INSIDE WASHINGTON

Congressional Insiders Poll

by Richard E. Cohen and Peter Bell

Saturday, June 6, 2009


Click here to see how prominent political bloggers responded to these questions.

Q: Regarding the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, what will be the political impact on your party?

Democrats (35 votes)

Major benefit       63 percent
Minor benefit       29 percent
Minor harm           6 percent
Major harm           0 percent
No impact if she 
 is confirmed 
 (volunteered)       3 percent

Major benefit

"Sonia Sotomayor is the classic American story, and in the 21st century, this story and her judicial exceptionalism bolster the beliefs of so many."

"We can't brag about having a representative democracy and not follow through on that. She will help build confidence in our judicial system."

"Republicans will embarrass themselves with the single largest constituency they need by trying to sink her nomination with racist and anti-immigrant rhetoric meant to appeal to their base."

"Sotomayor's nomination will certainly benefit the Democratic Party, but the full extent depends on if Republicans continue shooting themselves in the foot by further alienating their party from two key voting constituencies -- women and Latinos. Based on Republicans' initial reactions, it looks to be a major benefit."

"President Bush nominated two stalwarts of his party; now it's our turn -- stand aside GOP."

Minor benefit

"Sotomayor -- an experienced jurist with an exceptional resume who happens to be a woman and a Latina -- would provide much-needed balance to the seven Republican-appointed justices, as well as (and this is key) represent the fastest-growing and most hotly contested demographic in the country."

"The real beneficiary will be the rule of law, not a party. Judge Sotomayor has been a fearless guardian of the rule of law and demonstrated integrity of the highest class, earning her the respect of the legal community. She would bring to the Supreme Court her experience in nearly every level of our judicial system -- as a prosecutor, litigator, trial court and appellate judge -- offering a depth and breadth of experience that will inform her work on our nation's highest court."

"Latinos, women, and smart people in America will appreciate the nomination -- but without comprehensive immigration reform, Democrats' support in the Hispanic community will diminish."

Minor harm

"Those who will support her are already Democratic supporters. It may be another wedge between moderate white men and the Democratic Party."

Q: Regarding the Supreme Court nomination of Sonia Sotomayor, what will be the political impact on your party?

Republicans (39 votes)

Major benefit       5 percent
Minor benefit      33 percent
Minor harm         41 percent
Major Harm          3 percent
Uncertain or 
 no impact 
 (volunteered)     18 percent

Major benefit

"It's another fight that will help rally the base, and that's a real positive."

Minor benefit

"Balance of power on the Court is unchanged. Conservatives awaken to Obama's judicial philosophy: one part empathy, two parts identity politics."

"A sad reminder that judges legislate from the bench."

"Doesn't stir the masses... yet."

Minor harm

"It's a rallying point for the base but pits the GOP versus Hispanics and women -- two demographics we're already having challenges reaching out to."

"Having some of the more vocal conservatives call her a racist was beyond dumb."

"Who knows? Maybe she'll flip-flop like Stevens and Souter."

"Provided we can be disciplined in our opposition to her nomination. If not, then major harm."

Major harm

"It will be a major screwup if the GOP stands in the way."

Uncertain or no impact

"This really depends on how the nomination is handled by GOP senators. If Republicans conduct a high-class debate as Obama did in the case of Justice Roberts, it will help. If we follow the Limbaugh/Gingrich tact of calling an obviously talented, accomplished, and personally attractive woman a 'racist,' it will be a disaster. These two confuse their personal market share with a winning GOP coalition."

"No significant impact."

Q: Do you agree with President Obama's decision to take General Motors to bankruptcy court?

Democrats (35 votes)

Yes   86%
No    14%

Yes

"Absolutely! After years of neglect under Bush, Obama is right and smart to work hard to save well-paying, blue-collar, middle-class jobs in the U.S."

"The road to economic recovery runs through Motor City."

"Out-of-court restructuring was strongly preferred, but major bondholder agreements and worker sacrifices agreed to out of court will make a swift bankruptcy much more likely so that GM can continue to support millions of jobs across the country. The president's auto task force worked very hard to get these agreements in place, requiring sacrifice from all parties."

"The question is, is this just another stalling measure before the company finally folds?"

No

"We gave them billions with an assurance that [this aid] would keep them afloat. With bankruptcy, it's all lost."

"If we rescued the 'little guy,' the 'big guys' would be fine!"

"Now the president gets the blame and GM will probably fail anyway."

Q: Do you agree with President Obama's decision to take General Motors to bankruptcy court?

Republicans (39 votes)

Yes                    56%
No                     39%
Preferred bankruptcy 
 months ago 
 (volunteered)          5%

Yes

"If he had not done so, GM would have faced chaotic bankruptcy, and thousands more jobs would have been lost and the cost to the taxpayers would have been astronomical."

"This process was inevitable, and the delays by the Bush and Obama administrations simply prolonged the problems."

"If only the creditors would all make concessions (i.e., unions)."

"There has been no alternative to bankruptcy for GM for months, so I agree with that decision. But everything else the Obama administration has done with GM and Chrysler is totally wrong, including the abrogation of contracts; unilateral termination of dealers; favoritism to the UAW over all other creditors; forcing them to sell politically correct cars on which they cannot make money; and the nationalization of these companies. The government and UAW will soon send these companies to complete liquidation."

No

"Why not? After all, our federal government has a stellar track record running their own programs."

"The board should make decisions without government interference."

"The federal government isn't equipped to run or operate any business. The government's model of accruing massive debt while mandating new spending has deepened the recession, resulting in massive job losses."

"Apolitical bankruptcy=$0, Political bankruptcy=$50 billion."

Preferred bankruptcy months ago

"It shouldn't have been the president's decision in the first place. They should have gone into bankruptcy months ago, but without taxpayer financing or ownership."

National Journal Insiders

Democratic Congressional Insiders Sens. Sherrod Brown, Ben Cardin, Thomas Carper, Christopher Dodd, Edward Kennedy, Frank Lautenberg, Barbara Mikulski, Mark Pryor, Jon Tester; Reps. Jason Altmire, Robert Andrews, Michael Arcuri, Tammy Baldwin, Melissa Bean, Xavier Becerra, Howard Berman, Marion Berry, Rick Boucher, Lois Capps, Michael Capuano, Dennis Cardoza, Chris Carney, James Clyburn, Jim Cooper, Joseph Crowley, Elijah Cummings, Artur Davis, Diana DeGette, Rosa DeLauro, Eliot Engel, Anna Eshoo, Sam Farr, Chaka Fattah, Bob Filner, Phil Hare, Alcee Hastings, Rush Holt, Mike Honda, Steve Israel, Frank Kratovil, Jim Langevin, John Lewis, Zoe Lofgren, Nita Lowey, Carolyn Maloney, Ed Markey, Jim McDermott, Jim McGovern, Kendrick Meek, Jim Moran, David Price, Silvestre Reyes, Linda Sanchez, Jan Schakowsky, Mark Schauer, Jose Serrano, Adam Smith, John Spratt, Pete Stark, John Tanner, Ellen Tauscher, Bennie Thompson, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Henry Waxman, and Peter Welch.

GOP Congressional Insiders Sens. Lamar Alexander, Jim Bunning, John Cornyn, Jim DeMint, John Ensign, Lindsey Graham, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Johnny Isakson, Richard Lugar, Mel Martinez, Lisa Murkowski, Jeff Sessions, Olympia Snowe, John Thune, David Vitter; Reps. Michele Bachmann, Brian Bilbray, Marsha Blackburn, Roy Blunt, John Boehner, Charles Boustany, Kevin Brady, John Campbell, Eric Cantor, John Carter, Michael Castle, Tom Cole, Mike Conaway, David Dreier, Jeff Flake, Scott Garrett, Bob Goodlatte, Kay Granger, Doc Hastings, Pete Hoekstra, Bob Inglis, Darrell Issa, Peter King, Jack Kingston, Mark Kirk, John Kline, Christopher Lee, Dan Lungren, Kenny Marchant, Kevin McCarthy, Patrick McHenry, John Mica, Candice Miller, Sue Myrick, Devin Nunes, Mike Pence, Tom Price, Adam Putnam, Dave Reichert, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Mike Rogers of Michigan, Peter Roskam, Paul Ryan, Pete Sessions, John Shadegg, Adrian Smith, Mark Souder, Pat Tiberi, Fred Upton, and Joe Wilson.

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