A new Washington Post/ABC Poll out this weekend gives an important window into the political landscape, and despite Congress' low approval rating, Democrats have to be happy with what they see. The poll, conducted 10/29-11/1, surveyed 1131 adults for a margin of error of +/- 3%.

Democratic presidential candidates are generally viewed more favorably than Republicans -- no leading Democrat has a net negative approval rating, while just two of the top five Republicans sport positive ratings. Perhaps more importantly, more Americans are aware of Democratic candidates enough to form an opinion, suggesting that Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama or John Edwards will have to spend less time introducing themselves and will be able to spend more time defining their opponents.

Fav/Unfav
Obama 51 / 36
Clinton 50 / 46
Edwards 49 / 35

Giuliani 50 / 40
McCain 43 / 42
Thompson 33 / 37
Romney 28 / 41
Huckabee 21 / 30

That Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee have negative ratings does not necessarily indicate a negative overall opinion of the candidates. Given candidates they are unaware of, many respondents will say they have an unfavorable opinion rather than voluntarily offer that they have no opinion. Still, if any of the three end up winning the nomination, they will have work to do to introduce themselves to a majority of the country. That costs a lot of money.

Public opinion of Clinton, Obama and Edwards is largely unchanged from the last Post/ABC poll, taken in late February. Clinton's favorable rating is up one point, and her unfavorable is down two points, both within the margin of error; Obama's favorable is down two, while his unfavorable is up six, only slightly outside the margin of error and certainly explainable as more people get to know any candidate; Edwards' favorable is up three, and his unfavorable is down four, both inside the margin of error.

On the GOP side, though, Rudy Giuliani and John McCain have seen their favorable ratings drop dramatically, with a corresponding increase in their unfavorable ratings. Giuliani's favorables have dropped 14 points since February, while his unfavorables are up 12 points. McCain's positives are down nine points, with unfavorables up seven points. McCain's numbers might be explainable by his closer association with the war in Iraq, which, ironically, has helped him among Republican primary voters.

But Giuliani's drop in support has to be troubling for Republicans backing America's Mayor; the campaign is relying on the post-September 11th image of Giuliani, and if those initial positives wear off, Giuliani's campaign will have to spend a lot more to bring their positives back up.

Many Republicans will point to an increasingly slumping Congressional approval rating as evidence that their party still has a chance. Just 28% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, while 65% disapprove. That brings the RCP Congressional Job Approval Average to a -40.5% spread. That's a continuation of the steady decline since the middle of April, when 44% approved. And while a skimpy 32% approve of Republicans in Congress, Democrats don't fare much better -- they win the approval of just 36%.

But the Republican brand has suffered some serious damage. Only 39% of Americans see the GOP favorably, down 12 points from March 2006. The party's unfavorable is up ten points in that time, to 56%. More than half (51%) of Americans still see the Democratic Party favorably, though that's down four points in a year and a half as well.

Regardless of how the parties are viewed themselves, Democratic candidates have to be optimistic about their chances. On the major issues facing the country, Americans trust the party to do a better job handling all but the campaign against terrorism.

Trust Which Party On ___?
(Dem / GOP)
Health care 54 / 29
Situation in Iraq 50 / 34
Economy 50 / 35
Taxes 46 / 40
Immigration 42 / 35
War on terror 41 / 42

Yet even if the GOP tries to make the campaign against terrorism a central theme to next year's election, they will find the issue resonates less than it has in the past. Prior to Congressional elections in 2002, the GOP owned a 21-point margin on the issue. Prior to the 2006 elections, Democrats had a one-point advantage on the issue, among registered voters. With the GOP taking a slim one-point lead now, the landscape is essentially unchanged from that of 2006, which was disastrous for Republicans.

Whatever party is ahead or behind, it is clear that more people are paying close attention to politics than in previous years. The poll shows 67% are following the 2008 presidential race very or somewhat closely. Polls taken at virtually the same time in 2003 and 1999 show a much smaller percentage -- 54% and 45%, respectively -- paying attention.

The poll has Clinton leading the Democratic race with 49%, down four points from a late September poll. Barack Obama is at 26%, up six, while John Edwards hovers at 12%, down just a tick. On the GOP side, Giuliani leads with a third of the vote, followed by McCain, up seven from September at 19%, Thompson at 16%, Romney at 11% and Huckabee at 9%. See the whole write-up, courtesy Tom Bevan, on the RCP Blog.