'Angry White Men' Could Rule 2010

The new year could look a lot like 1994, with another uprising from the “angry white male” demographic, says one Republican pollster. In the bipartisan George Washington University Battleground Poll, 20% of respondents described themselves as “angry” about “the way things are going in the country today.” Only 5% of Democrats felt that way, compared to 26% of Independents and 33% of Republicans.

A majority of respondents, 56%, also believed that the country was on the wrong track. “I’m certainly going to say this is good news for Republicans,” the pollster said. His Democratic counterpart noted that the economy remained the main issue, and there have been major demographic shifts—women, for example, hold more jobs than men. And, unfortunately for Democrats, passing health care reform won’t help, because respondents already felt “fairly secure” in their access to health care. (More health care stories.)