Congressional Insiders: Who Had the Better Convention?
President Obama has ticked up in the polls since his party convention in Charlotte earlier this month on the heels of the GOP gathering in Tampa.
Perhaps that is one reason that every congressional Democrat who participated in National Journal's Congressional Insiders poll said their party threw the more successful convention.
"Weird old white guy cusses at an empty chair vs. Bill Clinton. Duh," said one Democrat.
About two-thirds of Republicans who participated were still confident they, in fact, had the better convention. "The Republicans had new faces, especially Paul Ryan who had just been selected, while the Democrats featured two men who are known quantities," said one Republican.
Which party had the better national convention? |
||
| Democrats (22 votes) |
Republicans (22 votes) |
|
| Republicans | 0% | 68% |
| Democrats | 100% | 14% |
| Neither | 0% | 18% |
Another Republican said Democrats "got entangled on social issues" instead of focusing on the economy.
Still, some doubts have crept into the GOP, with several Republicans saying Democrats had the more successful gathering.
"But it won't matter in November," insisted one of those Republicans. "Obama didn't tell voters why the next four years would be better or even different from the last four years. Why would anyone vote for four more years of this?"
One in five Republicans surveyed said neither party came away better off. "Three to four days is too long," said one.
"No movement on the meter for either party," said another. "It's like the conventions never happened. All eyes on the first debate."
Democrats, however, were all too happy to look backward, especially at Bill Clinton's speech. "Thank God for Bill Clinton," said one Democrat.
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