Senate Democrats formally unveiled their election-year agenda on Wednesday, to little fanfare and few surprises. Senator Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) summed up the new Democratic platform as follows: "Democrats are fighting for a fair shot for everyone, while Republicans are doing the bidding of the Koch brothers, the wealthy, and huge corporations."
Unfortunately for Democrats, following their press conference to announce this "new" agenda, they were pelted with questions about Obamacare, a law that 53 percent of Americans disapprove of, according to a recent CBS News poll.
Additionally, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D., Nev.) had to angrily deflect a question about his latest campaign finance woes.
Basically, the new Democratic strategy consists of doing exactly what they have been doing for the past several months: attacking the Koch brothers, complaining about climate change, and touting innovative policy solutions such as raising the minimum wage and making it easier for women to sue their employers. It’s been a smashing success so far, judging from these numbers:
GWU Battleground poll (March 16-20):
- Right track/wrong track: 28 percent, 64 percent
- Congressional preference: 43 percent GOP, 41 percent Dem
- Harry Reid favorable/unfavorable: 24 percent, 35 percent
- President Obama favorable/unfavorable: 47 percent, 49 percent
- Obama job approval/disapproval: 41 percent, 53 percent
- Obama approval/disapproval on the economy: 43 percent, 55 percent
- Obama approval/disapproval on solving problems: 43 percent, 54 percent
- More responsible for state of the economy: 32 percent Obama, 13 percent Dems, 12 percent GOP, 4 percent "wealthy people"
- Obama job approval/disapproval: 43 percent, 50 percent
- Obamacare approval/disapproval: 41 percent, 53 percent
- Midterm enthusiasm: 70 percent of GOP, 58 percent of Dems
- Likely to vote: 81 percent of GOP, 68 percent of Dems
- Congressional preference (independents): 34 percent GOP, 25 percent Dem
- Obama approval/disapproval: 41 percent, 59 percent
But who knows? Democrats could be just one catchy anti-Koch slogan away from turning things around.
*No, not really.