GOP cancer: Party could lose 20 more seats

[BlueStateSaint]

Uh oh . . . but if they stuck to conservative principles . . .

GOP cancer: Party could lose 20 more seats

By JOHN F. HARRIS & JOSH KRAUSHAAR | 5/14/08 8:09 PM EST

For the past 18 months, ever since the 2006 elections, congressional Republicans have been like a hospital patient trying to convince visitors that he is not really all that sick: a bit under the weather; actually feel better than I sound; should be up and about any day; thanks for asking.

Suddenly — belatedly — all pretense is gone.

The Republican defeat in Tuesday’s special election in Mississippi, in a deeply conservative district where, in an average year, Democrats cannot even compete, was a clear sign that the GOP has the political equivalent of cancer that has spread throughout the body. Many House GOP operatives are privately predicting that the party could easily lose up to 20 seats this fall.

Combined with the 30 seats that the GOP lost in 2006, that would leave the party facing a 70-vote deficit against Democrats in the House — a state of powerlessness reminiscent of Republicans’ long wilderness years in the 1960s and ’70s.

Things are not particularly more hopeful on the Senate side, where most analysts say Democrats have a strong chance of adding five or more seats to their current majority.

I hate being the bearer of this, but it's got to be done.  The rest is at:

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10366.html

But, the pendulum eventually swings back, in either 2010 or 2012 . . .

[franksolich]

Uh, I'm not God, but I sense the pendulum's going to swing soon.

[DixieBelle]

I have faith.

[Rebel Yell]

I have faith.

That's all we have right now.

[franksolich]

The Democrats are on the verge of nominating their weakest candidate since Walter Mundane and George McGovern.

If John McCain doesn't screw up, he's got it made.

And so I'm losing no sleep over the presidential race right now.

Now I'm directing my energies towards Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, and it doesn't look to me as bad as most think it is.

The sun's coming up.

With the usual caveat; if John McCain doesn't screw up--someone here compared him with a Bourbon, but actually that person meant a Hapsburg, who learns nothing.  That's the greatest peril in the presidential race, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

[john c calhoun]

The Democrats are on the verge of nominating their weakest candidate since Walter Mundane and George McGovern.

If John McCain doesn't screw up, he's got it made.

And so I'm losing no sleep over the presidential race right now.

Now I'm directing my energies towards Republican candidates for the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives, and it doesn't look to me as bad as most think it is.

The sun's coming up.

With the usual caveat; if John McCain doesn't screw up--someone here compared him with a Bourbon, but actually that person meant a Hapsburg, who learns nothing.  That's the greatest peril in the presidential race, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

you are forgetting the golden rule...

"its the economy stupid"

if Gas &  Food prices keep going up,  even Obama will beat mccain....

if hillary gets the nod, its gonna be close for mccain no matter what....

the best thing the president can do now is, sit back & let the Dems stand by their word.... and that is "open up the strategic oil stockpiles to lower the price of gas/food this summer" &  "cut  the gas tax" ....

do it MR President...

if you want mccain elected & you actually give a damn about this country  & if you actually want to start cleaning up the mess you've helped create...you gotta help FIX the economy right now...

 

[DixieBelle]

Actually, you have to fix the public's perception of the economy and how it works. That's just as important as reigning in our politicians and doing common sense things that will ensure energy independence, keep taxes low, let the free market dictate, etc...people are sheep for the most part so the perception is just as important.

[john c calhoun]

Actually, you have to fix the public's perception of the economy and how it works. That's just as important as reigning in our politicians and doing common sense things that will ensure energy independence, keep taxes low, let the free market dictate, etc...people are sheep for the most part so the perception is just as important.

yep...

and thats exactly what nixing the gas tax & releasing the strategic reserves would do....

change the  headlines & therefore lift this grand anxiety that has a grip on peoples wallets right now...

[Splashdown]

Actually, you have to fix the public's perception of the economy and how it works. That's just as important as reigning in our politicians and doing common sense things that will ensure energy independence, keep taxes low, let the free market dictate, etc...people are sheep for the most part so the perception is just as important.

The republicans made this bed themselves. they had 8 freaking years to:

• 1. build a damn fence
• 2. drill for oil/shale within our borders
• 3. control spending

 

And they spent worse than any democrat! Who is winning these races? Fiscally conservative, anti-abortion, gun toting democrats. I'm seeing it all over Pennsylvania. And McCain's not getting the message, either. Global-freaking-warming? Please.

I hope you guys are right. Or else we're in for 1976 all over again. 

[Lacarnut]

Actually, you have to fix the public's perception of the economy and how it works. That's just as important as reigning in our politicians and doing common sense things that will ensure energy independence, keep taxes low, let the free market dictate, etc...people are sheep for the most part so the perception is just as important.

He needs to get off his lard ass and start hawking conservative principals like more exploration and  lower taxes.

[Wretched Excess]

I'm not buying it.  we may die in november, but it's at least too soon to pronounce us dead
just this moment.

and the mississippi 1st CD is just a poor barometer of the party's national health for a bunch
of reasons.  we've covered it in a couple of other threads.

[DixieBelle]

A little pain is sometimes in order to remind everyone what really needs to be done. 06 wasn't painful enough if you want to know the truth. People get complacent. And the vast majority of the public listen to the MSM and don't scratch the surface. They aren't political junkies like most of us. They care more about what Randy, Paula and Simon have to say.

We had to have Carter to know we needed Reagan. I shudder at the thought of revisiting history but people are thick skulled and have ADD. Sometimes it's required to relive history. If we lose in Nov (and I don't think we will at this point yet) we'll survive. We always do.

[Chris_]

A little pain is sometimes in order to remind everyone what really needs to be done. 06 wasn't painful enough if you want to know the truth. People get complacent. And the vast majority of the public listen to the MSM and don't scratch the surface. They aren't political junkies like most of us. They care more about what Randy, Paula and Simon have to say.

We had to have Carter to know we needed Reagan. I shudder at the thought of revisiting history but people are thick skulled and have ADD. Sometimes it's required to relive history. If we lose in Nov (and I don't think we will at this point yet) we'll survive. We always do.

Well....after sitting through McCains limp-wristed retrospective this morning, I don't think that he has the cajones to win.......he is attempting to re-invent GWB's "compassionate conservativism", and serve us up another helping.....and we all know how well that worked out for the current president.....and us.....

I think that this year the Dems could run Cynthia McKinney and win........

doc

[john c calhoun]

Actually, you have to fix the public's perception of the economy and how it works. That's just as important as reigning in our politicians and doing common sense things that will ensure energy independence, keep taxes low, let the free market dictate, etc...people are sheep for the most part so the perception is just as important.

The republicans made this bed themselves. they had 8 freaking years to:

• 1. build a damn fence
• 2. drill for oil/shale within our borders
• 3. control spending

 

And they spent worse than any democrat! Who is winning these races? Fiscally conservative, anti-abortion, gun toting democrats. I'm seeing it all over Pennsylvania. And McCain's not getting the message, either. Global-freaking-warming? Please.

I hope you guys are right. Or else we're in for 1976 all over again. 

BINGO...

but lets hear all the chickenshit republicans  keep blaming the DEMS...

the Dems are so incompetent, the ONLY way they could win anything is by default....and that the FAT PUKE WHORES running the republican party these days gladly delivered...

[Rebel Yell]

A little pain is sometimes in order to remind everyone what really needs to be done. 06 wasn't painful enough if you want to know the truth. People get complacent. And the vast majority of the public listen to the MSM and don't scratch the surface. They aren't political junkies like most of us. They care more about what Randy, Paula and Simon have to say.

We had to have Carter to know we needed Reagan. I shudder at the thought of revisiting history but people are thick skulled and have ADD. Sometimes it's required to relive history. If we lose in Nov (and I don't think we will at this point yet) we'll survive. We always do.

Well....after sitting through McCains limp-wristed retrospective this morning, I don't think that he has the cajones to win.......he is attempting to re-invent GWB's "compassionate conservativism", and serve us up another helping.....and we all know how well that worked out for the current president.....and us.....

I think that this year the Dems could run Cynthia McKinney and win........

doc

Well, the Dems do know how to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

[Airwolf]

Actually, you have to fix the public's perception of the economy and how it works. That's just as important as reigning in our politicians and doing common sense things that will ensure energy independence, keep taxes low, let the free market dictate, etc...people are sheep for the most part so the perception is just as important.

The republicans made this bed themselves. they had 8 freaking years to:

• 1. build a damn fence
• 2. drill for oil/shale within our borders
• 3. control spending

 

And they spent worse than any democrat! Who is winning these races? Fiscally conservative, anti-abortion, gun toting democrats. I'm seeing it all over Pennsylvania. And McCain's not getting the message, either. Global-freaking-warming? Please.

I hope you guys are right. Or else we're in for 1976 all over again. 

Hi5