I think the Republicans are in big trouble -

[hedgehog]

the money men have annointed JEB Bush as their candidate. The problem is, all kinds of little issues like his wife attempting to smuggle $19,000 worth of jewelry into the country are starting to leak out.

http://www.people.com/article/jeb-bush-wife-columba-money-jewelry (in People magzine, no less!)

If JEB has already cashed all those donation checks, it's too late to back another horse.

[gordianot]

1. Never underestimate the stupidity of the American voter or legal corruption.

In every State where Republicans in State legislature won in 2010 the system is rigged and your vote means nothing. You do get to decide who might be elected President, U.S. Senator as long as Courts are not involved. Jeb's last name alone gives him life time immunity from wealthy media outlets.

[Cosmocat]

5. This site should auto correct any combination of "republicans in trouble"

I hate their bullshit more than anyone, but I swear to god people are living on another planet if they think they are "in trouble" politically.

I have read that since my start here about a decade ago, and they are in better position politically now than then.

They have the sale of fear and division down pat, and sadly, over the last 25 years this country has in fact shown a GREATER propensity to gobbling fear and division up ...

[world wide wally]

2. But Walker is the Koch's water boy.

He'll do fine financially

[AlinPA]

8. The Kochs can control the GOP with billions to one candidate. If they want Walker, he will be the

GOP candidate.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

3. So...what do you think will happen with the money guys if more dirt

comes out? Hell, they squandered zillions on Mitt and McCain. What's a down payt on Jeb?

[DFW]

4. I'm sure that's exactly what they want us to think

I was talking to my friendly version of the Prince of Darkness, Richard Viguerie. Look him up. He is a hell of a nice guy, which drives me crazy because even at age 80, he is a political force of the extreme right that is to be reckoned with.

He said that after the results of the midterms of last year, he hoped the Democrats would think it wise to keep on doing exactly as they had been doing before the election. That was, in his mind, the best way for the Republicans to keep both houses of Congress and retake the White House in 2016. And he repeated it to a public forum full of Democrats. He practically dared us to do as badly as we did in 2014. Richard makes no secrets about what he thinks. He is no idiot, even if he is deranged (well, politically, anyway, and he makes no bones about saying the same thing about me). He also thinks we are naïve enough to embark on a strategy we know won't work and do it anyway. He knows full well that Republicans did it in 2008 and 2012 and that it didn't work for them, either.

[AverageJoe90]

13. "embark on a strategy we know won't work" Elaborate?

BTW, I take pretty much everything from a Establishment Right figure with a *huge* grain of salt: my instinct tells me that he's just full of wishful thinking, in both regards, and is probably even hoping that the GOP can successfully outright rig an election, just as what was likely done in 2004(and possibly 2000 as well).....that is, unless he's in full denial mode.

[DFW]

14. What we knew wouldn't work

Or should have, anyway: e.g. running away from Obama when he was synonymous with successes.

Richard may be our enemy, but he is no lightweight. He was instrumental in the election of Reagan in 1980, and successfully predicted our getting our asses handed to us in 2010 and 2014, and Romney getting his ass handed to him in 2012. Beyond that, Richard is anything BUT an establishment right figure. He is an extreme right figure. Don't confuse the two. He dislikes Jeb Bush as much as we do, but for the opposite reason: for him Bush is too far to the LEFT (!!!).

He is confounding precisely because he is such an extremist while being so cordial. After the 2008 election, he asked me to pass on congratulations to Howard Dean for doing such a fabulous job in the 2008 election. He meant it, and I did. Richard is one of the few on the right who does not favor outright election-rigging. He thinks that with an extremist candidate and the proper PR campaign, that the voters will flock to them on their own.

[AverageJoe90]

16. Don't trust the guy on anything myself.

His cordialness is likely totally fake: a lot of these guys are complete sociopaths and are really good at doing that, and Viguerie is no different.

Richard is one of the few on the right who does not favor outright election-rigging. He thinks that with an extremist candidate and the proper PR campaign, that the voters will flock to them on their own.

I'm sure he says that in public, but where was this guy when the 2000 & 2004 scandals broke out? He's just a slicker operator who thinks he can fool people with a outwardly charming personality and a false sense of higher-than-thou integrity, but in the end, he's just another crook, and if the Republicans did manage to rig the 2016 election, you can bet he wouldn't say a damn thing.

[RDANGELO]

6. Jeb wont be able to save them from their intolerance.

A substantial part of the Republican base just refuses to have any empathy towards minorities. This is a Frankinstein's monster that they created in the 70s and 80s to win elections. Now the demographics have moved against them. They can't run away from it because these people vote in the primaries.
I have a hunch that Walker is going to be the nominee anyways. He will lose by double digits.

[libdem4life]

7. Is it OK to put in my plug here for Julian Castro for VP? OK, thanks. First Hispanic

Presidential material in a few years. His twin brother, Joaquin, HR Member from Texas, was on Chris Matthews tonight. Both are impressive.

[hedgehog]

10. Yes indeed, more people need to learn about him.

[libdem4life]

11. Thank you, I agree. Impeccable Liberal credentials...amazing Mother Rosie, as well.

[MillennialDem]

9. The GOP's problem is they've been slowly but steadily losing the demographic war. Bush 43 was

essentially a lightning strike anomaly (he lost the popular vote but "won" Florida. MAYBE). He only won re-election because of "the war on terr-er"

So out of the last 6 presidential elections they've lost 5 and the won they did win was because of 9/11 and the Iraq war (plus incumbent) and even that was an extremely close race.

The democrat's problem is we have no depth. If Hillary, Sanders, or Warren don't run I'm not sure we have someone ready for prime time. I do like the Castro brothers but like I said I'm not sure they're ready for prime time yet.

But really if we run Hillary, Sanders, or Warren I think we win on sheer weight of demographics alone.

[AverageJoe90]

12. They may be in trouble, yes.....

But we can't let our guard down; the GOP is desperate, and so are their backers-guys like Sheldon Adelson and the Koch Bros. *will* try to pull out every stop to try to get just one more of their guys in office, before the whole rotten edifice begins to finally collapse on them.

I think the one thing that can get us to be reasonably hopeful, more than anything is, look around you: fewer and fewer people are opposed to gay marriage, to the recognition of transgender people, etc., and yet, the current crop of GOP bigwigs still sticks to these old tired lines, despite all that's hedging against them. Things may look bleaker than they were a couple of years ago, given the GOP's recent last hurrah in '14, but that's precisely what it was. And now they *have* to rely on dirty tricks in order to survive in their current state, without facing the music.

As the old saying goes, it's often darkest just before the dawn: we may already be in that moment.

[bigdarryl]

15. I think we are in trouble on our side as well and hears why

We have a incompetent DNC Chair Person at the helm of the party,we have no new young progressive leaders coming up in the ranks to run for major offices including the Senate in 2016 and most of the Democratic party leadership are 65 to 75 years old except the President and he isn't running for any office again.We will possibly be nominating a woman(who have trouble in elections as it is)as our parties nominee and people don't want to say it but her age will be an issue unfortunately.People look at looks in a candidate imagine Hillary standing next to a younger Rand Paul or a Scott Walker on a debate stage.

[itcfish]

17. Don't You Get it?

Republican crimes get a free pass from the Media. They can do just about anything and get away with it.

[devils chaplain]

18. I can't imagine Republicans putting together 270 electoral votes anytime soon...

Stranger things have happened, but demographically, they're dead. Too many red states turned purple, too many purple states turned blue.