The district can't be "heavily Republican" if a DemocRAT is about to get elected. A true Republican would NEVER vote for a DemocRAT. Now RINOS on the other hand....
It must by annoying to realize just how much we are "needed," isn't it? We need to be cared for and fed.
and self-styled conservatives who help even more liberal and dangerous Democrats ascend to power ...
The last election went 58-37 for Cunningham over Francine Busby (same liberal Dem running this time). However, Bush beat Kerry by a narrower 55-44 tally in this district, which can be taken as a pretty good metric of party sentiment in times of high turnout. This means it's actually pretty competitive as congressional districts go.
A true Republican would NEVER vote for a DemocRAT.
No, but remember, most people aren't political junkies like us. Most people marginally give a damn. In a special election aligned with a primary, who turns out decides the election. It's a measure not of the party balance of the people in your district (like Bush v Kerry, in '04, was) but of the balance of fired-up, committed people, and of your ability to marshal volunteers and a GOTV effort.
In this district there's been an air game too (radio and TV ads) but that's a huge money pit. The problem is that fundraising is down because the base is just beaten up, insulted, and not interested, and volunteerism is low for the same reason.
At the same time, the Dems are feeling like winners. They have a lot of motivation, they're getting the amnesty bill that will let them change this district and other California Republican districts forever within a few short years, one of the biggest victories in the history of politics perhaps, and they're getting it as a gift from George Bush, a guy most of them hate a lot more than Satan.
And the volunteers who stay home are screwing themselves. However, pissing on your base, a Bush family tradition, tends to piss off your base, and then they act as they want to, even if it's against self-interest.
When the people get convinced that "they're all crooks" -- a belief that to some extent is probably always true -- the party that suffers is the incumbent party.
QED.
d.o.l.
Criminal Number 18F
If anyone would solidly point out her pre-primary record and her post-primary record....they'd win.
She's a Kerry liberal in RINO's clothing. She visually portrays herself as this sweet little thing that while baking cookies to take to her school class as a teacher, she cares about border security and the problems we're facing with the lobbyists ruling Washington. NOTHING IS SAID about her connection to MoveOn.org!!!!
I'm voting Bilbray for 6 months, and in the Republican Primary (which is on the SAME ballot--very confusing) I'm looking for a real conservative to vote for. Bill Hauf seems to be our only chance at getting one.
I'm politically mad as he11 and I want the good sense of Sensenbrenner for my Party from THIS day forward!