Is another Republican victory on the horizon?

[Cyrano]

It’s too soon to tell. But given their tremendous propaganda machine, I’d say they have a good chance of crushing us in 2010.

They can’t win the presidency in 2010, but they can sure as hell win back control of the senate, and a good many house seats. Our majorities will be gone and what we’ll have to show for our two years in power is – nothing.

It used to be that Republicans knew how to win elections and Democrats knew how to rule. No more. The phrase “Democrats know how to rule” has become a bad joke.”

Republicans don’t know how to rule either, but they sure as hell haven’t forgotten how to win or steal elections. (Anybody forget Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004?) And if they do come out on top in 2010, they’ll be in an excellent position to steal the 2012 presidential election.

You’d think this country would have wised up after eight years of Bush/Cheney. But I guess that would be asking for too many people to think.

The fact that there has been no prosecution of the last administration can only bode ill for the future. Given the crimes that Bush/Cheney and Co. pulled off for eight years, and the fact that no one paid any price for it (except our troops and Iranians) imagine what the next Republican administration would do? Does anyone really believe that any Republican administration would feel restrained or limited?

It is more than mind boggling. It is terrifying. Yeah, I know that Hitler guy didn’t win. But stop for just a minute and think what might have happened if you had his likes in power -- and no one in the world to stop him?

[YOY]

1. No.

n.t.

[daleanime]

2. Way too early..

to throw in the towel.:bounce: I think that they will pick up a couple of seats, but by no means will it be any kind of landslide.

[gateley]

3. Chuck Todd -- the most astute, brilliant political analyst in the world

:sarcasm: just said something that I actually liked hearing: that despite all the vocal opposition, the majority of citizens really like "this President". Maybe I'll give Chuck another chance... :7

[bluestateguy]

8. He's always been good as an analyst. He's just a shitty WH correspondent.

He's a poster child for the Peter Principle.

[gateley]

14. Yes -- that's exactly what he is. nt

[jgraz]

9. Fucker. You literally made me spit out my coffee with that subject line

:spank:

[gateley]

13. Ha! I can just imaging the thoughts ricocheting through your head!! nt

[Winterblues]

4. Republicans RULE... Democrats Govern

I doubt very seriously Republicans will gain even a single seat let alone regain the Majority...

[Cyrano]

24. Right now, the Democrats are doing neither.

[TahitiNut]

5. Well, let's see ....

[Cant trust em]

6. We have a democratic majority, not a liberal majority.

Our "majority" hasn't been of much value in the health care debate, so I'm not sure about how concerned I should feel about a couple of these "democrats" losing their seats. If they're not going to be with us on landmark legislation, then what good are they?

[Ozymanithrax]

7. Republicans are playing hardball politics brilliantly...

They utilize tacts designed to get theri base out while disgusting the rest of the electorate and supressing their vote.

Democrats appear weak, and their vacilitaion dos not inspire peple to go to the voting boths.

If we see an election where the independants stay home out of disgust, and liberl/progressives stay home out of anger against a Congress they feel has betraye dthem the Republicans will take home the prize.

It is critical to pass a helathcare bill. Without a bill, it will appear that Obama and the Democrats are weak and people will not support them for their failure. If a bill passes, There is a chance that Republicans will be held to few gains. No bill, they probably win big.

[Cyrano]

10. Yep. I think the health care bill is the key to the next election.

But only if it contains a public option.

[mcranor]

12. Any HC Bill? Mandate Spells Doom

you wrote:
"It is critical to pass a helathcare bill. Without a bill, it will appear that Obama and the Democrats are weak and people will not support them for their failure. If a bill passes, There is a chance that Republicans will be held to few gains. No bill, they probably win big."


Any bill? I think if the individual mandate passes and citizens are compelled to fork over a percentage of their income to private insurers who are still free to impose co-pays, caps, exclusions at will -- in other words, if the congress crams a defective product down everyone's throat (at 'affordable' prices, don't make me laugh) -- the next election will be a massacre for dems.

[Ozymanithrax]

16. I am not opposed to mandates. Everyone must be covered.

I don't think it will pass without other elements such as ending pre-existing conditions.

I maintain that failure to pass this bill is the end of Democrats in the majority for some time. A bill passed now can be improved later. Schip and Medicare were both weak bills originally and have improved over time. So if the bill isn't perfect, it can and will be improved.

[Jennicut]

11. They will pick up some seats in the House but not enough to take it back.

Same with the Senate. But the demos for their voters are horrible. They have older voters. The Dem party has the minorities and the youth vote.
Also, consider that Clinton's approval rating was about 10 points lower then Obama's is now when the Dems lost control of Congress in 1994.
Different times...different dynamics at work. Party in power of the Presidency rarely wins or holds onto all their seats. 2002 was an exception as Americans were lied to and fed fear from the Rethugs.

[MajorChode]

15. Ain't gonna happen

There's only likely to be 18 Democratic seats up for grabs in the Senate and the vast majority of those are pretty safe. The way things are shaping up right now, the Republicans have much more to worry about in the Senate. They have a lot of retirements which means they are going to have to pony up quite a bit of cash out of the RNC coffers just to hold on to the seats they have.

If the election were held tomorrow, I'd say the Democrats would probably pick up one or two seats. Although certainly anything could happen, I'm actually more optimistic about 2010. It's likely that many people will be noticing the economy turning around by then and I expect all the wind to be gone out of the teabaggers' sails long before.

The only real advantage the teabaggers bring to the table for the GOP is campaign contributions. They alienate more in the middle than they attract. I think they are far into the point of diminishing returns on their efforts. The more they show up on TV, the more people are going to be convinced of their true nature which is stupidity and bigotry.

Historically Republican political power surges are short lived, and they usually face decades of irrelevancy afterward. I see history repeating itself.

[madokie]

17. I don't think theres a snowballs chance in hell of that happening

most people will remember the bullshit the pukes pulled to stop any real healthcare reform and will vote accordingly. Pukes are fucked for a while is my predictions, and I don't mean fucked in the literal sense either, I mean we'll pick up seats in both the house and senate to go with our already majorities. Americans want change and for the most part a large percent of us believe that Obama is just the man to lead the way too.

[hamsterjill]

18. Boy, I certainly hope not!

But having lived through Bush as both the governor of Texas and as President, I understand your concerns. I remember when he was running for governor thinking "no way....people can't be THAT stupid"...and then the 2000 election was just disaster all the way around.

We need to use this an an impetus to work harder to keep the Dems in power, of course, but the Dems need to be doing a better job of refuting the crap that the Republicans are spewing.

[samsingh]

19. no - too soon to say

[Ex Lurker]

20. people are clearly disillusioned by the Democrats, but I see no indication

that it translates to a rise in esteem for the GOP.

[Arugula Latte]

21. Yep ... Take a look at this chart:

[Proud Liberal Dem]

23. Nor poll numbers for them

Some people may be unhappy with Obama and/or Democrats in Congress but the Pubs are STILL not polling better than 20-30% right now despite all the corporate media-generated hype about people's unhappiness with Obama and the Democrats. If a health care reform bill passes, it will do a LOT to help cement the Democrats' power in Congress and make the Republicans suffer even more, particularly since, as it should be obvious to anybody with half a brain, no more than one or two Republicans are going to vote for any health care reform proposal and those one or two people may not even, if they knew what was good for them, stay in the party for much longer, further dragging them down.

[Taverner]

22. Darwin, I hope not...