Primaries Are Hurting GOP

A new poll confirms what snarky headline writers have been saying for weeks now: The biggest winner of the long, nasty Republican primary season is President Obama. Four of 10 adults say that the GOP nomination process is hurting their general impression of the party, according to an NBC/Wall Street Journal poll. Only one of 10 says the primaries have improved their opinion of the Republicans. Even among Republicans, 23% say the primaries have hurt their view of the party.

When asked to pick a word they associate with the GOP primaries, respondents' choices were mostly negative, with some of the most common answers being "unenthusiastic," "discouraged," "painful," "disappointed," "underwhelmed,” “uninspiring,” “depressed," and "lesser of two evils." The primaries "have not raised the stature of the party, nor enhanced the appeal of the candidates,” said one of the pollsters. (More GOP primaries stories.)