links for 2010-08-14

An interesting data point from the MSNBC/Wall Street Journal poll I wrote about yesterday: The GOP has a HUGE generic-ballot edge in the South (52%-31%), but it doesn’t lead anywhere else. In the Northeast, Dems have a 55%-30% edge; in the Midwest, they lead 49%-38%; and in the West, it’s 44%-43%. What this suggests is that, while the GOP’s gains in 2010 will not be limited to just the South, the long term prospects for the party aren’t any better right now than they were in 2006 or 2008.