Two graphs, courtesy of the GOP-friendly Gallup, show why GOP panic is ratcheting up today. The first shows how GOP favorability has cratered:
And the second shows how GOP unfavorability has skyrocketed:
Now work back slightly on the timeline. Notice how Republicans had pulled up even to Democrats in 2010? That was the year of their wave. Now, the gaps look as bad for Republicans as they did during the Democratic wave years of 2006 and 2008.
The big difference is that in 2006 and 2008, the Democratic Party was above 50 percent in favorability. At 43 percent favorability, Dems only look good in comparison. But that's what elections are: comparisons between two parties. And right now, the bulk of Americans are laying the blame and laying it thick on the flailing GOP.