Poll: Public Still Prefers Dems' Policies Over GOP's

Despite all the talk about the GOP being on the rise -- and their activist base certainly does seems to be more fired up and ready to go, at this juncture -- a new CNN poll suggests that a key fundamental measurement is still on the Democrats' side: The public at large thinks their policies are good, and also thinks the GOP's policies are bad.

The survey of American adults asked: "Do you think the policies being proposed by the Democratic leaders in the U.S. House and Senate would move the country in the right direction or the wrong direction?" The answer is 51% right direction, 46% wrong direction, with a ±3% margin of error.

The same question asked about the policies being proposed by Republican leaders in the House and Senate: Right direction 42%, wrong direction 53%.

A key internal number is that majorities of independents view both parties' policies as leading in the wrong direction -- 57% for the Dems, 52% for the Republicans.

"This advantage on policy could be an important edge for the Democrats heading into the 2010 midterm elections," said CNN polling director Keating Holland. "But independents will be the key to the midterms, and the numbers among independents spell bad news for both parties among that important group."

Since more Americans prefer Democratic policies, the challenge for the Democrats as a party is to make sure those people get out to the polls in 2010, instead of staying home like many of them did in this year's New Jersey and Virginia races. Of course, accomplishing this is not a done deal, and could pose some challenges.