Independents Deserting Dems

The latest Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll finds that only 43 percent of registered voters would vote to re-elect President Obama if the 2012 election were held today. This is more confirmation that Obama has lost a large part of the independent support that he enjoyed in November 2008. In broad terms, I think that a great many politically uncommitted voters were willing to take a flyer on Obama and give the “other guys” a chance, but never intended to authorize the kinds of radical actions that the Obama administration has pursued under its “never let a crisis go to waste” philosophy.
Of course, all that could easily change by 2012. Of more immediate relevance is this finding: looking ahead to 2010, “42 percent of voters say they are more likely to back the Republicans to provide a check on President Obama’s power, while 38 percent say they would vote for the Democrat to help the president pass his policies.” Even if the economy turns around, that judgment may not be easy to reverse in the next twelve months.