Andrew Sullivan notes that the GOP is viewed favorably only in the South. In the rest of the country, it's favorability ratings are terrible. A reader of his suggested that the GOP is the new Parti Quebecois:
He said he believed that the GOP was morphing into the American equivalent of the Parti Quebecois. It is essentially a regional party now - representing the South in the national discourse. And its rhetoric seems divorced from any desire to actually hold responsible public office. So Republicans, like the Quebecers, tend to use politics as a means for disruption or protest or threat or veto.And that's the danger. In many European countries, if you're in the minority, it's a bit like living in the House of Representative under GOP rule - you have zero power. But in the US, it's different, especially in the Senate under Democratic rule. The minority can effectively throw bombs all day long. And when they have their own TV network and talk radio to back them up, while Democrats distance themselves from their own left-wing echo chamber (the Netroots), it's no wonder the GOP is so effective in tearing Democrats down. (It also helps that Democrats neither have the known-how, nor the guts, to fight back.)
What's truly remarkable is how badly the Democrats are doing on policy this year, considering they have these numbers backing them up.
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