"Americans continue to turn against anything the Republicans touch"

By Michael J.W. Stickings

"Substantial attention has been paid to the historic unpopularity of the Bush presidency," writes Glenn Greenwald, in yet another must-read post, "but relatively little attention has been paid to the accompanying collapse of the Republican Party's credibility."

A new WaPo/ABC poll finds the Democrats ahead of the Republicans on every major issue currently facing Americans, including the economy, taxes, the Iraq War, and the so-called war on terror. In Congress, too, which generally has a low approval rating, the Democrats poll significantly better than the Republicans. The Democrats have lost popular support, but: "The more willing Democrats are to stand up to Republicans and oppose their defining policies, the more popular they become. The less willing they are to do so, the more eager they are to erase distinctions and accommodate this deeply unpopular party, the more unpopular Democrats become." In other words, the U.S. is now a decidedly Democratic country.

"It's not just Bush, but the Republican Party itself, which has become politically radioactive." The Democrats have the issues on their side and an opposing party that is both wrong on the issues and in self-destructive disarray. Heading into this year's general election campaigns -- presidential, congressional, gubernatorial, etc. -- it will be up to them to decide whether they want to capitulate or to stand firm. The American people are on their side and capitulation only seems to hurt them. Here's hoping they stand firm and fight for what's right.