Republicans Falling Victim To The Bush Effect

Further to the points I made in my previous posting, Josh Marshall at TPM has an entry regarding the Bush effect during the past elections.

Marshall points us to nj.com where we can read the following:

Given the collapse in public opinion about Bush and the Republicans nationally, a state like New Jersey is ripe for almost complete domination by the Democrats, [failed New Jersey Republican gubernatorial Doug Forrester] said.

Bush's approval rating last week slid to 36 percent nationwide in one poll, an all-time low for him. In New Jersey, it was at 34 percent just before the election.

The president was one of few top-name Republicans not asked to campaign in New Jersey on behalf of Forrester and other GOP candidates this year.

Forrester, a major donor to the Bush re-election campaign, also credited Corzine for trying to link him to Bush. "It was not a foolish thing to pound that issue so hard," he said.

We all recall how in 2000 Al Gore wanted to distance himself, rightfully or to his own detriment, from Bill Clinton in light of the Monica Lewinsky affair, but it is clear that Republicans are just as eager to distance themselves from the Bush White House, and Bush is increasingly going to be a persona non grata in future campaigns.