RUSH: Here's the ad a lot of people are talking about, a new ad by the National Republican Senatorial Committee against Illinois Democrat Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias.
ANNOUNCER: Is this change you can believe in? Over the years Alexi Giannoulias has had some shady ties, including the mob. As a bank executive, he loaned 15.4 million to convicted mobster Michael "Jaws" Giorango, a crime boss that ran prostitution rings and engaged in illegal gambling. Giannoulias said, "I don't know what the charges are that makes him this huge crime figure." But Giannoulias discussed Giorango's criminal past with him. What a wise guy. And no surprise, Giannoulias is tied to corrupt ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich. Alexi's brother Dimitri was twice appointed by Blagojevich, and Blagojevich took ten grand from Giannoulias' father. What's worse, Dimitri was listed on Blagojevich's clout list and his appointment was pushed by Tony Rezko, convicted of fraud and bribery. Blagojevich, Rezko, and the mob. Alexi Giannoulias. He'd make Tony Soprano proud.
RUSH: They even went out and got a guy who sounds like he's mobbed up to do the commercial, and this is the best the Democrats can come up with? This guy? That's the best they can come up with to take Obama's Senate seat? Because that's what this is.
For the first time since June 2003, the Republican candidate has a five point lead on the generic ballot in a new survey conducted for NPR by Public Opinion Strategies and Greenberg, Quinlan, Rosner and Associates. The Republican candidate has a 44%-39% advantage.
(The analysis of the data in this article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of NPR or GQR.)
In 2008, the Dems won the generic ballot by eight points. To have a thirteen point shift in just over one year is a remarkable shift in the political environment. The GOP lead is bolstered by a twelve point advantage among Independents. The caveat for Republicans, however, is that 40% of Independents are undecided. Thus, they are still up for grabs.
The Democrat's best hope for retaining the Delaware Senate seat formerly held by Vice President Joe Biden were dashed today when their top recruit passed on the race. From the Associated Press:
Delaware attorney general Beau Biden announced Monday that he will not seek election to the U.S. Senate seat once held by his father, Vice President Joe Biden.
The younger Biden told supporters in an e-mail that he will run for re-election as attorney general rather than seek the Senate seat his father held for 36 years.
Biden's decision comes on the heels of a GOP upset in Massachusetts last week that ended the Democrats' filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. It leaves veteran Republican congressman and former two-term governor Mike Castle, one of the most successful politicians in Delaware history, still waiting for a Democratic opponent.
Please show your support for our candidate, Mike Castle, on Facebook and Twitter.
Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, who's facing challenges from both inside and outside his party in his 2010 re-election bid, has drawn an endorsement from fellow Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.
Speaking Friday to the Provo-Orem Chamber of Commerce, Hatch said Utah cannot afford to lose his Republican colleague's experience and influence in Washington.
Hatch says he likes all of the people vying for Bennett's seat, including Democrat Sam Granato, but Bennett is the best candidate for the job.
Bennett is "considered a real conservative" in Washington, Hatch said, and could become chairman of the Senate Banking Committee if Republicans regain control of the Senate.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 43% would vote for their district's Republican congressional candidate while 36% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent.
That represents the lowest level of support for Democrats in recent years, while Republicans have tied their highest level of support for the third straight week. The previous low for Democrats over the past year was 37%.
This summer, support for Republican candidates ranged from 41% to 43%, support for Democrats ranged from 37% to 39%. Looking back one year ago, support was strikingly different for the parties. Throughout the summer of 2008, support for Democratic congressional candidates ranged from 45% to 48%. Republican support ranged from 34% to 37%.
Being out of power can do wonders for a political party. Voters have now witnessed 2 1/2 years of Democratic control over Congress and six months of total control in Washington, and they don't much like what they see. As a result, the Rasmussen survey now finds that likely voters trust Republicans more than Democrats on eight out of ten key issues, including a 46-41 margin on the economy and 52-36 on taxes.
If these trends continue, we may see the beginning of a Republican comeback in 2010.
Last month's Washington Post/ABC poll reported that Americans favor smaller government with fewer services to larger government with more services by a 54 to 41 percent margin -- a slight uptick since 2004. The percentage of Independents favoring small government rose to 61 percent from 52 percent in 2008. The June NBC/Wall Street Journal poll reported that, even amid recession, 58 percent worry more about keeping the budget deficit down versus 35 percent worried more about boosting the economy. A similar question in the June CBS/New York Times poll showed a 52 to 41 percent split.
Other polls show a resistance to specific Democratic proposals. Pollster Whit Ayres reports that 58 percent of voters agree that reforming health care, while important, should be done without raising taxes or increasing the deficit. Pollster Scott Rasmussen reports that 56 percent of Americans are unwilling to pay more in taxes or utility rates to generate cleaner energy and fight global warming.
It's interesting that on these issues and many others independents are responding more like Republicans than Democrats. That's the opposite of what we saw up through 2008, when independents were almost as critical of the Bush administration and Republican policies as Democrats.
This apparent recoil against big government policies has not gone unnoticed by Americans. Gallup reported earlier this week that 39 percent of Americans say their views on political issues have grown more conservative, while only 18 say they have grown more liberal. Moderates agreed by a 33 to 18 percent margin.
Interestingly, the percentage of Americans that identify themselves as conservative in 2009 is the highest -- tied with 2003 and 2004 -- since Gallop began releasing the surveys in 1992.
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