GOP finds its voice on health care

Politico:

After two terrible elections when independent voters turned away from the GOP and the party lost control of the White House and the Senate, Republicans finally have a little spring back in their step thanks to a health care debate that has done more to cool off Obama-mania and re-ignite the conservative base than even most of its leaders had hoped.

"Republicans have quickly recovered their voice," Rep. Mark Kirk, whose Senate campaign in Illinois has many Republicans eyeing a pick up, told POLITICO.

Kirk joined party leaders here this week at the second annual GOPAC conference, where they worked with state legislators to develop a unified GOP strategy and message on heath care. The timing of the conference could hardly have proven better for the group, as the backlash to Democarats' health care plans has enthusiasm in Republican ranks at its high water mark of President Barack Obama's six-and-a-half months in office.

The president's approval ratings have seemingly been in free fall this summer, hitting new lows nearly every week. In addition, a USA Today/Gallup poll released last week shows that independent voters are more than twice as likely to sympathize with town hall protesters as they are to be turned off by them.

"The issue mix right now could not be better for us, with the public worried about big spending, high taxes and big government. If ever there was a mixture of issues that could benefit Republicans it would be that, just like in 2008 we probably had the worst issue mix we could have ever had," GOPAC chairman and longtime GOP insider Frank Donatelli said in an interview.

"For the first time in six years, the level of enthusiasm and intensity among our party members is higher than the other side, and you cannot overestimate how important that is," Donatelli said. "Independents are lining up with us and not Democrats, and that's a sea change."

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The enthusiasm is on the conservative side right now. I suspect the Democrats will continue do things that will stoke that enthusiasm for our side. I wish we could go out and vote against them this fall, but we will have to settle for Virginia and New Jersey to do that.