WP political blog: 2006 Winners and Losers

[DeepModem Mom]

"The Fix," by Chris Cillizza

....WINNERS

Evan Bayh: The Indiana Democrat put considerable time and money into helping elect three homestate Democrats to the House. Bayh provided staff support and donations to Joe Donnelly, Brad Ellsworth and Baron Hill. Their subsequent victories provided Democrats with three of the 15 seats they needed to reclaim the majority. Bayh quickly worked to turn those results into a validation of his governing philosophy. "Evan Bayh has developed a formula for winning under the most difficult of circumstances," wrote communications director Dan Pfeiffer in a memo sent to reporters. "He is fiscally responsible, tough on national security, shares the values of middle class families, and values progress over partisanship." That sounds quite a bit like a 2008 campaign slogan to us.

Brian Schweitzer: The governor of Montana was already seen as a rising star within the Democratic Party prior to the 2006 election. State Sen. Jon Tester's (D) victory over Sen. Conrad Burns (R) last Tuesday provides further momentum for Schweitzer on the national stage. It also provides him a bit of revenge. Schweitzer lost narrowly to Burns in 2000 -- four years before he was elected governor. Expect Schweitzer to be a prominent name in the vice presidential sweepstakes in 2008.

Chuck Schumer and Rahm Emanuel: The heads of the two Democratic campaign committees entered this election cycle with huge expectations. Each man was seen as the perfect choice to lead Democrats to the majority despite the long odds -- especially in the Senate. Amazingly, each delivered. And now both are reaping the rewards of their successes. Emanuel is currently unopposed as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus; Schumer agreed to head the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for a second consecutive cycle and was named Vice Chair of the Senate Democratic conference.

Joe Biden: Already one of the most prominent voices in the Democratic Party on the war in Iraq, Biden's profile will rise even higher as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Biden may well use his coveted perch to further his own presidential ambitions. Or he may decide that serving in the Senate majority -- and in such a prominent position -- is more enticing than spending weeks and months in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina....

(NOTE: Cillizza's losers are Elizabeth Dole, Virginia Attorney-General Bob McDonnell, John Kerry, and, sadly, female Democratic House candidates, among them Diane Farrell (Conn.), Patricia Madrid (N.M.), Lois Murphy (Pa.), Darcy Burner (Wash.), Mary Jo Kilroy (Ohio), Tammy Duckworth (Ill.), and Patty Wetterling (Minn.).)

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2006/11/election_2006_winners_and_lose_1.html#more

[rpannier]

1. I noticed they left off Howard Dean

That damned liberal media strikes again.

[rinsd]

2. John Kerry as a loser? I don't get it.

Kerry spent vast amounts of money and time campaigning around the country.

If anything, he added enough chits to seriously consider running in 2008.

[David Dunham]

3. Kerry is toast for 2008. He was destroyed by the media two weeks ago.

[Bucky]

6. It was a pretty ugly pile on. I fear you're right.

I'm no big Kerry fan, but I don't think his gaffe warrants ruling him out for consideration. I hate the randomness of his so-called disqualification. Of course it's warfare and in war the bullets can fly pretty indiscriminately sometimes.

[politicasista]

7. Support who you want but,

If you think the GOP controlled/owned broadcast media will go easy on anyone but Kerry, you are in for a rude awakening. They did it to Gore, they did it to Kerry, they are doing it to Murtha, They will do it to anyone.



JMHO.

[karynnj]

8. The media has tried to destroy John Kerry more times than

anyone else - If I looked hard enough I could find a gaffe for everyone running - many showing meanness or lack of character, which Kerry's didn't. I agree this destroyed the momentum he was getting and at least temporarily took away credit he was due for 2 years of party building work - which Dean brought up when asked.

It will take time to see if Kerry can recharacterize a smear for what it was. The media has never been his friend, so it may be tough - but it is stupid. The smear did not work - which was excellent news, because it could make the tactic seem less successful. But as the story was turning, some Democrats and their allies in the media joined the Republicans and gave validity to the smear - likely to destroy John Kerry. I think it would have been better had they aided Kerry and vanquished the smearers.

The fact remains, that at this point more people are:

- using his very words to describe why we need deadlines to motivate the Iraqis to get their country under control.

- General Pace in speaking of how they are fighting terrorism sounds like 2004 Kerry.

- There are calls to step up in Afghanistan - as recommended by Kerry and Feingold.

- Kerry still has the health plan considered most workable. I will bet nearly every Democratic plan will take Kerry's idea of having the government take over catestropic ealth care coverage.

- Kerry's environmental/alternative energy/jobs plan of 2004 was even stolen as a concept by Bush in the SOTU but never seriously addressed.

These things still remain - and the first 3 plus foreign policy knowlege - are key in 2008. These real achievements have major weight.

Also consider corruption and Iraq were the big issues - if this holds - it screams John Kerry. Iraq - is obvious, he's been in the forefront.

Kerry is squeaky clean himself and he pushed the real campaign finance reform - clean elections, he contributed to closing a corrpt terrorist bank - while at least one candidate benefited from corrupt banking interests and he fought to uphold the law when the administration sold weapons to terrorist nations and brought drugs into the US to fund RW thugs (Contras).

[rinsd]

9. Destroyed? Hardly.

I am far froma Kerry booster especially for 2008 but to ignore the friendship building and chit collecting he has been doing not just with lawmakers but various interest groups would be to underestimate the man.

[solara]

4. IMO you should wait until all the votes are counted

before you proclaim Patricia Madrid the loser. Heather Wilson proclaimed victory last week and all the votes are still not counted and apparently there are anomalies in the actual counting process as well. I guess the more that pundits proclaim Wilson the winner, the less inclined the people will be in waiting for the truth, whatever it may be.

[DeepModem Mom]

5. I thought some of these races were still in dispute. Thanks! nt