America Needs Republicans, Libertarians and Independents to Vote Together on Tuesday to Bring Obama Under Constitutional Control

For a change, the GOP can take comfort in what the Washington Post has to say -- "Republicans entered the final week of the midterm campaign holding higher ground than Democrats, aided by public dissatisfaction with President Obama’s leadership, the direction of the country and the federal government’s ability to deal with major problems," said the Post today, quoting the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll. Voter attitudes have been shaped by a pervasive sense of a nation in trouble. Overwhelming majorities say the country is badly off track and give the economy negative ratings. Economic expectations are little better today than they were at this time four years ago, with 60% saying they cannot trust the government in Washington to do what is right - the same as a year ago in the aftermath of the government shutdown and the botched rollout of the federal Web site for Obamacare. The Post poll shows that the multiple crises confronting the country - including the spread of Ebola in West Africa and cases here at home, as well as threats from ISIS militants - has led a majority to say that the government’s ability to deal with big problems has declined in the past few years. Among those who say this, many more - by 3 to 1 - blame Obama and the Democrats than blame Republicans in Congress. The poll shows that the general dissatisfaction appears to be affecting public interest in the 2014 campaign, which has been marked by an unprecedented amount of money spent by candidates and outside groups. Voters in states with competitive Senate races have been barraged with negative ads that began running early this year and now submerge local newscasts. The survey highlights that there is less interest in this midterm campaign than there was in the 2010 and 2006 elections — 67% say they are closely following the election this year, compared with 75% who were doing the same in 2010. Just 22% of voters say they have been contacted by an individual or organization regarding the congressional campaign, 12 percentage points lower than at this time four years ago. Among those who say they are certain to vote, Republicans appear to have more enthusiasm about voting. And more people who voted for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in 2012 say they are closely following the midterms, compared with those who say they voted for Obama. The Post says Democrats will try to counter that enthusiasm gap with a get-out-the-vote operation that is aimed at persuading sporadic voters to cast ballots. It will require a huge Democratic effort because when asked whether they will vote for the Democrat or the Republican in their House districts, 50% of likely voters say the Republican and 44% say the Democrat. Among the larger universe of registered voters, Democrats have an edge - 47% to 44%. The Post says that this swing of nine points between registered and likely voters is identical to the difference recorded at this point in 2010, when the Republican advantage translated into a GOP gain of 63 House seats. This year, expectations for GOP pickups are more modest, largely because there are far fewer competitive districts and fewer opportunities for the GOP. Still, the latest poll shows that in many respects the potential 2014 electorate looks a lot like that of 2010, based on a comparison with exit polls from four years ago. Among Democrats and Republicans, more than 9 in 10 again say they plan to vote for the House candidate of their party next week. Among independents, Republicans hold a sizable advantage, as they did four years ago. Men favor Republicans by double digits, while women favor Democrats by mid-single digits. But the real battle is over control of the Senate. Republicans need a net gain of six seats to become the majority party in the upper chamber. At this point, they are heavily favored to pick up three of those six, with good opportunities to win seven Democratic-held seats - in Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, New Hampshire and North Carolina. But Republicans are fighting to hold on to three seats of their own, in Georgia, Kansas and possibly Kentucky. The new Post-ABC News poll gives only general clues about the Senate races in those states, many of which tilt toward Republicans in presidential elections. The poll shows that in nine states with competitive Senate races, 57% of voters express a preference for Republicans in the House elections, compared with 39% for Democrats. The poll concludes that there's more confidence today than in September that Republicans will win enough seats to claim the Senate majority, although this is not a certainty. Nearly 70% of Republicans say a GOP majority would be a good thing, while half of Democrats say it would be a bad thing. In many of the states with competitive Senate races, the Post says that other public polls have found that Obama’s approval is below his national numbers, creating a drag on Democratic candidates. The new Post-ABC survey puts Obama’s overall national approval rating at 43%, up a statistically insignificant three points from two weeks ago. His disapproval rating remains unchanged, at 51%. The view of his handling of the economy is 42% positive, 52% negative, about the same as it has been throughout this fall. Obama has begun to campaign on behalf of gubernatorial candidates but he has avoided appearances in states with genuinely competitive Senate races. In those states, the candidates are seeking to put distance between themselves and the President, despite the fact that their voting records strongly support Obama. More than half of voters say that the President will not be a factor in their vote. But among those who say he will be, the percentage who say they will use their vote to express opposition to the President is 10 points higher than the share who say they want to send a message of support for him. ~~~~~ Dear readers, the Republican Party is within shouting distance of taking control of the Senate and forming a cohesive Congress that will offer positive alternatives to the negative Obama agenda that is destroying America at home and abroad. BUT -- it is absolutely imperative that we stay the course and get out the vote. Republicans of all persuasions, as well as independents, must vote and help others who share their principles and values to vote, too. And we should make a real effort to bring our libertarian friends with us. Ask them to make their vote count by voting Republican. This is not the time to let the small differences among us divide us. Our fundamental battle is with the big-government big-spending anti-Constitution anti-individual-liberties Democratic Party. We have them on the ropes. Do not let them get away. Do not waste even one vote. America needs us.