Party of the People

Happy Friday.

I called an audible this morning upon reading about new polling data finding that Bush's approval rating had dropped to 42%. By comparison, Clinton's approval rating in June of the first year of his second term stood at 60%; Reagan's was 59%.

Good news? Not yet. Beyond the empirical data, a few concepts serve as a calling card to the dems--to date unanswered. First, is this telling anecdote:

Christine Weisman, a 54-year-old Republican homemaker in Reading, Pa., said in a follow-up interview, "They're not getting anything done. They don't seem to be able to come together on anything." She added, "It's all a political thing and they're forgetting the basic needs of the people."

Second, a majority of respondents cited the economy and jobs, and war and terrorism, as top concerns "[w]hen asked an open-ended question about the most important problems facing the nation." "Social Security, which has consumed an enormous amount of political energy this spring, did not make the top six, suggesting voters have a different view of political priorities than the Republican-controlled Congress and the White House."

Finally, as is too often the case these days:

Americans also recognized that Mr. Bush has a Social Security plan and the Democrats in Congress do not. A majority said they would like to see the Democrats offer a plan and not simply oppose Mr. Bush's.

I appreciate the desire to the let the current administration fall on its own sword when it comes to social security. But, in anticipation of the mid-term elections, it's time for the dems to come out of the wilderness and focus on the long standing core issue of the party: people.

With the economy and jobs back on the radar (having been surprisingly absent from the 2004 election as an issue for either the candidates or the electorate), the dems have a terrific opportunity to redirect the nation's focus toward their ideology: the economy, jobs, education, and gulp, other social issues. Ms. Weisman's comment (see above) is telling. People are not interested in the current administration's attempt to remake the globe or escape the Iraqi quagmire. Rather, they are looking for a little love back home.

The dems should give it to them, rather than just being the "party of opposition." It's time to lead again.