In an election where the GOP has welcomed its most unwelcome of candidates, it's time to autopsy the autopsy, and check out some facts.
We need to talk about America. More specifically American politics. Even more specifically American political messaging.
I just read a Politico article about the GOP's plan for Hillary's "wake-up call" slated to take place on Nov. 9th. The "wake-up call" is primarily this: GOP voters that are endorsing Clinton now and say they will vote for her, won't work with her after the Election Day. They say they'll fight her, seemingly at every turn and the honeymoon will be over before she could put her hand on the Bible and the Obamas board the helicopter home.
It's basically a strategy for being the obstructionist party under a President Clinton 45, which is... you know... something... new... they're planning.
Except it's not new at all seeing as it's what they've been doing since they met shortly after President Obama's election to plan blockading him at every opportunity to make him a one-term president. And we've all seen how that plane has landed.
Have you seen Trump Force One? it's got a lot of classy gold.
There's this pervasive narrative on the campaign trail - and in media - that "Americans overwhelmingly think the country is on the 'wrong track.'" It's based, mainly, on the Rasmussen polling that asks just that: do you think America is headed in the right direction or is on the wrong track?
The fascinating part about how the data gets used is that it's often pointed toward President Obama to say that American's are overwhelmingly unhappy with him, his policies, or his administration as a whole.
But that, quite literally, doesn't add up.
Rasmussen's most recent data: 64% of Americans think we're on the "wrong track." In July, it was as high as 72% - that's the highest it's been since October 2014.
The same polling data shows, using "Right Direction," from the weeks of the RNC and the DNC: respective showings of approval at 24% and 29% (with a +/- 2 margin of error).
*For clarity sake: The polls both took place during the conventions, wrapping on the day of each nominee's final night speech, so the numbers reflect the conventions, not necessarily just the nominee's speech.
That data would imply more Americans, if only by 5 points, felt America was headed in the "Right Direction" during the Democrats time at bat than the Republicans.
Moving on, Rasmussen finds Obama's approval at 50% (Gallup puts it at 51%, up 3% from their pervious polling).
The stats aren't nearly as friendly to a very GOP Congress on the other hand. Gallup finds their approval rating to be 18%. EIGHTEEN. That's less than 1 in 5 American's approving of the way Congress is working... when they're working.
For a short recap:
Obama: 50% approval
GOP Congress: 18% approval
DNC: 29% of Americans said we're going in the "right direction"
RNC: 24% of Americans said we're going in the "right direction"
Rasmussen also found another astonishing number earlier this year. A whopping 76% of GOP voters find their own Congress "out of touch." That's more than 3 in 4.
Also, worthy of note is that Americans feeling that America is headed in the "Wrong Direction" was just at a its lowest since just before primary voting started, with poling data taken January 24-28. It's only again fallen to it's lowest since the conventions wrapped up, Trump has spent more time with both of his feet in his mouth, and has been dead in the national & state polls with Clinton leading.
One could easily infer those trends favor Hillary Clinton, and nor Donald trump or the GOP.
So with all these facts, stats, and data how does the narrative "Americans hate Obama, we're on the wrong track." persist?: Facts, stats, and data not only don't support that, they actually show the opposite. None of the aforementioned data points to that. It all points frustration with Republican elected officials and the Party.
This comes back to the Politico article about the GOP's plan for obstructionism under a Pres. Clinton 45.
Why does the GOP not see all of the above data and correlations?
Why don't GOPers get that their voters and their leaders don't want the same thing?
Have they not learned from this ridiculous election cycle and, frankly, the last one, that obstructionism isn't working? It's result is dissatisfied, if not angry, voters. And Donald Trump. The candidate only a Party could love - after it spent a primary season hating him.
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Follow Jarrett Hill on Twitter: @JarrettHill