Did anyone else hear that offhanded remark Keith Olberman

[orleans]

made tonight on his show when he was talking to dana milbank?

something to the effect that "of course the republicans will retain the house in 06"

at least that's what it sounded like to me. and i was rather shocked to hear him say such a thing. of course they will? excuse me. who the hell are you and what have you done with Keith Olberman?

anyone else catch that little dish he made?

[tuvor]

1. Context. n/t

[Skittles]

2. repugs own the presidency, congress, supreme court, press & voting

it's a pretty distinct advantage

[Erika]

5. Then they also own our descent into a 3rd world country.

and the coming revolution.

[orleans]

6. what does that have to do with olberman making a passing

comment like of course they'll win again in 06?

[Skittles]

16. maybe he knows what we are up against

these are some dirty neocon f***ers we are dealing with

[Clark2008]

35. Uhhh.... he was the only corporate news person to

cover the election fraud in any depth.

Maybe he knows what Diebold really can do.

[MsMagnificent]

39. If he does indeed

then he owes us all, every American, to fully divulge the story.

Hope they pay him enough for about a dozen bodyguards though -- that FLA murder & Delay is awfully suspicious. With their level of corruption, murder should be nothing to them.

Nothing at all.

[kenny blankenship]

19. It's the ownership society

we own the press.
we own the voting machines.
we own the courts.
Democrats win only if and when we say so. And we don't say so.

[ladjf]

41. Norquist said that the Dems were like neutered dogs and that

they were going to have to get accustomed to permanently being out of power.

[madfloridian]

3. Shhh.....say it quietly.

One night I made a mention about keeping eye on the few journalists we depend on. I got blasted out of here. I really was not critical, just saying they might have to toe some corporate media line.

I think a few are trying to embarrass our Democrats lately more than they used to do.

Now I will duck and cover, as I remember well that night I questioned. I still have bruises.

[Botany]

4. Wake up and smell the ....

....

[orleans]

7. i don't understand your meaning

either your saying olberman is not the good guy i thought he was

or you're saying of course the repugs will win in 06

if it's the second one then what makes you think they'll win? because they're so wonderfully popular and despite a few skirmishes it won't tarnish their reputation and the american people really think they should continue on in power because americans love to vote against their own best interests?

or does your coffee comment have something to do with ELECTION FRAUD?

[rockymountaindem]

8. No, the Republicans will win in 06 because

we are too far behind, and because gerrymandering makes it nearly impossible for one party to take over the other party's seats.

I think we'll make gains, but I don't expect anything special until '08.

[madfloridian]

10. I think we can make enough gains to take away some of their power.

The gerrymandering is a real problem, though. Trouble is they have NOT counted on the anger from so many.

[Erika]

11. We are not too far behind...The Republicans are crooked to

the core and showing it. They lack fiscal responsibility, caring for the needy, and everything else. People are now ashamed they voted Republican.

They are finally growing a spine.

[Nutmegger]

9. Hmmm, I see the show and vaguely remember that comment

but can't give any details outside of that. I was cooking at the same time and I learned a long time ago that cooking and paying attention to something else is UNSAFE! But seriously, a post about this would be helpful.

Perhaps a peek at the transcript would help when it becomes available. http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3719710/

[Zinfandel]

12. Keith was correct.

[mikelewis]

20. When they rig the 100th election, then people will wake up...

3 down, 97 to go.

[jobycom]

13. In the words of the great prophet Lebowski

Well, that's like, his opinion, man.

[bluestateguy]

14. Oh here we go: Now Olberman is a "media whore"

Some people here just have impossibly high standards, like the guy who insists on taking the Homecoming Queen to the dance.

[orleans]

27. hey blue, read my post again. i never called ko a "media whore"

he's the only good thing about msnbc and cnn combined--in my opinion.

but, fact remains, i was taken aback when he made the comment. (like you've never elbowed one of your friends or gave them a light punch on the arm for making a comment you didn't like?)

that's how i reacted. only i waved my hand in the air in a slapping gesture and said "shut the f*ck up" to my television

[sleipnir]

15. Newsflash. We won't gain any Chamber back in '06. It's true.

There are been multitude of reports from nearly every ideological angle that suggests the Republicans will lose many seats but they will not lose the majority. I think there's always hope for an amazing election result, but I fully expect the 'pugs to be in charge until '08. It would take a Lottery-winning odds victory to take over the House.

It's not going to happen, don't get your hopes up, just realize we'll make major gains in time for '08 takeover.

[Erika]

17. The American people are tired of seeing crooks reelected

This will be much closer to 1994 election results.

[sandnsea]

18. We need 15 seats

Texas and Illinois have put a candidate in every district. So that's a good start. There are at least 15 very competitive seats. This is totally doable, if we can get some energy and unity behind the effort.

[Justice Is Comin]

22. I thought we only need 13 seats

and there are at least 25 in play right now. I heard there could be as many as 85 on bow ties show.

And this is before any of the plutonium explodes that's about to hit them weekly all year. Every one has republicans umbillically tied to it.

[Lexingtonian]

21. the same was said about Democrats in early 1994

when they were, like Republicans now, close to the end of their usefulness to The People.

These kinds of blanket assessments belong into July or August, not January.

[AntiFascist]

23. Did anyone watch last week's episode of Surface?

Two of the stars of this show did a special report of the alien creatures that they videotaped at the bottom of the ocean. In the episode their report was shown on Olbermann's Countdown as the number 1 story, but KO dissed them as "conspiracy theorists" who were influenced by sea monster legends, and he turned the story into a joke. The exposure, in this episode (not in real life), generated a ton of interest in the video at the MSNBC website, however, and many people became interested in the possibilities of these creatures.

So what is the moral to this episode, if there is one to be found :tinfoilhat:? Maybe by making offhanded comments about the next election being pre-rigged, KO will generate more interest in his weblog where he, hopefully, can continue to follow-up on coverage of election fraud and what should be done to prevent it next time.

[baddemo52]

25. Remember 1994

In the lead up to the 1994 elections "everyone" said that while the Reeps would gain seats, there was no way they would take the majority in the House. They kicked our butts. This year the tides are turing our way. Clearly the odds are long. They have the money, the majority, they have effectively gerrymandered the nation, they are evil and tough. However, if the Democrats will work to nationalize the election and keep the focus on the Reeps corruption we have a good shot. Time is running out. Good candidates should already be in place if they are going to have a shot at upsetting an incumbent

[anitar1]

24. I thought it was obvious the Keith and Milbank were

making a few sarcastic remarks.

[KharmaTrain]

26. Thinking The Democrats Will Win The House or Senate Is A Dream

Sorry for the reality check...and I sure as hell want to be proven wrong. If it were up to DU, the Democrats would win super majorities in every election and would never have been in the minority in the first place. Now let's join reality already in progress...

For the Democrats to have any real control, they'd need not to pick up the 15 or so seats to get a majority of 1 but to pick up enough for a 5 to 10 vote margin or more. That means winning 20 to 25 races in a Congress where re-election rates still rate over 90% for incumbents.

I participated in an election where we outsted the Repugnican incumbent...he was a drunk, did nothing for the district and had served too long. We had tons of survey data that showed the goon was highly unpopular and ripe for losing. That was 2000...this asshat won two more elections! It took that long to get a good ground campaign going that finally took the bastard down. So many people are happy to condemn others for the problems, but "Not my congressman". The Repugnicans have built their machine on a lot of favors and patronage in many of their congressional districts. It's not gonna be as easy as it sounds to get these people to stay home next November...they're sure not gonna vote for a Democrat.

Personally, I'd like Democrats here to get pissed...get angry and get out and start working on campaigns. Elections don't win themselves. There's a big need for people to join together to help strengthen the party and put it in a position where it can put a halt to much of what this regime does next year with additional seats in both houses and then full control in 2008. But we're still 10 months away from election day. I'd love to be proven wrong!

[sandnsea]

29. It's about setting the agenda and subpoena power

And it only takes 15 seats in the House, 4 in the Senate. We've got an excellent chance to make it happen. Stop being so damned negative. Gawd I get sick of the negativity around here. Y'all are lucky I'm not your mother, I'd have washed your mouths out so many times you'd have soap bubbles coming out your asses.

[KharmaTrain]

30. Not Negative...Realistic

I wish Charlie Cook was as positive as you are. I'd love to be. I'd even take the one seat majority, but the ability to govern with that small margin is all but impossible. The Repugnicans would do, just like Democrats, anything to get that extra vote or two to lock up the House. I've seen gridlocked houses in the past (on state levels) and you might as well just close the doors for two years as nothing will get done.

Yes, a majority will give chairmanships and some power to Democrats, but it wouldn't be enough to do all the things people here are dreaming. It surely wouldn't be enough to launch the much coveted impeachment inquiry or give it any real teeth. There will still be too many weak-knees out there that won't want to rock the boat...especially in a very tight house. Again, vote selling and trading will be a a high commodity. It won't be that do-all end-all many here think it'd be. When all you need is one or two votes to flip to destroy your entire agenda, that's not operating from power, that's just trying to hang on.

I want people on DU to get pissed. I want them to turn that anger into working for candidates and making a strong Democratic majority that we would both prefer to happen. You don't do that by patting yourself on the back now and hope for more Repugnican scandals. Democrats will not be real winners this November if they win elections by default, they have to be won on the strength of the party and it's vision for the future. So far we don't have an idea of what that vision is and still can't be assured of its strength. There's a long way back this party has had to come. Few on this site really understand the hole the Democrats got themselves into.

That said, I'm hopefully things can be better, not worse than what I predict (and I have Democratic friends who are far more pessimistic than I am...they think elections will be stolen, rigged...why even bother...those are the real negative types). I'd love to see a replay of 1974 where the Democrats took Watergate and rammed it up the Repugnicans backsides and then made Jimmy Carter's '76 election possible.

BTW...I lost my mom in 2002...I miss her all the time as she was a lifelong Democrat and would be my long-time sounding board about all things politics. I really miss those late night chats we used to have...

Peace...

[sandnsea]

32. You don't dash spirits

Certainly it's going to take real effort and grassroots work to win elections in congressional districts; and somebody with some real DRE knowledge in every precinct and county in those districts as well. That's what I think DU should be organizing. But if we do what we need to do, we can win 15 districts. And if that only puts DC in gridlock, well then that's fine with me. It's a damned site better than letting Bush continue steamrolling for the next 3 years. It also means that the bills we want on issues are the ones introduced, they're the ones the right has to compromise on instead of the other way around. And subpoena power and who gets called into hearings and investigations means alot too. So even though we wouldn't be able to govern, it would still give us opportunity to contrast agendas.

As to the problems with the party, I personally have my opinions on what the biggest problem is. But I think we can go around that problem if we stop listening to the media and do that House District work ourselves. Most Democrats are fairly close on issues, even the far left. If they could be convinced to maintain their own views, but also be able to advocate the mainstream positions, then we'd have a force to contend with. Maybe our vision should be "there's more than one way to skin a cat" and we'll keep working until the jobs done.

Sorry to hear about your mom. Mine passed in 2001 and my dad last year. My mom and I used to have those talks too, I'm actually glad she doesn't have to see this mess. It would have broke her heart. The last couple years of her life she told us all the time, "take care of each other", and Bush would have just done in her in. Well, considering she was on Medicaid for her medication, maybe literally.

[KharmaTrain]

36. Not Dashed Here...Determined

Call it my style, but I don't like to under-estimate how things are...or try to paint them as being rosier or, in some cases, more dire than they are. I need to view things straight on and not let my optimism or preferences cloud my view of what's happening out there. It's so easy and, unfortunately, many have been clouded that way that has led to a lot of the problems in our society and enabled the corporate media to play the games they do today.

We are in agreement on a lot here...yes, any Democratic gains that can wrestle total control out of the hands of Repugnicans is a good thing. Don't get me wrong in saying that a one seat majority or even a deadlocked House (even though that's not possible with an odd number of members) is far preferable to the rubber stamp DeLay, Inc. factory it is now. My point was that settling just for 15 seats of expecting them to show up due to Repugnican scandals and lies just isn't gonna happen...Democrats are gonna have to fight for every single seat they pick up this fall. Any that aren't won on the issues of a party platform are a hollow victory at best.

A good example...in '94, after Dan Rostenkowski was indicted (later convicted), he tried running for re-election and lost that heavily Democratic district to a Repugnican "reformer". This was the first GOOOPy who had a seat inside Chicago in decades and he was the toast of the party in that class of '94...beating the mighty Chicago machine. That didn't last long. In fact, I can't remember the dude's name...but the party moved along, left him behind and the seat returned to Democrats (the future Governor) in '96 and now is held be Rahm Emanuel. I don't see the GOOP taking back that seat anytime soon. Put this same template over many districts tainted by the Abramoff scandal...some might lose their seats this time around and maybe a Democrat or two will sneak through, but unless Democrats win on their own merits, it's a short-lived victory and only serves to re-energize the local party.

Yes, this is a battle district by district and by no means do I think Democrats can't win as many as 35 to 40 seats if they play their cards right. People want change and there's a lot of us angry, frustrated types who can't wait to get in a voting booth and take revenge on any and all Repugnicans. But, as you properly state, there needs to be a vision, a platform. Democrats have to stand FOR things not try to be the anti-Repugnicans. There are so many positive issues we can do this on and each district can be addressed for its own needs and demographics.

I think every member on DU has their own "solution" to the party's problems. I'm a bit smarter to know I'm not that smart. I'll leave that solution to those who can really enact change and be ready to support them with the checkbook, words and shoe-leather where it leads to positive results.

Peace...

[NewJeffCT]

34. we need more than 4 in the Senate

I think the current count is 55-44-1. That means we'd need to pick up 6 seats at least.

[sandnsea]

38. You're right

Don't know what I was thinking about with that 4 number. :freak:

[Peter Frank]

28. Fuck Oberman...

He's drinking the ade these days.

[annabanana]

31. It was about Delay keeping HIS seat....

(as I heard it)

[ObaMania]

33. I'm sure he's just stating the obvious... n/t

[Toots]

37. Because of the Gerrymandering I believe he is correct

They are almost all in "safe" areas. We think people will vote them out but ain't gunna happen......

[Mutley]

40. That's his opinion, and he's welcome to it.

We can't say for sure why he feels that way. Maybe it's election fraud, maybe he doesn't think the Dems are strong enough, maybe he doesn't think there is enough anger in the American people to effect change, maybe it's all three and then some, or maybe something else entirely. But it doesn't make sense to turn on him for one comment you don't like when overall he's been one of our biggest supporters in the mainstream media.