2008 - The year of the independent?

In ever so blue Massachusetts a poor Democratic candidate barely beat a good Republican candidate in a special election for the House. This should be a warning shot for the Democratic establishment. Nikki Tsongas, wife of the late Massachusetts senator and presidential candidate Paul Tsongas was the choice of the Democratic political machine but not popular with the progressive base.

The latest Zogby poll indicates that
Voters unhappy with Bush and Congress
Bush has reached an all time low:

Bush's job approval rating fell to 24 percent from last month's record low for a Zogby poll of 29 percent.

But congress fared even worse:

A paltry 11 percent gave Congress a positive grade, tying last month's record low.

The vast majority of Americans don't like George W. Bush or anything he is doing but they are disgusted with the Democratic Congress because they continue to let him do everything he wants.

"There is a real question among Americans now about how relevant this government is to them," pollster John Zogby said. "They tell us they want action on health care, education, the war and immigration, but they don't believe they are going to get it."

The dismal assessment of the Republican president and the Democratic-controlled Congress follows another month of inconclusive political battles over a future path in Iraq and the recent Bush veto of an expansion of the program providing insurance for poor children.

The bleak mood could present problems for both parties heading into the November 2008 election campaign, Zogby said.

"Voter turnout could still be high next year, but the mood has turned against incumbents and into a 'throw the bums out' mindset," Zogby said.

Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have both shown that they are not leadership material. Harry Reid has made a strategic mistake when he hasn't forced the Republicans to actually filibuster and show the country who is preventing the congress from reigning in an out of control President and Vice President. And then there is Nancy Pelosi - her dangerous resolution condemning the massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire nearly a century ago is just the latest example of her inability to prioritize.

In 2008 voters will be looking for alternatives. Neither the Democratic Party or the Republican party represent the people.