts. “This is significant because Weller marks the first Republican member of the Ways and Means Committee to come out against this GOP-leadership backed bill,” American United said in a statement. Weller opposes the McCrery-Shaw plan because he believes it does not do enough to bolster Social Security’s long-term solvency and because the GROW accounts “are not the best available deal for members of the system,” his spokesman wrote in an e-mail response to questions. “To oversimplify, but not by much … the plan would amount to a trillion-dollar expenditure essentially to give each American a $300 bond,” the spokesman wrote. Weller supports making changes to Social Security, backing a different proposal by Shaw — H.R. 750 — which he views as a better “bang for the buck.” That bill would provide workers with a refundable credit of up to 4 percent of their earnings to establish investment accounts. At retirement, a portion of the accounts is paid directly to the worker and the balance is used to help pay Social Security benefits.
??? — by Keith Koffler
Bush Administration is going through a bad spot right now, that’s for sure. In the long run, however, the Administration hasn’t even tried in Illinois. And Sen. Durbin has done a bang-up job of attacking the President w/no Republican wanting to step forward to defend the Pres. And would the IL press cover one if he did? Doubt it.
I respect Durbin for taking on the Administration in Illinois and driving his numbers down, but again, Republicans aren’t even trying.
Yet… in the last election W did manage to lose by less than double digits. 9 points in ’04 vs. 11 points in ’00 while not campaigning here. I mean they weren’t even sending bumper stickers into the state and he managed to do better. If Illinois were a congressional district, I wonder if we’d be calling it “slightly competitive” district.
Hey, who has lower numbers Blagojevich or Arnold? That might be an interesting comparison.
I think we see the same effect in Illinois related to organizing conservative evangelicals who essentially self-organized. They didn’t have to send anyone in to do better. The real question is can someone appeal to moderates as well as W. and placate the base. He’s a remarkably talented politician and I’m not sure that can be replicated. It probably kept Keyes from tanking further as well.
And he’s at 40 Dis 59 App in Missouri which is truly a swing state. Not meant to argue, but emphasize, he’s having a tough time. A post a bit later on this.
Arnold believe it or not. Blago is the lowest Democrat tied with Boy Blunder here in Misery.
Arnold has 32% approval and 65% disapproval–below Fletcher who just pardoned his entire staff. Ouch. Murkowski and Taft are lower though–here is the ordered link:
http://www.surveyusa.com/50State2005/50StateGovernorApproval0905SortedbyApproval.htm
Ugh..you said that name, again…
Good points all. Especially on the Govs. Do you think with Fletcher, Blunt, Blago and maybe even Granholm are being buffeted by some regional anti-incumbent trends or are these people caught up also in that malaise type funk David Brooks describes?
===Ugh..you said that name, again…
Drop me a note–I want to hear that story.
==Good points all. Especially on the Govs. Do you think with Fletcher, Blunt, Blago and maybe even Granholm are being buffeted by some regional anti-incumbent trends or are these people caught up also in that malaise type funk David Brooks describes?
I think Fletcher and Blagojevich have problems far deeper than the others, but that’s a part of it. Doyle’s had mediocre numbers too. Blunt essentially got stuck with a bad situation and made it worse. I saw it coming, but not as bad as he stepped in it. 😉