GOP MORALE RISES – AT 1:48 P.M. ET:   Rising poll numbers are fueling a major boost in the morale of the Republican Party.  From The Hill:

Republicans are feeling better about their prospects in the midterm elections, buoyed by recent polls that show their numbers improving.  An ebullient President Trump touted the shift in public sentiment reflected in recent polls during a joint Senate-House Republican retreat in West Virginia this week.  

“I just looked at some numbers, you’ve even done better than you thought,” Trump told lawmakers, citing poll numbers he discussed Thursday with National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman Steve Stivers (R-Ohio).

“The numbers are pretty good and that’s one example of how things are getting better,” Stivers told reporters after discussing polling numbers with Trump. 

Stivers said the bump in Trump’s approval rating is a good sign for Republicans running for reelection.

“No president in their second year has seen their approval rating go up except now this one,” Stivers noted.

GOP lawmakers discussed the favorable turn in poll numbers during their retreat.

Pollsters David Winston and Myra Miller of the Winston Group gave a presentation to lawmakers Wednesday evening entitled “Middle Class Americans’ Views of the Tax Plan: The Opportunity for 2018.” 

A Monmouth University Poll released Wednesday showed that Trump’s approval rating had jumped 10 points compared to last month, while the Democratic advantage on the generic ballot had shrunk to 2 percentage points.

A nationwide Monmouth survey in December showed Democrats with a 15-point advantage on the generic ballot.

COMMENT:  Look, it's awfully early.  The election is in November.  Still, after months of being told how disliked the president is, and how out-of-favor the Republicans are, it's encouraging to see the numbers change the way they have. The mainstream media is approaching hysterics.  Poll results are delivered to Democratic headquarters in Washington with supplies of Zoloft.   Some on the left see these as the End Times for atheists. 

I'm loving it all.

February 4,  2018