“Pyrrhus, when his friends congratulated to him his victory over the Romans under Fabricius, but with great slaughter of his own side, said to them, "Yes; but if we have such another victory, we are undone”
Posted on 06/08/2006 11:46:39 AM PDT by RWR8189
Stop measuring for drapes, Nancy.
If Democrats can’t win a special election for a seat left open by the guilty plea of a senior Republican congressman for bribery in a political environment that can politely be described as more sour than milk left on the counter for a week, how can they expect to win back control of the House of Representatives, handing the speakership to Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)?
Democrats are claiming the fact that the Republican Party had to spend $5 million to assure victory for former Rep. Brian Bilbray in California’s GOP-friendly 50th congressional district is a sign of their own strength.
In reality, the loss is a sign of the weakness of a national strategy which hangs its hopes on the GOP’s “culture of corruption” and that Viagra of politics - “change.”
It’s dangerous to put too much stock into one special election, especially in a state in which former Gov. Jerry Brown is selected as the Democratic nominee for attorney general on the same day Rob “Meathead” Reiner’s pet cause of tax increases for universal pre-school is wiped out by 20 points.
But Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean ignores the signal from California at the party’s peril: If the Dems can’t win on the corruption-and-change issue in the district of Randy “Duke” Cunningham, who now sits in a federal prison cell, even when they are running against a former GOP member of Congress turned lobbyist, they better figure out a stronger message.
It turned out that the issue which voters cared about in the 50th was not “corrupt money from Duke Cunningham and Tom DeLay” as Democratic candidate Francine Busby and Dean hoped. It was the hot-button that plays right to the GOP’s strength - illegal immigration.
Bilbray’s campaign was anti-amnesty and pro-fence, that is, he favored building a border fence from the “Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico.”
Busby supported the McCain-Kennedy guest worker compromise.
Underscoring the two divergent positions in the campaign’s final days was a Busby gaffe in which she appeared to invite illegal immigrants to vote “without papers.” Then a high-profile cancellation of a Bilbray fund-raiser by a miffed John McCain solidified the GOP candidate’s strong anti-immigration credentials.
While Busby stressed a break from “politics as usual,” Bilbray pointed out his leadership in adding 1,500 border guards during his past stint in Congress and showed footage of himself riding atop a bulldozer cleaning up sewage spilling into California from Tijuana.
Yes, the stink of sewage voters could actually smell beat the stink of being a Washington insider hands down.
Unfortunately for the Democrats, they have a lot more video footage of Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff than they do of their 2006 candidates conferring with the Minutemen voluntarily patrolling the U.S./Mexico border.
The recent terrorist arrests in Canada, highlighting the weak northern border, just adds to a natural Republican advantage.
National Republican pollster Neil Newhouse (who polls for Lt. Gov Kerry Healey here) said, “California shows that campaigns still matter and that it’s possible for GOP’ers to overcome the negative political environment. The Democrats had the wind at their back but just couldn’t put her [Busby] over the finish line.”
With the midterm elections only five months away, the Democrats have yet to come up with a message that moves voters. There’s no reason for Speaker Denny Hastert to get the packing boxes out of storage yet.
The RATS are calling this loss a "victory". I wish them many more such "victories".
Damn. I would think Mike Pence for Speaker would be a good alternative to that slimeball.
A good article; I think Nancy Pelosi put all her eggs in the basket by promising that Democrats could be less corrupt and actually effect a Congressional culture change, for the better supposedly. Interesting how Bilbray's win, in the face of all the hype and money in the race (not to mention a third candidate that probably would have pulled the lever more for Republicans), is now a symptom of political apathy/disenchantment with the political process. In my opinion, enough voter apathy may mean folks are satisifed (not extremely concerned) with their politicians/governing regimes...
"Many more such victories and we are doomed."
- King Pyrrhus
Since republicans probably can afford to spend twice as much as the democrats on races, I don't think it's such a big problem that we might have to.
We always have to spend more to counter the free publicity of the media.
“Pyrrhus, when his friends congratulated to him his victory over the Romans under Fabricius, but with great slaughter of his own side, said to them, "Yes; but if we have such another victory, we are undone”
If I read it correctly, the article implies that Republicans win when they takr standsij opposition to John McCain's pet ideas/projects. Sounds perfectly logical to me.
"Watch your ass."
-Mel Brooks
While I do smirk at the Dems' cries of "moral victory,"
still I don't think this result, and the margin involved, protends much for EITHER party. Frankly it was about what I'd expected in THAT district, in that unusual setting (no incumbent because the incumbent is disgraced and jailed).
I was amazed and somewhat *stuned* that Reiner's effort to corrupt even younger children than are in public school failed so miserably. My hope for the voters of California is somewhat renewed.
She didn't appear to invite them to vote, she did invite them to vote without papers and she did it twice! The miracle is that she got as many votes as she did!
Besides Jefferson's cold cash on the barrelhead, Nancy Pelosi has far too many multi-term members who were around cashing checks and buying stamps at the House Post Office under Tip and Jim Wright. Corruption is their middle name. and everytime Hillary shows her face on TV we know there should be bars in front of it.
It also does not help to sing about outside-the-beltway RAT Party honesty when offspring/capaign aides of RAT politicians (WI) are convicted in election-related crimes.
Howie needs the face it. They picked a terrible topic to parade through the MSM day in and day out given their track record past and current.
"the Democrats have yet to come up with a message that moves voters..."Yes, they have... DEM:"Bush lies, Bush lies, Bush lies..."
Regards, Ivan
Ha!
There was also another Republican running in that race that no one is talking about. He got about 4-5% of the vote, so if you take that into consideration, the Republicans won by an even bigger margin.
Conservatives stressing border security w/no amnesty won big. Since Bilbray is a Republican that took the right position, they kept the seat. By default it's good for the party because they have the seat, but the big winner was the issue.
It turned out that the issue which voters cared about in the 50th was not “corrupt money from Duke Cunningham and Tom DeLay” as Democratic candidate Francine Busby and Dean hoped. It was the hot-button that plays right to the GOP’s strength - illegal immigration. Bilbray’s campaign was anti-amnesty and pro-fence, that is, he favored building a border fence from the “Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico.” Busby supported the McCain-Kennedy guest worker compromise.
I would urge this writer to forward the column to Ken Melhman.
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