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How Bad Will It Be? [Fred Barnes]
Weekly Standard ^ | 10/23/2006 | By Fred Barnes

Posted on 10/14/2006 4:34:21 AM PDT by johnny7

REPUBLICANS and conservatives, brace yourselves! Strategists and consultants of both parties now believe the House is lost and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi will become speaker. At best, Republicans will cling to control of the Senate by a single seat, two at most. For many election cycles, Republicans have been the boys of October, using paid media and superior campaign skills to make up lost ground and win in November. This year, they were the boys of September, rallying strongly until that fateful day, September 29, when the Mark Foley scandal erupted. October has been a disaster so far. A strong finishing kick for Republicans, minimizing Democratic gains, is possible. They pulled one off brilliantly in President Bush's first midterm election in 2002. But recovery will be harder this time, a lot harder.

The press is fixated on the so-called generic ballot--Do you want a Democratic or Republican Congress?--as an indicator of Republican setbacks on November 7. But that gauge has rarely been predictive. Two others are more reliable: presidential approval and party enthusiasm. And they tell an ominous story for Republicans about the difference between 2002 and 2006.

(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: barnes
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To: rhombus
If the Dems win, then the American people got what they wanted when they voted them in. But the Dems will be in a tough spot, because they will have to make good on their Bush Derangement Syndrome promises, such as raising taxes and cutting-and-running in Iraq, and I very much doubt that will go over well with the public at large, once reality sinks in.
21 posted on 10/14/2006 5:06:08 AM PDT by veronica ("No greater legacy for America than to help to bring into being a Palestinian State" - Condi Rice)
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To: Doogle

come on people...do whatever it takes..yes..even if you msut crawl over broke glass......show barnes and all the lib/dems that we mean business!!!!


22 posted on 10/14/2006 5:06:24 AM PDT by hnj_00
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To: kellynla
I doubt they would want to impeach GWB just to make Dick Cheney POTUS

Oh, they'll want to impeach him, too.

But get a grip. I've got the new House 230-195, with 20+ DINOs. There are not 218 votes to send articles to the Senate.

And there are most certainly not 67 Senators to convict.

GWB ain't going nowhere, Cheney or no Cheney.

23 posted on 10/14/2006 5:06:42 AM PDT by Jim Noble (Some moron brought a cougar to a party, and it went berserk.)
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To: johnny7

Does it ever occur to these idiots that the more they tell Republicans that their party is loosing the more Republicans will turn up to vote and the more Liberals hear that the election is a "done deal" the less they are inclined to vote.

Keep it coming Fred.


24 posted on 10/14/2006 5:07:55 AM PDT by when the time is right
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To: kellynla

I read that the most seat majority the dems would have would be 1-4 seats, those seats would most likely go back GOP in 2008.


25 posted on 10/14/2006 5:09:13 AM PDT by Perdogg (Democratic Party - The political wing of Al Qaida)
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To: Jimmy Valentine's brother
Remember what I told you;

Stock market is going to tank.

Rats raise taxes on the living and the dead.

26 posted on 10/14/2006 5:10:20 AM PDT by Jimmy Valentine (DemocRATS - when they speak, they lie; when they are silent, they are stealing the American Dream)
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To: Perdogg

When you hear Barnes, Hannity, et. al. sound these dire warnings, I believe they are basing them on internal Rep polling, which they are privy to. Turnout will be key, but I am pessimistic about retaining the House.


27 posted on 10/14/2006 5:10:48 AM PDT by kabar
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To: kabar

Hannity was pretty grim yesterday.


28 posted on 10/14/2006 5:13:04 AM PDT by veronica ("No greater legacy for America than to help to bring into being a Palestinian State" - Condi Rice)
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To: jmaroneps37

We can only hope all GOP voters out there are as motivated as we here are. But not all those polls can be wrong. Things are not looking too good right now. Funny that as the GOP has spent millions on ads their numbers seem to have gone down.

If the Foley "scandal" (what a joke) really is going to depress Republican turn out then the party can only blame itself. Are these voters really so wimpy that they would rather let the far left take over because they somehow were upset an obscure congressman engaged in some raunchy emails?? If that is the case then the party could not have been very strong to begin with.


29 posted on 10/14/2006 5:13:05 AM PDT by TNCMAXQ
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To: johnny7
It would be nice if the GOP invested time, energy and effort into coming up with the next generation of politicians. If Drier got caught tomorrow with his pants down, 70% of the voters wouldn't even have a clue as to who would replace him. The way to win, and keep winning, is to have competitive primaries, and recruit folks into running.
30 posted on 10/14/2006 5:13:10 AM PDT by kingu (No, I don't use sarcasm tags - it confuses people.)
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To: veronica

Good points, veronica. What will a democrat victory stand for? In most of the close races that I'm seeing, the democrat is trying to out-flank the republican on the right. They are denying their pro-abortion credentials (Harold Ford); their denying their tax-and-spend history and instincts; they are claiming they will be better leaders in the war on terror. If the Demos win, it will be a very limp "mandate" -- and yet it could prove pretty catastrophic for the country. Makes me question more than a few of my fellow citizens.


31 posted on 10/14/2006 5:13:13 AM PDT by ReleaseTheHounds
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To: jmaroneps37

freddie and billy are faux conservatives whose knees buckle quickly at the slightly sign of trouble. The Weakly Standard is a silly and irrelevant and the National Review. Both are run by a bunch of inbred sissies.


32 posted on 10/14/2006 5:14:30 AM PDT by WashingtonSource
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To: kellynla
Worse case scenario, "if" the 'Rats gain the majority in both houses, I doubt they would want to impeach GWB just to make Dick Cheney POTUS

Don't you see? The impeach Bush AND Cheney, and then Bela Pelosi HERSELF is the Prex.

33 posted on 10/14/2006 5:14:42 AM PDT by ichabod1 (Face it, every empire comes to an end, and ours is on the down hill slope.)
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To: johnny7

Getting the Border Security Bill signed would be good for party enthusiasm.


34 posted on 10/14/2006 5:15:38 AM PDT by gridlock (The 'Pubbies will pick up at least TWO seats in the Senate and FOUR seats in the House in 2006)
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To: johnny7
Fred Barnes is smoking crack!

Barnes needs to get out of DC more often, he listens to too many RATS.

The people bitching about President Bush seldom vote in midterm elections, the most vocal ones aren't even registered to vote.

Republicans vote, RATS and third party oddballs mostly just bitch.

The RAT party is a group of people that refuse to take any personal responsibility for anything, voting is a hassle for them.
35 posted on 10/14/2006 5:15:43 AM PDT by Beagle8U (Demonrats want the Gays out of Congress.....stand back and let them purge their base.)
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To: All

maybe they should lose, their experiment to win over liberals just pissed off thier conservative base and didnt win over any liberals. maybe when they are a minority they go back to being conservatives again and if they regain power in the future maybe they finally push conservative issues and quit worring about appeasing idiots and liberals. they are not their base and never will be.


36 posted on 10/14/2006 5:16:24 AM PDT by Kewlhand`tek (Those that can't , Teach. Those that can't teach , Report)
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To: Doogle

Exactly. Keep in mind, people, that fake polls are THE ONLY THING DEMOCRATS HAVE.

They have no loyalty of their base, no issues, no good candidates and lots of shrill morons like Dean and Pelosi and purple-faced Bill Clinton, and they have nothing to show for the last 12 years but a string of humiliating defeats.

But they do have one thing, and that's the press. Which creates polls. If they don't create them they pay for them, and people like to get what they pay for.

I work in newspapers and I can tell you these pople are depressed and desperate. At my paper the word "macaca" has been in the paper about 48 of the last 50 days. They are ready to burn their last journalistic ethic just to keep warm.

Don't go wobbly. It seems like every election this happens on Freep. Maybe it's a necessary thing. But stop depressing each other! Vote! Win!


37 posted on 10/14/2006 5:16:46 AM PDT by hemogoblin
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To: johnny7

Fred,
I have lived with Democrat Congresses before, and I will survive Nancy Pelosi, if I have to. But I think you might be counting your votes before the ballots are cast.


38 posted on 10/14/2006 5:16:53 AM PDT by bimbo
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To: kabar

I disagree. Fred Barnes has always been a pessimists.


39 posted on 10/14/2006 5:16:58 AM PDT by Perdogg (Democratic Party - The political wing of Al Qaida)
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To: johnny7

This is what happens when you stay cooped up inside the beltway.


40 posted on 10/14/2006 5:18:03 AM PDT by TADSLOS (Ezekiel 25:17)
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