The top issue concerns for voters are the economy and jobs and voters think Democrats are better on these

The Battleground 2008 July 2007 ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Democratic Strategic Analysis by Celinda Lake, Daniel Gotoff, and Erica Prosser A profound and growing sense of dissatisfaction with the direction of the country continues to feed the public’s appetite for change. The President, who is not just a lame duck, but a dead weight, is paying the biggest price for voters’ discontent; but the political atmosphere in the country is poisonous and no one is immune. The breadth of voters’ frustration even extends into the GOP’s own party base. Even independent of the President, Congressional Republicans have their own problems. Democrats enjoy a solid lead in the 2008 generic ballot as well as on a number of key issues, including a strong and expanding advantage Iraq—voters’ number one concern—and even a solid advantage on non-traditional issues, such as the deficit. As the election nears, the party that offers the more convincing vision of positive change for country is the party that will emerge victorious. The Context: Direction Of The Country Bad And Only Getting Worse The sense of public optimism this president inherited when he took office in 2001 has almost completely dissipated. Americans are deeply unhappy with the direction of the country. Fully seven in ten likely voters believe the nation is headed off on the wrong track, including a solid ...