Posted on 05/07/2006 2:27:02 PM PDT by WaterDragon
The Republican Party is uneasy as it shambles toward the crucial 2006 congressional elections. Many of its supporters claim to feel demoralized, if not seduced and abandoned, by the conservative president they thought they elected in 2004. With President Bush's Nixonian economic policies and unwillingness to curtail federal spending, and the Republican faithful as confused as everyone else about the Iraq War, this is a good time to gain some political perspective from two veteran architects of the Reagan Revolution.
In the midst of another difficult political predicament, Germany's Iron Chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, once said he had finally found two experts who clearly understood the problem. Unfortunately, they disagreed with one another on the solution. So do Bruce Bartlett and Kevin Phillips. But with the GOP political-direction-finder whirling like a compass needle in a magnetic storm, perhaps they can at least help illustrate its different aspects.
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
Moreover, Phillips and Bartlett are NOT what you would call good "litmus tests" on where Republicans stand.
That said, there is a lot of conservative discontent, but in the end, if the option is the Democrats and their coddling of AQ and the jihadists, it's no contest in November.
Stevens isn't Majority Leader; Frist is. And the Dems will not get enough votes (they need 67) in the senate to throw Bush and Cheney out of office, even if the Dems in the House would be stupid enough to impeach him.
What, and ruin their rant?
Absolutely.
ANWR passed in the Senate this time around; RATs and RINOs in the House killed it.
Robert Byrd -- Appropriations
Carl Levin -- Armed Services
Joe Biden - Foreign Relations
Ted Kennedy - Health, Education, Labor & Pensions
Joe Liebermann - Homeland Security
Patrick Leahy - Judiciary
Chris Dodd -- Rules and Administration
---
Tom Lantos - International Relations
John Conyers - Judiciary
Charles Rangel - Ways & Means
Jane Harman - Intelligence
Barney Frank - Financial Services
Henry Waxman - Government Reform
I don't understand why they just don't LEAVE and stop hanging around telling us they're going to leave.
Bump.
:-)
You'd think that would be enough, wouldn't you?
FR Poll: 15% say turn it over to the rats in 2006
On what grounds? They could try and make something up, and the lapdog media will slurp it up, and be judge, jury, and executioner. BUT even if the dims do take control, it will only be by the slimest of margins. I doubt if even RINOS's like Specter or McLame would cross over to vote to impeach Bush.
Besides, I imagine the only grounds they'll attempt are along their all to familiar rant "Bush lied, people died". To attempt an impeachment of a President under this type of claim, while we are still at war, will send a strong and inspirational message to our enemies (aiding them), and alienate some of our allies and neutrals. And also demoralize our troops, which in turn will lead to many more deaths, than we have already suffered.
Of course, a war turned against us, with more US deaths would only go to inspire our enemies, and dishearten our citizens, theoretically strengthening the Dims in '08.
I guess if the Dims should take control, you could probably bet on them trying to impeach Bush and Cheney. I mean what are a few thousand or 10's of thousands of deaths, as long as the Dims get back in office.
The price of gas here in Arizona has been going up during last two weeks, so there are probably regional differences in the price of gas. If Congress past a bill to allow drilling in ANWR, it wouldn't affect the current price of gas - it would take years for ANWR to come on line, and the reality is when it does come on line it won't make a significant difference to the price of oil in this country. Estimates that I have read indicate that ANWR would lower the cost of a barrel of oil by about 50 cents. That's peanuts.
We have to stay the course in Iraq. No choice but to stay in to hope that it gets better - it still might.
Howlin! But they have such a great e-newsletter. The Daily Constitutional.
The price of gas here in Arizona has been going up during last two weeks, so there are probably regional differences in the price of gas. If Congress past a bill to allow drilling in ANWR, it wouldn't affect the current price of gas - it would take years for ANWR to come on line, and the reality is when it does come on line it won't make a significant difference to the price of oil in this country. Estimates that I have read indicate that ANWR would lower the cost of a barrel of oil by about 50 cents. That's peanuts.
We have to stay the course in Iraq. No choice but to stay in to hope that it gets better - it still might.
It's enough for me to run screaming from the room.
Those aren't conservatives; they're Birchers and Buchananites.
Read this:
http://reformed-theology.org/jbs/books/insiders/part_2.htm
but change the name "Reagan" to "Bush."
It will read just like some of the posts here on FR do.
The only thing that isn't making this election worse than 94 for the gop is the gerrymandering. Without gerrymandering gop would lose 60 seats.
I think where the gop is really going to get hurt is open seats. Any open seat in a competitive district gop is going to get killed. If you look at the state house races across the country. Gop lost a few seats in virginia and nj state house races but they are getting crushed with the open seats. Gop is losing open seats in state house races in areas bush won with over 60 percent. There are districts in Pennsylvania and texas that went dem where bush won over 60 percent and dems hadn't won there in 60 years.
The experts are way underestimating the anti gop tidal wave out there. There is not one democrat seat in the house or senate that is a toss up. The only one would be if tommy thompson ran for the senate in wisconsin. In generic matchups against the dems gop is at 34 percent. That is pathetic.
Dole also did a terrible job of recruiting in the senate.
Rossi of washington not running for senate.
Douglas of Vermont not running for senate.
Johanns not running in nebraska for senate.
Miller not running for senate in michigan.
Hoeven not running for senate in north dakota. Hoeven has sky high approval ratings as a very popular governor. Almost everyone in the state knows him. He would be hurt far less by the anti gop wave.
Christ not running for florida senate.
On the house side the surgeon general would have been able to hold the open seat in arizona. Now that seat will go to Pelosi.
I think a rep like kirk will do better than the open seat in illinois. I'd give kirl a chance while I give no chance to hyde's seat staying with gop.
Watch for hyde's old district to go to duckworth though. Dems will have a field day in open seats.
A lot of gop incuments will be swept out though. Look for reps like robin hayes who is down by double digits to get crushed. When you look at the house races you can see that the generic polling is matching the dem surge in head to head districts as well.
If you are a gop congressman right now in any kind of close district you should be ok.
Gop will be hurt real bad in states like pa, ohio, ny, nj,conn.
Look for a lot of gop reps in ny or nj who you thought were somewhat safe to be voted out. A lot of new jersey gop reps who you think would be safe could lose.
A early dem tidal wave will be with busby in ca. With the election as the same day as the dem gov primary race and gop infighting look for a busby victory. I don't even think it will be that close.
Right now there are close to 50 gop house seats in play with 6 senate seats likely to go dem.
The biggest disgrace is that conrad burns is running. If gop could get rehberg to run for senate and burns to drop out they could hold that seat.
Nelson in florida would beat anybody but harris is going to give the dems the governor's mansion and hurt a lot of gop reps in close races.
What is scary about pelosi is that she will have a unified dem caucus. Gop had so many northeastern rinos which made there majority in the house majority in name only.
Pelosi will be a powerhouse with a unified liberal dem caucus. The only conservative dems in the house were in texas and were voted out, retired or switched parties or alexander in louisiana.
Almost every dem in the house will vote to impeach bush and cheney.
Well, if the GOP nominee reports the funds, then I'll gladly revise my rating.
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