DCCC polling reveals good news for Democrats

It's early, of course, and things can quickly change, but this is good news all the same:

Recent Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) polling shows that seven Republican members would be easily defeated if their reelection took place today, the committee’s chairman told House Democrats yesterday at a closed-door meeting.

While Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) did not name the members, who are from districts “around the country,” he said all polled at 43 percent or less when voters were asked if they would vote today to reelect their congressional representative, sources at the meeting told The Hill.

Emanuel said three of the Republicans polled below 40 percent, including one, from a Western state, at 32 percent and another, a Californian, at 34 percent. The DCCC has targeted three California members: Reps. David Dreier, Richard Pombo and Randy “Duke” Cunningham.

The numbers created a palpable buzz in the room, said one attendee, as the assembled Democrats mulled the prospect of unseating a handful of vulnerable Republicans. Democrats have seized on recent nationwide polls showing high disapproval ratings for Congress and the president.

Remember that the only poll that really matters is on Election Day in November 2006. We have a ways to go until then, and it's unwise to make too much of good numbers right now. What Democrats need to do is keep working hard to prevent Bush and the GOP congressional leaders from getting their radical agenda through.

Democrats shouldn't worry about being labeled "obstructionists" on any issue, especially Social Security. As Kos noted today:

...Mr. President, you have the numbers to pass your legislation in the House, but I haven't seen any of it introduced. Heck, I haven't even seen a Social Security bill from the White House, so I'm not sure what "plan" you're referring to.

If you want to cry "obstructionism", then you need to let Democrats obstruct. But the problem here is you can't keep your own party together. They see your tumbling numbers and are abandoning you.

On CAFTA, on stem cell research, on the Patriot Act, on social security, and on Iraq. And in that one place where we tried to obstruct -- filibustering a tiny percentage of your judges -- you guys tried to change the rules to prevent that (though, of course, it was your own party again that stymied those efforts).
So tell you what -- you get your own house in order before you start blaming others for your problems. Though I won't hold my breath. Accountability never was your strong suit.

We can be victorious if we refuse to cede ground and keep on fighting. Because of our refusal to roll over and die, Christine Gregoire is Governor of this great state. We refused to hand the GOP a victory.

That's what Democrats everywhere across this country need to do: stick together and fight hard against every GOP attack.