DULL VICTORY

in the week after the recent election, i noticed something strange about my usual wingnut correspondants: they weren’t full of even more of their typically vainglorious triumphalism than usual, as i expected. as a matter of fact, they seemed more beat than anything else. now, it seems, there is some quantification about post election attitudes that may explain this curious phenom. basically, it seems that the public is significantly less enthusiastic about 2010 than they were about 2008 and even 1994. overall, support for republicans after this election cycle seems to measure at 10 - 12% less than for republicans in 1994 and democrats in 2008:

Poll: Disenchantment Remains After Midterms

While 40 percent do say they are pleased by the election outcome, that’s a significantly smaller percentage than the 58 percent who were pleased following the 2006 midterm elections. … historic victory. Fewer people today say they are happy about the Republican victory, approve of the GOP’s plans for the future, and far fewer believe Republicans will be successful in getting their programs passed into law.

Despite their gains in last week’s elections, Republicans are seen less favorably than Democrats overall. Forty-six percent of Americans have a favorable view of Democrats, matching the percentage who have an unfavorable view. The favorability rating for Republicans is 42 percent, with their unfavorable rating at 48 percent

But while most Americans want both President Obama and Congressional Republicans to work toward compromise on a range of issues, they are skeptical that compromise will come. And they blame the GOP: While 73 percent say Mr. Obama will try to work with Republicans, just 45 percent say Republicans will try to work with the president

Mixed Reactions to Republican Midterm Win
Public Less Happy Than After 2006 and 1994 Elections

The public, voters and non-voters alike, has a subdued reaction to the Republican Party’s midterm election victory. Four years ago, the response to the Democrats regaining full control of Congress was far more positive, as it was in 1994 when the GOP won a historic victory. Fewer people today say they are happy about the Republican victory, approve of the GOP’s plans for the future, and far fewer believe Republicans will be successful in getting their programs passed into law

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted Nov. 4-7 among 1,255 adults, finds 48% saying they are happy that the Republican Party won control of the House while 34% are unhappy. Four years ago, 60% said they were happy the Democrats won full control of Congress, compared with just 24% who were unhappy. That mirrored the public’s reaction in December 1994 to the GOP winning control of Congress for the first time in 40 years (57% happy vs. 31% unhappy).

In the current survey, 52% of those who said they voted in the Nov. 2 election were happy with the outcome compared with 42% of non-voters. Still, more voters in 2006 – 60% – said they were happy with the Democrats’ victory.

The public has a mixed reaction to the Republican policies and plans for the future: 41% approve, while nearly as many (37%) disapprove. Approval is somewhat greater among voters (45%) than among non-voters (35%). But on balance, both the general public and voters express less positive views of the GOP’s policies than they did of the Democrats’ proposals after the 2006 election.