Public Policy Polling tells us that in Missouri, right-wingers (and self-styled "independents" who feel allegiance to the liberal-bashing right-wing tribe) aren't going to allow an appalling remark about rape to take their eyes off the prize:
Missouri voters strongly disagree with the comments Todd Akin made about abortion over the weekend, but it hasn't moved the numbers a whole lot in the Senate race. Akin leads Claire McCaskill by a single point, 44-43. That's basically identical to our last poll of the contest in late May, which found Akin ahead by a 45-44 spread.They hate Obama. They hate liberalism, even of the seriously diluted Obama/McCaskill variety. They hate whatever Fox News tells therm to hate.
It's not that Missouri voters are ok with or supportive of Akin's comments. 75% of voters, including even 64% of Republicans, say they were inappropriate to only 9% who consider them to have been appropriate. 79% of voters say they disagree with what Akin said, including 65% who express 'strong' disagreement with him. 51% of GOP voters say they strongly disagree with him....
But for all of that the overall numbers in the race have moved very little. When we polled in May McCaskill was getting only 8% of the Republican vote, and even with the controversy around Akin she's only pushed up to 10% of it. GOP voters dislike McCaskill so much they're not going to vote for her no matter what their nominee does. Independent voters haven't moved at all either....
But meanwhile, in the blue Northeast:
Scott Brown leads in our new Massachusetts poll...first time since June 2011...that will be out tomorrow
— PublicPolicyPolling (@ppppolls) August 20, 2012
56% of Massachusetts voters think the GOP is too conservative. But only 30% feel that way about Scott Brown.
— PublicPolicyPolling (@ppppolls) August 20, 2012
By a 53/36 margin Massachusetts voters want Democrats to have control of the Senate- very interesting tension there
— PublicPolicyPolling (@ppppolls) August 20, 2012
"Very interesting tension" is one way of putting it. Another way is: Liberals and moderates are too freaking stupid to recognize that the only way to stop the wingnut madness is to vote against all Republicans forever -- even "nice" ones like Scott Brown -- until the party abandons insane, frothing-at-the-mouth radicalism as a governing philosophy.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: In all likelihood, Elizabeth Warren cannot beat Scott Brown. Massachusetts voters like him too much. Warren can -- perhaps -- beat the Republican Party, however. Her best chance of victory is to stop running against Brown and start running against, well, Todd Akin and all his ideological soul mates. On the right, Missouri voters know how this works. On the left and in the center, blue-state voters still don't have a clue.
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UPDATE: Here's PPP's write-up of the Massachusetts poll.
