60-40 VISIONS

GOP spirits soar over poll (Stephen Dinan, 5/01/03, THE WASHINGTON TIMES)

House Republicans are riding a big bump in public opinion support and say they are doing all the right things to ensure they maintain control of Congress and President Bush is re-elected in 2004.

The Republican leadership has vowed to avoid a repeat of 1992, when the president's father lost the White House despite high poll numbers after a military victory against Iraq.

"Unlike 1991, President Bush and Republicans in Congress proposed a proactive package of domestic initiatives over the past year - the centerpiece being our tax and other economic proposals to create more jobs, Rep. Deborah Pryce of Ohio, House Republican Conference chairwoman, wrote in a memo to her House colleagues.

"Americans are looking for solutions to their concerns, and Republicans are providing them," she said.

Ms. Pryce cited a new poll taken by the Winston Group of 1,000 registered voters that showed 55 percent had a favorable view of Republicans in Congress, while 35 percent had a negative view. For Democrats, 44 percent held a favorable view and 44 percent held a negative view.

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said Tuesday the Republicans' numbers are either at or near an all-time high: "I can't remember the last time we enjoyed those kinds of numbers."

Note that this is at a time when Democrats and the press believe Republicans to be losing, because the tax cut may be smaller than proposed and the Senate Dem,ocrats have blocked conservative judges. Posted by Orrin Judd at May 3, 2003 8:39 AM