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Add to NewsvineRuh-roh! The Republicans just lost a third House seat in a special election -- this one in Mississippi. When they lost Denny Hastert's seat in Illinois and Richard Baker's seat in Louisiana, they blamed weak candidates. Whose fault is this one, geniuses? The GOP threw all the Jeremiah Wright stuff it could at Childers, a conservative Democrat, and still lost in a heavily conservative district. It wasn't even close. Excerpt:
[L]osing heavily Republican seats in the Deep South is a big blow to the Washington GOP. "To lose two Southern seats in two weeks, I mean, oh my God," the leadership aide said.
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from the daily kos this morning re: the GOP's third straight loss:
Slate: Panic at the House (news round-up)
NY Times: Republican Election Losses Stir Fall Fears
canada.com: GOP officials despair as 'safe' seats choose the other team
globeandmail.com: Wake up and smell the disenchantment
cqpolitics: GOP Seeks to Rebrand After Childers Victory (good luck with that, boys)
AFP: Shaken Republicans look to McCain as savior (good luck with that, too)
WaPo: After String of Losses, Republicans Face Crisis
Reuters: US Republicans scramble in wake of defeats
USAToday: Republicans fear public has lost confidence (pssst... they have)
AP: Third House loss shakes GOP, raises fears for fall
MSNBC: GOPer compares brand to bad 'dog food' (points for originality and honesty)
You get the picture. But then again, you knew that.
So, imagine this: The GOP that has always despised and derided John McCain
Senator Thad Cochran had this to say: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He is erratic. He is hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."
now turns to him as 'savior' (see AFP). Meanwhile McCain tries to make nice to the GOP base (and of course, the press, which is McCain's base)
Imagine, reporters protecting a candidate from himself! But, then again, since the reporters on the bus liked Mr. McCain too much to report on his gaffes, he really didn’t need protection. His candor was without consequence. It was another blandishment to the press.
but that won't stop reporters who are fascinated by trainwrecks from writing about the GOP implosion.
The real interesting trick will be to see how McCain is going to pretend not to be a Republican while Republicans wrap their arms around McCain in a death hug, not merely pretending to like him but pretending to be him. The more they succeed, the more he fails. The more he succeeds, the more they fail.
Of course, the odds are that they'll all fail. The bullshit is just too pungent to pretend it's not there, and it isn't the most effective way to sell authenticity and change to a voting public that has rejected the party standard bearer (George W. Bush) as a miserable failure. At the same time, the GOP is bitterly divided, even though they're smart enough not to constantly talk to reporters about it (a trick Democrats have never mastered).
Novak: McCain, GOP in Trouble as Obama Wraps it Up
The claims that McCain has a united Republican Party behind him are greatly exaggerated. We find considerable opposition on the right, ranging from economic conservatives (who consider him too green) to evangelicals. The biggest problem is that he does not realize he has a problem.
Welcome to the 2008 election.
Posted by: yelladawgNC | May 15, 2008 8:15 AM
Reaganite,
"RJohnson.
So now you're calling conservatives "stupid people." What a marvelous way to advance the debate."
Like you "advanced the debate" when you implied that gay citizens aren't worthy of equal treatment before the law, and that they shouldn't be allowed even to serve their country in the military. I noticed you didn't bother to even address the issue after I questioned you on it (May 14, 2008 11:30 AM).
Likewise, for you it seems fair game to continuously try to link Obama to Wright and yet avoid the links between McCain and Bush (May 14, 2008 11:26 AM).
Selective much?
Posted by: recovering ex-Pentecostal | May 15, 2008 11:01 AM
recovering ex-Pentecostal:
I just double-checked the postings from yeserday. I didn't post any comments yesterday on this thread at either 11:30 AM or 11:26 AM. So what the heck are you talking about ??? Moreover, the allegations you make (gay citizens aren't worthy of equal treatment; linking Obama to Wright but not McCain to Bush) are totally bogus. You either misunderstood or purposely misconstrued what's been said.
Please dispense with the sniping. Why don't you provide us, rather, with a positive argument or insight (either pro or con) on the particular issues that are up for discussion here.
Thanks in advance !
Posted by: Reaganite in NYC | May 15, 2008 11:21 AM
But it doesn't matter; the Republicans played the Wright card in Mississippi and came up empty. People can see that Obama is a decent, intelligent, fair-minded man. You can call him whatever names you like, but you can't conceal that fundamental truth.
Mississippi shows that a socially conservative Democrat who refused to endorse Obama or Clinton cannot be tied by Republicans to Obama.
It does not follow logically that Obama himself is immune to the political damage caused by his long association with Jeremiah Wright.
Posted by: Simon | May 15, 2008 12:04 PM
Simon,
Good point. If this new Dem. Congressman from Mississipi (Childers) is already running away from Obama/Clinton and the national Dem. party, then for the sake of his long-run political survival he'll be secretly hoping for a McCain victory in November. Victory by Obama in November will force him to choose during the 2009-2010 Congressional session between the (liberal) President from his party and the (conservative) voters back home. If he sides too often with a President Obama (or a President HRC), he'll be plenty vulnerable when he runs for reelection in November 2010.
The same is true for all these conservative Democrats recently elected from conservative Districts. They'll all be thinking about their survival in November 2010 when they secretely cast a ballot for McCain in November 2008 :-)
Posted by: Reaganite in NYC | May 15, 2008 12:51 PM
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