True North

It's been a long few years for conservatives activists. After working out tails off to get Republicans into office, we've had to contend with issue after issue of disappointment. So far the War on Terror and Supreme Court justices have been the lone brights spots, and even those took work and contain downsides.

Since 2006, in informal conversations with other conservative activists, I've sense a collective "blah" feeling. 30% Burnout 45% Disgust 28% suspicion 15% desperation 17% stubborn faith. Now there are some that would say that adds up to way more than 100%, but I would say it's just indicative of the vast amounts of strong emotions running through the conservative base lately.

It has manifested itself in a number of ways. Outrage on the immigration. Cynicism on spending. Disinterest on the 2008 candidates. And general apathy on the part of many in general. And despite Rove's apparent confidence, some look forward to 2008 with more of a sense of dread than optimism.

However, surprisingly enough, it appears as if the Democratic base is going through much of the same.

Despite being dealt a pretty good hand in the last election, it appears as if the Democratic base is decidedly unhappy. From a study reporting that approval ratings for Congress are at historic lows, comes this telling bit of information.

Typically, partisans view Congress much more positively when their party is in control of the institution, so the fact that Democrats' ratings are not materially better than Republicans' is notable.

The nine-point drop in Congress' job approval rating from last month to this month has come exclusively from Democrats and independents, with Democrats' ratings dropping 11 points (from 32% to 21%) and independents' ratings dropping 13 points (from 30% to 17%). Republicans' 18% approval rating is unchanged from last month.

The Democrats got what they wanted in the 2006 elections, but then had to face the unhappy reality that when you're in power you actually have to do stuff. Instead, they've been the "Do Nothing" Congress, and the left is not at all happy about it. You don't have to dig very far at either the Daily Kos or the Democratic Underground to find signs of severe discontent.

Perhaps conservatives do have reason to be optimistic about 2008. After all, as one of our esteemed Democratic colleagues has pointed out, if things are positive for the US, that is "a real big problem for [Democrats]". So if the Democratic base is unhappy, it can only mean good things are in store for the United States.

[Cross-Posted At EckerNet.Com]