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Check this out.

http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/GOP_democrats/2008/05/14/95969.html?

The key to victory is the moderates. There will always be hard core Democrats and Republicans at either end of the spectrum but it's the moderates who are the deciders.

We Republicans haven't done a very good job of holding on to them lately. Lets see how you Democrats do.

All the signs and portents point to a blood bath this fall for the Repubs. And the Repubs themselves know this. Anyone who isn't too lazy to use Google can see this in spades in a matter of minutes.

But John, there's always hope. Democrats have had a history of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory too many times to count. Even tho all the wind is at the Demo's backs, I will be really nervous until I actually see both houses and the exec branch back in Democratic hands in Jan.

Things like hearing Hillary say:

“No. No, there is nothing to base [the rumor that Obama is a Muslim] on. ... As far as I know”

and

"Senator Obama's support among working, hardworking Americans, white Americans, is weakening again"

and

Clinton campaign volunteers forwarding emails that said "Barack Obama is a Muslim who plans on "destroying the U.S. from the inside out."

and

Geraldine Ferraro saying Obama wouldn't be where he was today if he wasn't black

and...

Oh well this is a very very long list.

Let's just say I'm crossing my fingers and hoping the Demos don't self destruct. If they do once again I think I'll shoot myself.

K

I think Republicans will struggle this election season, but anyone who's ever been down and out knows it just takes a little re-tooling to be up and in.

Power corrupts everyone (seemingly) equally, so I won't be surprised when Democratic scandals (again) are played up to shift the balance of power back.

But, it's telling that these red districts have gone blue. People are pissed at the war, at cronyism, economic ineptitude, and the Old White Boy guard who never seems to see the rest of the people not drawing dividends from oil, pharmaceutical, agriculture, arms and chemical.

The coming elections are for the democrats to lose. They definitely have a lot go on for making their case. but they're also pretty damn good at losing elections.

Regardless of how the presidential race turns out, I can't see how the GOP can stop their bleeding in the house and senate. Polling indicates the Dems could easily pick up around 25 seats to their already sizable majority in the house. In the senate the GOP could possibly unseat Mary Landrieu. The could Tim Johnson possibly, but no one wants to run against him. The GOP stands to lose 5-6 senators though.

The GOP stuck with Bush and showed their loyalty and it worked for them when they creamed the Dems in 2004. But with his approval ratings in the low 30's for two years straight (a new record as of last week) the loyalty game isn't going to work this year. The special election results is big news and does not bode well for the GOP.

I just read that the repubs just lost a special election to congress in I believe it was Mississippi to a Democrat. The democratic congress would have their popularity up in at least the 70% range if they could have found their "SPINE" as soon as they were elected as majority leaders in 2006, to end the war, and bring some accountability to the bushies law brakeing. But the spineless wonders have given in all along to Bush and the minority repubs in the house and senate just about on all fronts. If they keep this spineless trend up they will find themselves the losers in the future with no-one to blame but themselves. for now they have gotten away with blaming the repubs for not making progress on the issues they were elected to accomplish, but this excuse won't last much past this coming election. God I hope the Dems start making some much needed changes this coming year, but only time will tell. If they don't, I'm afraid that the "pendulum swing" back to the repugs will come much sooner. As much as I want to see progressive changes, I would not want to bet on them though !!!!

The whole problem with the GOP is that they are too right wing and too dominated by the narrow-minded, bible thumping wackos. The continued support of the disastrous, costly war in Iraq by many republicans has also done some serious damage. Now if the democrats seize the golden opportunity by nominating Barack Obama as their candidate then depending on how Obama campaigns against McCain, the white house could easily fall back into democratic hands this november. If the democrats make the horrendous mistake of nominating Hillary Clinton, then be prepared for a overwhelming McCain victory which would mean four more long years of the GOP in the white house.

Any losses by the Republican party in November can be laid at the feet of Shrub and no one else. Cultural conservatism is alive and kicking in America. Democratic supremacy is caused by near universal anger at the (p)Resident, not some sort of ideological "aha!" going through our society. Maybe it's because I'm Southern, but I don't see huge cultural shifts towards social justice ocurring as long as anyone born before 1965 is still alive in rural America.

jarhead5536 saidAny losses by the Republican party in November can be laid at the feet of Shrub and no one else. Cultural conservatism is alive and kicking in America. Democratic supremacy is caused by near universal anger at the (p)Resident, not some sort of ideological "aha!" going through our society. Maybe it's because I'm Southern, but I don't see huge cultural shifts towards social justice ocurring as long as anyone born before 1965 is still alive in rural America.

Some truth in this, jarhead, but rural America has also got other demographic trends going against it too. The immigrant population is overwhelmingly Democratic, even though they may come from a conservative Hispanic culture.

The fact is that the Republicans have made it clear that the "li'l brown ones" are an easy target, and--apparently unlike some of our gay brethren--they are not interested in supporting a party that views them as Dangerous, Other, and Unwelcome.

There is nothing like gaining power in tough times to boost the other parties popularity. The Democrats could be taking over the presidency and the congress at a very inopportune time. Let us see how well (or badly) they do with the power levers, before we start writing the GOP's obituary.

In my best Spongebob voice:

NO MORE GAYS ON POTTIES?!?!?!?

One thing that I forgot -- there's tactical issues, and then there's strategic issues.

By tactical, I mean event to event, election to election, sex scandal to sex scandal. These will occur on a regular basis and will either be handled or not handled by either party. So while the discussion here has mostly been on tactical stuff, specifically the impending doom this fall, I don't think that's what the Repubs should really be worried about.

The strategic problems are much more serious. Since the Demos lost the South by supporting civil rights in the Lyndon Johnson era, the genetics of the Repubs have grown ever more white and male. Today there is not a SINGLE black Republican in either house of Congress. Women are an insignificant presence at all levels of the party -- from voters all the way to national elected leaders. Today the Repubs are essentially the party of white males (who, since Reagan, tend to pompously lecture on moral issues).

The Republican "Brand" as Newt and Rove are fond of saying lately is not only sullied by the Worst President Ever (according to every single poll out there), it has serious structural problems because, as the party of white men, it's constituency is becoming smaller and smaller.

The future of this country (like it always has been since it was founded) is in the immigrants. For the past generation or so, most of those immigrants are and will continue to be non-white in ever increasing numbers. White folks are already no longer a majority in California. Where California goes, so goes the nation. And as it goes, it's not interested in voting for the party of white guys. This is what I think represents the real potential for the destruction of the GOP as it's currently constituted.

And when the GOP finally dies, I'll be smirking like Ethel Rosenberg smirking over Roy Cohn's death in Angels in America, which I just watched again last night.

Wotta actress, that Mary Stripe.

iguanaSF said

The future of this country (like it always has been since it was founded) is in the immigrants. For the past generation or so, most of those immigrants are and will continue to be non-white in ever increasing numbers. White folks are already no longer a majority in California. Where California goes, so goes the nation. And as it goes, it's not interested in voting for the party of white guys. This is what I think represents the real potential for the destruction of the GOP as it's currently constituted.

Yes. I think that they also forgot to take into account that for every illegal they want to throw back across the border, there are several voters who depend on their labor for their own livelihood and convenience. Where I grew up in Eastern Washington the agricultural industry is greatly dependent upon migrant labor. More and more of those farmers that once solidly voted republican, are now viewing that party as a direct threat to their livelihood. When you threaten the farmers, you threaten all the businesses that depend on them within their community. I think their pandering to the red-neck-single-wide-trailer-meth-lab-NASCAR vote has alienated the red-neck rural faming community vote.

Ethel Rosenberg? I think it's ridiculous to mourn the death of that traitor. She and Julius got off too easy with the chair.

Why do you Democrats hate America?

We don't hate America, we hate those non-patriotic repugnicans.

Q: How many Bush Administration officials does it take to screw in a light bulb?

A: None. There is nothing wrong with the light bulb; it's conditions are improving every day. Any reports of its lack of incandescence are delusional spin from the liberal media. That light bulb has served honorably, and anything you say undermines the lighting effect. Why do you hate freedom?

John43620 saidWhy do you Democrats hate America?

John, do you actually truly believe this? Or are you just name calling.

If you're name calling, it's one thing -- it's just insulting. I don't mind people trying to insult me or yelling loudly, it's just a signal that there isn't really any substantive argument left in them and they're falling back to elementary school tactics.

But if you actually believe this, there's really nothing left to say, it's just so off this planet.

PS I'm not a Democrat.
PPS Nor am I a Republican.

Iguana, no I'm not name calling. Do you recall the young black man who asked President Bush after Katrina hit, "why do you hate Black People"? Of course it isn't true but I just wanted the Democrats to understand the hypocrisy of their argument.

I am old enough to remember that the GOP almost ceased to exist once before. Everybody was writing it off.

This time the problem is (or, was) that when they controlled too much of the government, they werent protected from their own excesses.

They way overreached in their governing
...way over tax-rebated the rich,
...way over let GWB poorly execute a war,
...way over covered for Cheney's Machiavellian managing style,
...way over relied on irrational, "good old boy," "dumb is smarter," popular sentiment,
...way over relied on the religious right.

Now all of that has failed so spectacularly, they are going to take a drubbing in this election.

John43620 saidIguana, no I'm not name calling. Do you recall the young black man who asked President Bush after Katrina hit, "why do you hate Black People"? Of course it isn't true but I just wanted the Democrats to understand the hypocrisy of their argument.

O.K...? If that is what Kanye said then you both sound like idiots.

But I'm pretty sure he said that "George Bush doesn't care about black people."

How was he way off base by saying that. The vast majority of the people affected by Katrina were black people and Bush did an absolutely disgraceful job at protecting and aiding them.

Either he doesn't care about black people, or he is tremendously incompetent. What's worse?

And what is the hypocrisy of the Democratic argument?

roadbikeRob said costly war in Iraq by many republicans has also done some serious damage. Now if the democrats seize the golden opportunity by nominating Barack Obama as their candidate

Most of what Rob said I would agree with.... with the exception of the phrase "Obama and golden opportunity".
That I disagree with.....

revkinoes said[quote][cite]John43620 said[/cite]Iguana, no I'm not name calling. Do you recall the young black man who asked President Bush after Katrina hit, "why do you hate Black People"? Of course it isn't true but I just wanted the Democrats to understand the hypocrisy of their argument.

O.K...? If that is what Kanye said then you both sound like idiots.

But I'm pretty sure he said that "George Bush doesn't care about black people."

How was he way off base by saying that. The vast majority of the people affected by Katrina were black people and Bush did an absolutely disgraceful job at protecting and aiding them.

Either he doesn't care about black people, or he is tremendously incompetent. What's worse?

And what is the hypocrisy of the Democratic argument?

Was it just black people who got the short end of the aid stick after Katrina?

I think N.O. got the worse of being left unaided. But I think Mississippi wasnt taken care of very well, either. Altho Miss. got way more help than N.O.

Race may have been a part of it. But I think politics may have been more. N.O. is Democratic and the rabid Republicanism and stupidity of this Administration is likely to have been more of a factor on who got aid and who didn't.

Republicans have never been known to be able to govern. They are too inflexible. They can only see issues in black and white. They are immobilized if they have to operate outside of dogma.

Which is why for 40 years the Congress was Democratic. You can't run a Congress if you can't compromise. Republicans don't do well outside of being president, where they can have a set-in-concrete platform. But they don't survive unless they have a Democratic Congress to save them from their own excesses.

On the subject of moderation and government .. (sorry just had to do it)

Tao Te Ching (59)For governing a country well
there is nothing better than moderation.

The mark of a moderate man
is freedom from his own ideas.
Tolerant like the sky,
all-pervading like sunlight,
firm like a mountain,
supple like a tree in the wind,
he has no destination in view
and makes use of anything
life happens to bring his way.

Nothing is impossible for him.
Because he has let go,
he can care for the people's welfare
as a mother cares for her child.

The Republicans need to shake the right wing, religious fundamentalists and the war mongers to bring it back in focus for most Americans.

You say warmonger like it's a bad thing. I'd like to point out that insane scumbags all over the planet have been attacking the US from 1916 to 9/11/01. The Republicans are fighting back, the Democrats cower in the corner and cry uncle. How did the party that defeated the Nazis and the Japanese turn into such pussies?

war·mon·ger (wôr'mŭng'gər, -mŏng'-)
n. One who advocates or attempts to stir up war.

In case you need a little help
But we don't have a case of mere warmongering here
we have a crew of utter war CRIMINALS
Bush and his republican sycophants LIED us into a war where there was absolutely no need for war
where HUNDREDS of thousands of Iraqi's were killed
2 MILLION have fled into Syria and Jordan
Made a safe haven for terrorism where there WAS NONE before
And in the process has STRENGTHENED and emboldened it's neighbor Iran

...had done nothing to prepare for the growing threat of al queda when they took office
the global terrorism task force that had been intiated during the previous administration was DISMANTLED and NEVER met prior to 9/11
the August 6th memo that was presented to a vacationing President Bush That read : BIN LADEN DETERMINED TI STRIKE IN US
and they did?... that's right .... NOTHING

And 3 thousand people including people that I know died because of it

So I'd save your applause for something else if I were you

I'll believe it when I see it. I get mass emails from my right-wing brother in law all the time about how Obama's a muslim, how America is in a third world war against muslims, how Mexicans are destroying the country, blah-blah-blah, bomb Iran, assassinate Chavez, tidbits of 'wisdom' from Ann Coulter and Cal Thomas.
In 2004 Bush and the Repubs said it was us gays who were destroying the country, and 50% of the country believed it.

America is drowning in sheer stupidity, has always been at least a little xenophobic, and will always listen to someone telling them what they want to hear -- it's those GAYS or Mexicans or Muslims fault! What, the war's going bad, gas is 4$ a gallon, the economy sucks, my 401k is down and my house isn't worth anything? Well, none of THAT can have anything at ALL to do with OUR country's leadership, RIiiiIIIGHT?

Curtains for the GOP? Not a freakin' chance. Some losses, probably. Curtains, no way.

John43620 saidYou say warmonger like it's a bad thing. I'd like to point out that insane scumbags all over the planet have been attacking the US from 1916 to 9/11/01. The Republicans are fighting back, the Democrats cower in the corner and cry uncle. How did the party that defeated the Nazis and the Japanese turn into such pussies?

Wow. Well you are obviously too deranged to see your own stupidity. There is no point in trying to get you to see a different point of view because you are so stuck in your black and white ideas that you will never look at something another way. This is the same way I feel about racists, homophobes, and religious zealots. You can’t change stupid. You just have to wait for it to die out. One day it will, and we will be better as a human race for it.

I do not think stupidity will simply die out, because if that were the case then how come after many thousands of years of human history it still persists? If all persons classified as being stupid do not have children at all, then yes we can probably stand to eliminate almost all of them after a few generations time. The unlikelihood of the aforementioned scenario implies a persistence of stupidity well after our years here on earth are over.

I believe that most people who are capable of being open-minded with current social issues have already been converted. What remains are the portion of the population that have such narrow and unwavering opinions to withstand the best that common sense and reason can dish at them. Maybe a few will break from family traditions and values, but the odds favor the status quo.


Changing gears, what I think is happening on the political scene is that the pendulum is swinging back to the Democratic side. Usually it has been that one party controls Congress, and the other controls the White House. This was true when Clinton assumed office he had to deal with a Republican Congress. A change in this pattern occurred when George W. Bush assumed office. In the following election year, 2002, the Republicans were able to assume a clear majority in both houses of Congress, thus giving them control of being able to make laws and then signing them into effect. Now in 2008, I skipped some years and it is the Democrats that control Congress and the pendulum is back in the middle. Theres a good change it might swing to the left now, guess we'll find out in November by how much. However there will come a time in the near future when the GOP will make another comeback and the cycle will repeat again.

Yeah but look at the friggin' mess the pendulum made when it went over to their side of the aisle

it's a hell of a mess to get out from under

One could only HOPE for the end, but alas...we all know the other side will use their "15 minute - honeymoon" to fuck up just as remarkably too...so I'm not too worried either way. LOL!!

John43620 saidHow did the party that defeated the Nazis and the Japanese turn into such pussies?

Ah, the Nazis! So bad, even a Democrat could bomb them. I guess the difference is proportion, J. An axis of evil, mobilizing armies, slaughtering millions. Or a bunch of US/CIA-trained thugs masterminding tactics. Hmmm. Does this mean you want GWB to get Osama bin Laden, or are you still stuck on stupid, trying to conflate Iraq with 9-11?

Mickey, the war in Iraq is doing more to destroy Al Qaeda than the war in Afghanistan or anywhere else.
If you were paying attention you would notice that.
It doesn't matter that Al Qaeda wasn't there before the war, they're there now and getting a major butt kicking.

Here's 5 years ago and the beginning of the invasion of Iraq: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0520-02.htm

Signs Al Qaeda in Iraq is cracking under the strain:
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/8898175/the_insurgents_tale/

Here is a snapshot of September 2006: http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2006-09-28-alqaeda-dead_x.htm

Here is an account from one Al Qaeda leader in Iraq having an tough time last February:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/09/AR2008020902666

And just a few days ago, Al Qaeda is scattered and on the run from Mosul.

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080050238

These are the people who attacked us on 9/11. The policies of the Bush administration inflict pain, suffering and death on them. Al Qaeda is humiliated and losing credibility. They could defeat the Russians but they can't handle American troops and our Iraqi allies.
I'd say President Bush and the US Military are doing a fine job.

Check out George Packer's article in the latest New Yorker about the death of Conservatism.


http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/05/26/080526fa_fact_packer

'Bad Dog Food' And The Republican 'Brand'
May 15, 2008

By Joe Rothstein
Editor, USpoliticstoday.com
One of the more remarkable developments in this already remarkable election year came by email today in the form of a memo written by Republican Congressman Tom Davis of Virginia.

The memo, sent to all of Davis' fellow House Republican members, compared the current GOP "brand" to bad dog food.
http://uspolitics.einnews.com/article.php?nid=473136