GOP Death List (Congressional Version)
This is from US News and World Report:
Voter displeasure with the war and economy, coupled with Sen. Barack Obama’s popularity, has the House GOP running for cover. Even though polls have shown that Americans don’t like congressional Democrats any more, a new internal GOP tally of House races suggests a Democratic route that could keep the Republicans in the minority for decades. A document provided to Washington Whispers from a House GOP official shows that they could lose a net 34 seats. That means the Democrats would have a 270-165 advantage in the 111th Congress. In the Senate, Republicans expect to lose also but to keep up to 44 seats, ensuring their ability to stage a filibuster.
Any thoughts on whether a differently run campaign by McCain could have made a difference in those numbers?
But we’re still not counting chickens.
Tags: 2008 Election, Congress
Rove has created a permanent repub minority.
LOL@anonone
So, where’s Bachmann on that list? I read that the RNC pulled advertising in her district. I’d love to see a new poll from there!
The McCain Campaign is a disaster, no doubt about it, but the nail in the Republican coffin was Palin. She really scares people.
It’s like the mask has been ripped off the Republican Party. As a liberal I’m not surprised by what’s under the mask – after all it’s what we’ve been saying for years – but moderates (on both sides of the aisle) are shocked.
The other thing that adds to this fear is that McCain/Palin has become Palin/McCain. If you had told me 3 months ago that a VP pick would influence the election I would have laughed.
Ultimately Palin reflects on McCain, so I’m not giving him a pass. As far as running a different campaign I have trouble seeing a different outcome. No matter who he picked for VP McCain had to run to the right. The base was his problem (a base he should have had at hello).
Why he didn’t pick Huckabee is beyond me.
” if you had told me 3 months ago that a VP pick would influence the election I would have laughed”
And what Joe Biden was just arm candy for the seniors? Biden has truly influenced this election also. Obama may have policy persuaviveness, but Biden carries the foreign policy experience.
I just hope Palin knows the “return policy”.
“I just hope Palin knows the “return policy”
Excellent, JC.
The problem for the GOP isn’t McCain and his campaign (although this hasn’t helped). The problem has been the ramifications of 8 years of W and 6 years of Republican empowerment of W.
The GOP lost big in 2006, before McCain/Palin.
Incredibly, the American voter has risen above the Rovian smokescreen (believe what I tell you, not what you know).
To a limited extent, the evangelicals who drank the Rove Kool Aid said ENOUGH, as they came to recognize that they enabled neo-con ideological nuts to run the show, hurting the poor, the earth, and world peace.
Both sides still have their bases, but the GOP base has shrunk, as a consequence on how W and Rove and Cheney and Rumsfeld have led.
McCain had an impossible task. His reputation was as a GOP base-ignoring maverick. To win the nomination, however, he had to do a 180 and kow tow to the base–very unmavericky. Then, especially given that the GOP base has shrunk, McCain during the general had to pitch himself back as an independent. Unfortunately, he had too much recent evidence to the contrary.
Yes, McCain’s campaign has been awful. Heck, it almost folded last year ahead of the primaries. Why the voters do not see this as clear evidence of his lacking leadership skills is beyond me.
More critically, McCain/Palin has been torpedoed by the economic crisis which is clearly left more on the doorstep of the GOP. The voters abandoned the GOP in 2006 due to Iraq; the voters are abandoning the GOP in 2008 due to the economy.
True, JC. Guess I was focusing on Cassandra’s question. In VP selection Obama did what he needed to do – no doubt about it.
On the other hand, McCain didn’t have to pick Palin. If he wanted to play to his base Huckabee was the obvious choice. The Palin pick has become one of life’s great mysteries.
The Palin pick has become one of life’s great mysteries.
Nice summary here:
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/who-cares-what-she-thinks-by-digby-ny.html
I think McCain would still be in trouble no matter who he picked for VP. His choice of Palin is still pretty stunning since he demolished his best argument (IMO) against Obama – experience. Then he went to ridiculous lengths to argue that Palin had loads of experience, she was mayor of Wasilla!
I agree with PB. It was always going to be tough for Republicans (and this was before the economic crisis really struck). McCain, until recently, polled better than generic Republicans, so he was seen as different than the rest of his party. Then he went and ruined his own brand. I’m still in awe of how terrible McCain’s campaign has really been. He had the field to himself, from Feb. to June, when he wasn’t getting a lot of attention and where he could have shored up his base, and he failed to do so.