Trust in GOP tumbles

The never-ending stream of bad news for the Republican Party continues.

Published December 18, 2008 3:31PM (EST)

One of the two major parties if facing a serious branding problem right now. Hmmmm . . . can you guess which one?

Continuing a theme discussed recently in this Salon conversation with Alex Castellanos, Ron Christie and Reihan Salaam, the GOP has some serious image issues. The country just doesn't trust them, or at least not nearly as much as the Democrats. The GOP needs to find a partisan Dr. Phil, plop down on the couch, and get some counseling.

According to the Washington Post/ABC News poll, by more than a 2-to-1 margin, 56 percent to 23 percent, Americans trust the Democrats to better to handle the "main problems" facing the country. That 23 percent? It's the lowest level on record for either party since the Post/ABC first started asking this question in 1982.

Details -- including pie charts! -- here.


By Thomas Schaller

Thomas F. Schaller is professor of political science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and the author of "Whistling Past Dixie: How Democrats Can Win Without the South." Follow him @schaller67.

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