Republicans Fear 2008 Meltdown

politico,.com ^ | March 30, 2007 | Jonathan Martin and Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei

[youngjim]

Republicans across the country are warning that increasing public discontent toward President Bush, the Iraq war and the GOP brand in general threatens to send the party's 2008 campaign planning into a tailspin

Already, the problems are having tangible effects. Some of the party's top recruits in key races from Colorado to Florida are refusing to run for Congress. Business executives -- the financial backbone of the GOP -- are sending more and more money to Democrats. Overall Republican fundraising is down sharply from the same time frame during the past two presidential elections.

Then there are the voters.

Polling data released this month confirm what GOP officials are picking up anecdotally: Swing voters are swinging away from Republicans at high velocity. . . .

[youngjim]

I encourage everyone [save the 'my way or the highway' crowd] to read this entire article which discusses many of the trends on issues FReepers passionately hold.

Please don't shoot the messenger

[flame suit on]

[Fierce Allegiance]

With a crop of lousy candidatres led by the likes of Giuliani, no wonder people are diching the GOP.

Fred Thompson is more conservative and has less baggage and therefore is more electable.

[SlayerOfBunnies]

Well, if Republicans give the Presidential nomination to a pro-abortion, pro-gun control liberal like certain NY mayors (past or present), then they absolutely should lose the '08 election. The lesson from the '06 election should be that if Republicans run liberals, they lose. Conversely, when Democrats run semi-conservatives, they do well.

Bottom line - nominate conservatives and win.

[CindyDawg]

The comments don't support the article.

[unkus]

Right on. Fred Thompson-YES Rudy-NO

[BigBobber]

I think this is approprite advice for Republicans

From The Godfather:

Johnny Fontane: Oh, Godfather, I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do.
Don Corleone: [shouts] You can act like a man!
[he slaps Johnny]
Don Corleone: What's the matter with you. Is this how you turned out? A Hollywood finocchio that cries like a woman.
[Don Corleone imitates him sobbing]
Don Corleone: What can I do?
[camera pans to Tom who is laughing]
Don Corleone: What can I do? What is that nonsense. Ridiculous.

[pabianice]

A Dem government is already finding that it is controlled by events rather than the other way around. This will only become more acute by 2008.

[HitmanLV]

The lesson from the '06 election should be that if Republicans run liberals, they lose.

Many good conservatives fell in 2006. Senator Allen lost a close race in a conservative state, and Senator Santorum got obliterated by 20 points in a state that has become a dem stronghold. There were other conservatives that the electorate flat-out rejected.

How do you reconcile your lesson with the political reality on the ground?

[Ingtar]

I think the first comment (though he meant 2006 and not 2004) makes a better case than the article.

1. The sad reality is that while most of the Republican rank and file is still strongly conservative, most Republican politicians are nothing but triangulating RINOS with no conservative political or moral convictions. They are more concerned with race and skin color than ideals. That's why they haven't realized why they took a beating in 04.

2. This triangulation mania is also evidenced by the fact that they lump Hispanics in one single monolythic group. I guess that by "Hispanic voters" they really mean "Mexican illegal alien voters." I'm am Puerto Rican myself, and none of my other Hispanic friends (who are all legal or citizens) agree with amnesty for illegals. (Do you really think that Cubans are happy about what's going on along the Mexican border, while their fellow Cuban refugees are sent back if they are captured on US waters?)

3. Finally, I believe the main reason the Republican higher-ups don't have a clue is that they all have embraced political correctness as official ideology, which couldn't be more diametrically opposed to conservatism.

[noname07718]

This is Spring 2007. To sense any trend by such a broad brush term of Republican or Democrat is ludicrous. Parties do not win elections. People (at least rational ones) vote on who will deliver the better set of good choices for the future based on what they have done in the past and what the voter believes will do in the future.

To say that republicans fear a melt down in 2008 is silly. You have to discount any of the individuals that will be candidates. This article is attempting to stir up propaganda based on a wish. This is nothing more than literary diarrhea.

[misterrob]

Allen lost due to a change in VA where NOVA has become far more democrat than republican and his Maccaca comment and handling of it made him extremely vulnerable. Plus, the WaPo made it their mission to take him down.

[NeoCaveman]

They found a prolife Democrat who happened to be the son of the former beloved governor of Pennsylvania to run against Santorum. Yup that must mean PA is a bastion of liberalism....

[colonialhk]

yep!

Pelosi is off to Syria to ask him to ask them to be nice.......and wait till 08...........

Yep! great job Madam Speaker....send Monica if you want to make Bashir happy.

08 will be fine folks

[snarks_when_bored]

"Act like a man...shoot somebody."

[steve8714]

A Republican party motivated by fear can win only two things...and Jack just left town.

[wolfcreek]

"We have to win back the confidence we lost in '06 from swing voters and ticket splitters," said Mehlman. "The way you do that, in part, is by being a party that is less reliant on white guys and expands its support among Hispanics, among African-Americans."

Not at the expense of white guys! Illegal votes anyone?

[Luke21]

Giuliani will save us. He'll dress up like a girl and march for gay pride.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Many good conservatives fell in 2006. Senator Allen lost a close race in a conservative state, and Senator Santorum got obliterated by 20 points in a state that has become a dem stronghold. There were other conservatives that the electorate flat-out rejected.

Allen lost a VERY close race because he ran a POOR race, and was sandbagged by a ton of (largely stupid, and of his own making) scandals that ran his negs skyhigh. Santorum went down because he was already probably too conservative for PA as a whole, but was also hurt by high turnout in the urban districts and low turnout in the rural districts. The Dems also successfully painted him as an extremist, which didn't help him.

[noname07718]

Beautiful Reply. That’s the difference between my philosophy and what seems to be the Liberal/Democratic mind set.

I don’t do things out of guilt – They will manufacture guilt where none should exist. Actually, I have no guilt feelings for anything or anyone!

I don’t do thing out of fear. Fear can only be ascribed to those threatening things where there can be a sense of weakness. – The demo/liberals will attempt to manufacture fear in a desire to manipulate the weak minded with no courage.

[youngjim]

To say that republicans fear a melt down in 2008 is silly.

[from the article]

History offers even more reason for worry. Only once in the past half century has a party won the White House three times in a row (Reagan-Reagan-Bush). And when a party loses the White House, it often loses congressional seats, too. . .

Simply put, the Republicans are defending more seats than the Democrats -- 21 Republican seats are up this cycle, while only 12 Democrats plan to seek reelection. So the playing field automatically is in the Democrats' favor.