Despite sweeping Democratic successes in the past two national elections, continuing job losses and President Barack Obama’s slipping support could lead to double-digit losses for the party in next year’s congressional races and may even threaten their House control.
Fifty-four new Democrats were swept into the House in 2006 and 2008, helping the party claim a decisive majority as voters soured on a Republican president and embraced Obama’s message of hope and change. Many of the new Democrats are in districts carried by Republican John McCain in last year’s presidential contest; others are in traditional swing districts that have proved tough for either party to hold.
From New Hampshire to Nevada, House Democrats also will be forced to defend votes on Obama’s $787 billion economic recovery package and on energy legislation viewed by many as a job killer in an already weak economy.
Of course the Dems are going to get slaughtered in the upcoming elections.
Mostly due to overpromising and underdelivering.
Losses for the party in power would be consistent with history. Though the Party of No has set some sort of record at defending the indefensible, e.g., racism, no regulation of Wall Street thieves, tax-free life for wealthy fops.
The key is that Bush left the country in such bad shape that Obama’s failure to correct it in 2 years will be seen as Obama’s failure. No one has the imagination/memory to think thru what kind of shape we would be in with Palin as the President. This assumes once in office and missing his afternoon nap that McCain would have stroked out in 6 months.
Right now, Obama can win a second term because the Repuglican Primary System only allows the worst Repuglican candidate to survive==Recall how McCain swung to right and apologize to Falwell et al and even picked up Palin as his running mate. Same thing will happen to “whoever” in 2012. Same dynamic not in play at the State Level.
We need a Palin test. Can’t register to vote if you don’t submit a magazine or book title that you have read in the previous year. Bibble doesn’t count–natch!
That would provide a permanent Democratic Party to be challenged by the Greens.
Whats interesting is something my father observed back in the Reagan years. The Repubs had just secured both houses with Reagan in the WH. He predicted they would loose at least the house in the next election, and its been my experience that this will happen reguardless of party.
The public likes to keep the two parties at each other, whoevers in the Executive, the other will have Congress, or keep the Executive from getting a majority.
I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Pelosi as House Minority leader (and not unhappy at that. 🙂 )
Situation is more than just historical replay as problems are much worse. Ideal case for independent non-career politicians to try and win as I’d bet that raised money and political structure backing will be much less relevant this time. Just, will there be enough of them willing to try…
Great picture selection Uncy Dave…
#7–Derek==freedom to suffer due to lack of healthcare is not “freedom” in any but the rhetorical/ass wipe rhetoric you employ.
You are given my first AssWipe Rhetoric Award.
Well done, shrub.
bobbo you are an idiot.
I say we start a movement to eliminate the ‘Career Congress’. Lets get some fresh blood and new minds thinking in these important positions, rather than the people who have deemed themselves worthy of representing their interests.
Politics was NOT intended to be a career. Rather, a service one performs for their Constituents.
The Republicans are in no shape to lead anything. Now.
But thinking that in 1 year they would be much different is unthinkable.
Anyone that has some REAL answers would be welcomed in this economy.
I’m not saying that the Democrats have any answers, but thumping the Bible and talking tax cuts just isn’t going to solve this recession.
While the Democrats have no answers either, being anti-Obama or anti-“The Democrats” is not sufficient.
Call me when someone who can at least identify what is wrong with this country (the answer NAFTA and “free” trade) is leading a major political party.
All you partisan hacks can claim it is Obama or Bush or the Republicans or Democrats that caused this problem. And it is nice everyone has an opinion.
But having an opinion is one thing and actually understanding the present situation is entirely another thing.
This economy is a bi-partisan “hogs at the trough” and “horse wearing blinders” problem and one party is Tweedle-Dum and the other party is Tweedle-Dee and frankly I’m NOT impressed.
#13–Alfie ((((HEY ALFIE!!!!))) WoW–starting to trumpet LIEBERTARIANISM? Looks like a blue Monday for LOSER. Hah, hah. I look forward to some extended LIEBERTARIAN/Vote Ron Paul posting now. Excellent.
#10–Me==well stated, but containing an excess of prolixity. May I suggest for your next magnus: “Idiot.” That way your fellow retards won’t get lost in the verbiage.
We need a party for progressives because the Democratic Party isn’t it. The current Democratic Party == old Republican Party (pre Bible thumper). The current Republican Party == old Whig Party (doomed).
“Do voters really want the same party back in power that gave us the Iraq and Afghanistan wars…”
The Afghan war is the “necessary war.”
-Obamo.
Sadly, I want the Democrats out AND the want to keep the Repbulicans out as well. Sometimes I think we’d have better government based on picking random people out of the phonebook.
@Angus
What you real need to ban is corporate lobbying. Revoke corporate personhood!
If the Democrats don’t force through a Health Care bill before the next elections, it wouldn’t surprise me if they only lost only a few seats in the House and maybe 1 in the senate.
But if they do force it through, they could lose it all – and then the Republicans will either reverse the bill, or pass a new bill gutting the effects of the previous bill.
Q: Since the government has been the cause of many problems (Iraq, Afghanistan, the economy, screwing up Health care, Social Security, etc) why do so many people think that only the government can fix these problems?
I’m not a “free-market” nut who thinks the market can solve all the problems. The free market isn’t free – it’s rigged with all kinds of backroom deals.
But the people (us) can solve a lot of our own problems if we had the freedom to do so: like if we were allowed to buy out-of-state health insurance.
#21, that’s the key. But no powerful-enough congressman has the balls to make it reality. Campaign finance is NOT free speech, it’s bribery.
Alfred, you just keep telling yourself that regulation is the problem, and we’ll just keep laughing.
#22–chuck==let me rephrase for clarity: “I don’t believe in Martians from outer space, but what need to solve this problem is Martians from Outer Space.
Let me be the first to thank you for your clarity. For any follow up, please refer to Post #10 and do the appropriate math.
Good riddance, I say throw them all out. And bring about term limits so as to return to what the framers had in mind as they formed our great republic.
#13 Alfred1 actually explains why GOP will not get the Latino vote. Everything else is just politics.
#26–Alfie (((HEY ALFIE===WHATS IT ALL ABOUT??))))
You really disappoint me. I was mesmerized by your cogent analysis of the Bush Legacy and very mindful of your turn to LIEBERTARIANISM above, then you flip to Palin?????
Thats just too perfect.
Truly hard to imagine anyone worse than Bush, but you have triumphed.
One Question: Should Palin buy the Crawford ranch from whoever Bush sold it to ((or did his Business Masters just retain it under their leash (sic))) to maintain this “Frontiere Spirit” you are so gulled by?
Why wouldn’t the Bushed Experience encourage you to want competency rather than more of the same?
>that gave us the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, the economic crisis, and all the rest?
So now liberals are against the Afghanistan War too? I thought that was the good war and Bush diverted from that to fight in Iraq?
Either way, Obama increased troop strength in Afghanistan, and unemployment is higher now than when voters threw out Republicans.
Where is the party of smaller government?
Where is the party of true racial color-blindness?
Where is the party of rebuilding our manufacturing base for long term economic security?
Where is the party of privacy preserving security, not big brother nor security theater?
Where is the party of real freedom of speech, even offensive speech?
Neither major party seems to be for these things. But no third party stands a chance. We’re screwed.
I prefer a mix where nothing gets DONE to us. Unfortunately Repulicrates have a tendency to “compromise”, ie. do whatever the Demoncrats want, so it’s a mixed bag. Either way I’d prefer a balance where neither party can fuck us over,which is all that Bipartianship really means, especially if it’s coming from the Neo-Globalist/New World Order Monarchist.
Whatever……………………………
Traaxx
RON PAUL
No worries for the Democratic party.
I think that our majority in Congress will actually increase.
The right wing, which mostly votes Republican, is self destructing. Their voices and leadership are now Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity. Their strongest candidate is Sarah Palin. Their mode of expression has become screaming at townhall meetings and going to Teaparty rallies.
Moderate right wingers want nothing to do with a Republican party led by the above. Centrist voters (the majority of voters) want nothing to do with the people mentioned above. So you have a double whammy for the Republican party… centrists moving away in droves, and a party so split that much of it’s membership will not vote for it.
Even if this were not the case, politics has a bad short term memory. By election time unemployment will be improving, the economy will be in full swing recovery, and the Health issue regardless of the outcome will be a distant memory. Plus starting in the second quarter of next year the Democrats will start to actually try to make themselves look good, something they are completely ignoring right now in the effort to improve the country from the horrible situation that they inherited.
To the ‘new’ Republican party the minority vote is completely lost, the youth vote is history, the centrist vote is severely compromised… if anything, we Democrats will probably see a gain in power next year.
#30 NSSwift, now there is a party I could get behind. The Republicans screwed up because they were not conservatives. Instead they were Democrats Light.
Republicans need to be conservative and act conservative. That means no pork, no marital affair scandals, and actually get about doing the business of shrinking the size and scope of government. Right now they are just half-*ss attempts at being Democrats.
Democrats went off the deep end and almost all have one foot in Cuba. They are wont to bring about the nanny state like you see in Great Brittan. Not what we need here.
I like your party NSSwift.
“Where is the party of smaller government?
Where is the party of true racial color-blindness?
Where is the party of rebuilding our manufacturing base for long term economic security?
Where is the party of privacy preserving security, not big brother nor security theater?
Where is the party of real freedom of speech, even offensive speech?”
Hmmm next elections? I do wonder what drama will roll out in ‘Civic Theater’. The Demorepublicrat Pushmi-pullyu is a tiresome beast. I doubt I will vote for either of the snake oil sellers.
#36–Alfred==”Her principled stand on abortion, willingness to give birth and care for a child with birth defects, proves her honorable character, her fitness for office.” /// THAT qualifies her to be a stay at home Mom and nothing more.
Bottom Line==her biggest disqualification is the same as Bush’s==lack of intellectual curiosity, no “world” view, no appreciation for the opposing view.
She is also incredibily dishonest. “What magazines do you read?==All that are put in front of me.” Transparent as idiot glass. Is that what you want?
Poll Question Please: what is the root value of the Republican party, or what “should” it be?
Conservatism, or
Libertarianism.
There is overlap of course, but of the two?
Alfred, on Palin: Her principled stand on abortion, willingness to give birth and care for a child with birth defects, proves her honorable character, her fitness for office.
The fact that she’s a moran and habitual quitter never enters the equation, eh?