The Washington Post has a new poll out this morning that has some interesting data. In it, the initial questioning of all adults seem to favor Democrats.  The difference comes when the questions are asked of only ‘likely voters’ – then the data skews heavily towards Republicans.

What can we derive from this? Of course, it’s that the Republicans (and right-leaning independents) are more motivated to vote this election cycle. For whatever reason, Democrats (and left-leaning independents) don’t seem like they’re going to come out in the magnitude that they did back n 2008, and that doesn’t bode well for us.

But there is a positive in all of this – there are 2 months to go before Election Day. If we as progressives can persuade enough uninterested Democrats and like-thinking independents to get out there on Election Day, maybe we can turn the GOP tidal wave into just a 3-foot swell.

We have people on our side, but we need to convince them that not voting in this election is equal to a vote for Republicans, which means:

• An attack on Social Security, possibly looking at privatization, and the potential for huge losses;

• Extensions of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy, which will increase the national debt by $1 trillion;

• An attempt to roll back the Health Care Reform Act, which, among other things, allows people with pre-existing conditions to not be rejected for care;

• A return to the days of not-so-long-ago, where, in the 6 years from 2000-2006, Republicans racked up trillions upon trillions of dollars in unfunded spending; turned a $268 billion budget surplus into a $800 billion deficit; and didn’t create one new net job;

• Continued assaults on the civil rights of gays and American Muslims.

There still is time, if we can get out the vote. Voting for a common-sense progressive like Jeff Barnett would be the first step.