Is the reason the turdblossom and crew were so confident shortly after the '06 elections

[madokie]

because they knew they had kept the numbers of Democratic congress critters in both the house and senate low enough so as to keep on doing business as they had been doing. They knew that a simple majority wasn't enough to stop them. They knew they had two trump cards, the filibuster and veto

[OwnedByFerrets]

1. No, its because they knew

they had accumulated enough blackmail material in the previous 5 years that they didnt have to worry about their congressional voting.:tinfoilhat:

[madokie]

5. All the while I keep that thought in my head

as blackmail is the only thing that even comes close to explaining what is happening now.:tinfoilhat:

[TomInTib]

9. It goes back a lot further than 5 years.

Think Lee Atwater.

[tritsofme]

17. What blackmail?

What is this horrendous "dirt" that that so many here are convinced BushCo has collected over the past several years?

I can't believe there is anything serious enough out there to warrant this type of behavior from the leadership.

[OwnedByFerrets]

18. No, I cant prove "anything".......

doesn't mean its not there. But, lets suppose they are NOT using blackmail that they have dug up on congress. Don't you find it "suspicious" that ONLY democratic congress-critters received anthrax. Are you naive enough to believe that threats have not been used against the democrats? If darth vader or one of his henchmen call you up or get you in a place that cant be recorded and say that your family will not see the light of day if you vote a certain way, how would YOU vote. These criminals have answered for NOTHING. What makes you think they wont and don't use these tactics?

[murielm99]

2. I think you are giving them too much credit.

They probably thought that they would keep their majority. They forgot that things can change overnight in politics. Rove is no genius. He is just a fat little sneak who plays dirty.

They did not count on Foley and Macaca. IMHO, those two incidents gave us our slim majority. I think it shocked the shit out of them.

They had to come up with other plans after we won back the majority.

[madokie]

3. which is what I'm alluding too

the use of the filibuster and the threat of a veto

[leftofthedial]

4. no

it was because they were (are) arrogant

and knew that "democrats" no longer have a commitment to fight for what is right

[madokie]

6. That too

I haven't had any Democratic representation on the federal level for so long as to have forgotten what it is like

[SoCalDem]

7. I think Rover thought he had tweaked it enough for them to actually hold the senate

but barring that, yes.. they held the numbers low enough..

Think back to '94 when things flipped to republican.. they gained twice as many seats for 1/32nd the 'reasons'.. '06 did not pass the smell test to me :)

[madokie]

10. for a lot of reasons it didn't or doesn't pass the smell test

but as soon as the results were in and they didn't they still didn't worry much, seems to me like. Maybe for the reasons I suggested, somewhat maybe, huh

[Kelly Rupert]

8. No, it's because they believed their get-out-the-vote infrastructure

would be sufficient to hold the House and Senate, as they believed turnout would be lower than it was. They were incorrect.

[DURHAM D]

11. "The Dems were elected in 2006 to stop the war"

The reason the right wing started and constantly repeated (MSM) the above bull shit until it was accepted as conventional wisdom by the public was because they knew the House and Senate majorities were too low to accomplish anything with regard to the war.

The goal was to raise expectations in the public and then make Pelosi and her House and Reid and his Senate look completely ineffective. It succeeded tremendously.

"The Dems were elected in 2006 to stop the war" - please find an exit poll that supports this statement. You won't - it was just made up.

One has to admire Rove and minnions for their ability to carry a false message so completely that it is bought by everyone - including the left and far left.

[madokie]

12. I voted to stop the bush* regime in its entirety

and I don't remember specifically tying it to only stopping the war as such so I agree.

[DURHAM D]

13. Exit polls

The only exit poll I have found asked voters what their main reason was for voting in 2006 - they were in this order the economy, immigration, and the general war on terror. The war in Iraq came in fourth and the question was not about "stopping" the war - it was about "interest" in the war meaning that it could have just as well been an interest in continuing or escalating the war.

Rove has managed to get the entire country to believe his false setup - including some presidential candidates on the left. The right is just so much better at messaging than the left.

[madokie]

14. Oh I agree

the rover is a dangerous man in the least a treasonous bastard in the most. he should be given a fair trial and then upon conviction be hung from the nearest tree then and now, no waiting.

[lonestarnot]

15. I'd bet money on that one. They also sized up the dems they would be dealing with

and saw a resolution in the distance.

[madokie]

16. yes when one party is working on doing what is needed for us as a whole and the other

is working on stopping them, then nothing gets done. in the re:puke: eyes nothing is better than anything when it comes to helping us to enjoy any of the promises of our constitution. re:puke:s do not want us to have any fun, none, zilch, notta ;-)