GOP watch: Ensign's #s take a dive

Posted: Monday, June 22, 2009 9:11 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: Republicans

After his admitted affair, John Ensign's favorability rating has taken a hit: It now stands at 39% favorable, 37% unfavorable, per a Mason-Dixon poll conducted by the Las Vegas Journal Review. His fav is down 14 points and his unfav is up 19 points from the same poll conducted a month ago. But it's not all bad news for Ensign. "[M]ore than six in 10 Nevadans do not think Ensign should resign," The Hill reports.

Video: More details are coming out since Sen. John Ensign, R-NV, revealed he had an extra-marital affair. Rachel Maddow is joined by Daily Beast contributor Mark McKinnon.

Ensign will be back on Capitol Hill today.

Eric Cantor, in an interview with Roll Call: "'America by November 2010 will want a check and a balance on [Democrats’] unfettered power.' Cantor insisted that Republicans cans regain the majority in 2010, despite going into the election cycle with a double-digit seat deficit in the House. To do so, the party must reach out to demographics that are traditionally Democratic strongholds, such Hispanics and college students, he said." (Easier said than done, right?). More: "He brushed off the suggestions that inflammatory comments made by conservatives such as former Vice President Dick Cheney and talk-show host Rush Limbaugh could hurt this effort. 'Our party is one that should include a lot of different people and a lot of different personalities,' he said. 'Just like Ronald Reagan would have never excluded anyone from the party.'"

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Comments

Seeing Adulterer Ensign's approval numbers plumment like a rock is just the kind of change I can believe in. It's great that more dirt is coming out on this false prophet of morals and hopefully this creepy dope of nope will have his political career ended.

Dimwit Can'tor had better stop making big promises his disappearing party can't make good and just concentrate on trying to come up with something positive that will attract more voters. But then the evil elephants are better at just saying no to everything then coming up with good ideas to get us out of the mess they put our secualr democracy in.

Impeach Ensign Now!

Eric, Salinas, CA (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 9:19 AM)

If the GOP wants to be an inclusive party, it must stop using miniorities as verbal whipping posts for their base. Look at the attacks on Judge Sotomayor recently and the anti-immigration rhetoric when McCain proposed dealing with the illegal immigrants. Hard to grow the republican party when you consistently throw negative comments at the very groups needed for that to happen. Their constant negativity, obstructionism, lack of new ideas, and their constant 24/7 criticism of everything Pres Obama does or says will not appeal to moderates or to the American people who are tired of the negativism and bickering in Washington. Americans want both parties to DO SOMETHING and STOP playing politics.

It is probable that the GOP will pick up some seats in the House in 2010 but to take back the majority would be a difficult task. Everything would have to go their way and I'm not sure the people are ready to give power back to the party that created the mess we face today. Their credibility is severely damaged; Bush is responsible for some but they never said "no".

Jody, Iowa (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 9:27 AM)

Anyone is going to be better than these fantasy based spoiled childish liberal criminals in 2010. Watching California implode should be a good lesson for the rest of the country.

Dave, Tn (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 9:33 AM)

California has a Republican governor and many Republican state legislators. If it should "implode" I don't think it's going to hurt the liberals.

Ray Y, Akron, Ohio (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 9:39 AM)

Senator Ensign - We rep what we sow!!!

I do feel for this guys family tho. Airing out the dirty laundry in public can be very cruel. The fact he maned up on this is cool, the fact his family has to get drug thru this, not cool.

What do you think justhinkinoutloud?

cindy, las vegas, nv (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 9:46 AM)

He could save hi career with a public admission of being a typical republican hypocrite.

MarkD (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 9:49 AM)

doesn't California have a republican governor?

dsfg (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:00 AM)

Dave, Tn======It seems that you would really enjoy seeing California go down the drain. How disgusting.=====In case you have not noticed the last two elections we have been weeding the criminals out. If Ensign doesn't take the WD40 off his zipper, he will probably go also.

Seattle Sue (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:01 AM)

I am still baffled that this story is getting press from the state-run media. Remember when John "Pony Boy" Edwards (DFL) was having an affair while his wife was dealing was with a life-threatening disease? Yeah..me either...it barely got any press. State Run Media at its best...right here!!!

Big Dolph, Chicago, IL (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:04 AM)

Moonshadow (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:05 AM)

The questions right now should be along the following: is Ensign doing the job he was elected to do? Is he representing the state in the US Senate? If so, then he can ignore the numbers for now. When it gets closer to election time, he needs to be aware that he has broken trust with people. The voters may not like that.

S.B. Stein E.B. NJ (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:10 AM)

Here's the thing.

This is none of my business. I don't want to know it. I'm saddened by the fact that this gentleman was forced to discuss his marital issues with the public. I think he's one of the good guys. And, by the way, I'm a Democrat. I'm just tired of this stuff. So, John Ensign is a human being. That's a news flash?

I don't know when it will happen, but I pray the sensationalist side of "journalism" will "jump the shark" soon.

Scotty, Tampa Bay, FL (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:14 AM)

Good try, Dave, but the Pubbie trick of accusing others of your own shortcomings is as old news as Joe the Plumber. Cheney and his cabal should be counting their lucky stars they are not in Gitmo right now. Go back to your dark cubbyhole and come up with something better.

Mike, Scottsdale (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:17 AM)

"Anyone is going to be better than these fantasy based spoiled childish liberal criminals in 2010." Its the republicans who live in a fantasy world. Hmm lets cut taxes... so the deficit can grow bigger. They believe that you can have services without taxes. As a college student our funding for Universities are dwindling resulting in massive tuition hikes. I rather pay a little more in taxes, so that our services are protected. What are services (schools, roads, parks, police, firefighters, etc). How can the GOP appeal to young voters when they continuously cut education. The GOP has never been the party of values so I’m not surprised by Sen. Ensign.

Vince, Arizona (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:19 AM)

I think repulicans should stop using Reagan's name when they talk about the party.For they are either 20years above or below what a man he was.The mantel now is what DICKRUSH says or what will they so lets oppose it in any way shape or form.It's pity that we have no one to step into his shoes much more his thinking.Oh Reagan Oh Reagan where thou you???

Owusu A Gyasi (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:22 AM)

TO DAVE,TN

Have you looked around the country? Cause the whole country is imploding and it was done under the not so smart conservative right doubling the deficit to blow people up.

JOEL, TX (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:26 AM)

Dave, Tn, you're long on words and short on numbers!

I'd rather be a lamppost in CA than Dave, TN (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:31 AM)

The only spoiled childish criminals I know of are the criminal Cheney and his henchman GWB. Dave, your sore loserness is so last year...this country and it's leaders (something America hasn't had since last decade) have many fish to fry, so why don't you go cry to someone who cares, like your hero Rush Limbaugh. Maybe you and he can share a whambulance to the whinery.

Eric, Columbus, Ohio (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:31 AM)

Ensign is just another politician caught with his pants down (pun intended). These creeps think that their office gives them a license to cheat, steal, and generally break the laws they are supposed to be in charge of making. They swear to uphold the Constitution and then violate the spirit if not the latter of that very document which is the very heart of this great democratic-republic. I don't care what their party affiliation is they have no integrity when they are hypocrites. Ensign is just another scum bag hypocrite and should not be allowed to stay in office or at the least, not be reelected.

eagle1776 (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:32 AM)

Conservative republicanism is nothing but a menace and a perverse ideology pf inequality, rights only of their kind that with 8 years of Bush hog wash started a decline, economic terror, unprecedented terror hype propaganda, fomentation of hate, fear, wrapping up in the flag, farting patriotism, republican patriotic feeding frenzy to control the hearts and minds of a misled and gullible nation, Islamic bashing, alienation of the whole world and the US self destruction from within. Not to mention the ideological division and polarization of the country. The only reasonable solution is this country to rid it self of this conservative republican menace. The sooner the better.

Mohinder L. Jerath (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:35 AM)

The problem is that the politicAL PARTIES are always at war with each other. We are supposed to be the UNITED STATES of AMERICA.Not the divided states. If any of the dummies in congress could figure that out, we would have a great nation. The only thing that matters for them, is the party. GOD HELP US ALL.Perhaps if we cooperated, maybe even the states, and cities would do the same thing. How about that.

butch north rockford, il. (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:36 AM)

You can't back someone who has had affairs, no matter which side your on ... unless your name is Bill Clinton, John Edwards or Ted Kennedy. Yeah there's more.

It's a double standard kind of thing.

Dems = no accountabllity.
Moonshadow (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:05 AM)
_________

And how accountable has Newt been for his affairs? The GOP has all but given him the keys to the kingdom, despite multiple affairs.

Funny how the GOP will only look at the Dems when they do something, but fail at almost every opportunity to shine that same light on their own party for doing the exact same thing.

You want to talk about Dems and responsibility? How about the GOP and its hypocrisy?

Not even close on this one, Moonshadow (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:53 AM)

I wonder if the GOP thinks bashing Sotomayor at every given turn is part of the road map to successfully wooing hispanic voters.

Who's writing the playbook these days??????? (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 10:57 AM)

Ensign was one of the first to condemm and demand resignation of other politicians caught in wrong doing. Because of the fact he is such a hypocrit,
do as I say, not as I do, self rightous, typical
republican he will probably not resign, but the voters should remember his dishonorable, untrustworthy
actions.

katiec (Sent Monday, June 22, 2009 11:02 AM)

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