Polling Numbers Leaked

In reference to my Cold Feet?!? post from yesterday, The Hill stated "Details of the polling numbers remain under wraps,"

Well, they're out now:

GOP polling shows 37 percent support for the GOP plan to deny Democrats the ability to filibuster judicial nominees, while 51 percent oppose, officials said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

But it's not all bad news:

Several officials who attended the polling briefing said the survey also contained encouraging news for Republicans. The poll found more than 80 percent of those surveyed believed all judicial nominees deserve a yes-or-no vote.

And there is also this little tidbit I had inferred about in the post as well:

One judicial nominee, Idaho lawyer William Myers, already is waiting for a confirmation vote on the Senate floor. But conservatives would rather see the final showdown come over Brown, Owen or U.S. Appeals Judge William Pryor, who was given a temporary appointment by Bush after he was blocked by Democrats.

Conservatives during the last Congress accused Democrats of acting out of racial, religious and gender prejudice in blocking Brown, Owen and Pryor. Brown is black, and Pryor is a Catholic.

This will be a contentious debate, and a no holds barred showdown.

The Captain continues to share his frustration, even promoting a campaign to withhold donations to the RNC until they get the nads to follow through on the removal of the filibuster for judges.

Once again, I will not further support this leadership group until they can start demonstrating some basic competence. If the majority of the Republican caucus insists on maintaining mediocrity as the standard, then they can suffer along. When either Frist & Co. demonstrate a will to act and the skills to win, then I will give willingly and happily to the NRSC and the RNC. Until then or until the caucus gives us leaders that can, Not. One. Dime.

Today, he continues to make his point clear:

A funny thing happened on the way to restoring the Constitutional process, however; the GOP sat on the ball, a tactic well known by Minnesota Vikings fans, and one that practically guarantees a loss. This allowed the media to get back into the game, pushing the GOP around the field by constantly referring to their efforts as "radical", "extremist", and their nominees as "out of the mainstream" -- even though Brown, for one, overwhelmingly won re-election to her Supreme Court post in California, hardly a bastion of conservative electors. Now the more moderate Republicans in the caucus have lost their intestinal fortitude for standing up for due process and the reputations of their nominees, or at least they had up to now.

Ironically, it is the Dems holding steadfast, while the GOP continues to hedge as they evaluate the political impact should they continue down this path. Funny, it is usually the other way around.

Flash