GOP Stunned By Loss in Mississippi

RealClear Politics ^ | 5/14/2008 | Reid Wilson

[Obadiah]

In a major blow to national Republicans, a Mississippi congressional seat that once voted for President Bush by a twenty-five point margin elected a Democrat on Tuesday. Prentiss County Chancery Clerk Travis Childers beat out Republican candidate Greg Davis, the mayor of Southaven, by a 54%-46% margin, a spread that several Republican strategists on Capitol Hill characterized as a startling wake-up call for a party in dire straits.

Voters cast ballots for the fourth time in three months for the seat, vacated when Republican Roger Wicker was appointed to fill the remainder of Senator Trent Lott's term. After winning the primary and the runoff election, Childers came within 410 votes of winning the first round of the special election against Davis on April 22, beating the Republican by a 49%-46% margin.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Notice in our Republican primary, the candidates in the race who actually produced, worked hard and reached a successful goals in their duties, got results, were criticized for not meeting our ever-growing long list of litmus tests.

Yeah, no joke. I never thought I'd see the day when I wished Romney was still in it to win it.

Of course, we had a solidly conservative guy running (Thompson), but a whole lotta FReepers couldn't rally to the cause, and decided they'd have more fun hating on him because he didn't fit the suit exactly right one or two of their pet issues which aren't really even that important overall and in the long term.

What movement conservatives need to do is get together, provide the leadership, and start organising at a grassroots level (I mean, across the board, not like the one-issue special interest groups). We need to decide on a baseline of conservative ideas that we all support, and go from there, and above all, we need to grow up and be mature enough to not run off squealing and taking our ball because some candidate doesn't agree with us fully and completely on one issue.

[af_vet_rr]

A must read. A coming train wreck. Does anybody in the GOP care? Or will we keep getting RINOs shoved down our throats? Will the GOP main plank continue to be: "a new tone" and "reaching across the aisle", and "extending our hand"?

The GOP better soon wake up to the fact that conservative members are very upset with the direction the GOP took when Bush came into office (i.e. the Neocons and the "compassionate conservativism" crap that is basically liberalism in disguise).

If the GOP wants to ignore cosnervatives and conservative principles, they can enjoy losing.

Even Texas is not immune to it - Senator Cornyn is within the margin of error in polls matching him up against his Democratic opponent (who came out of nowhere to an upset in the Democratic primaries and has very little campaign funding compared to Cornyn).

[Oliver Optic]

Why the spineless Repubs are limply allowing the blame for high gas prices, recession, etc., to be placed at their feet ... just because there happens to be a GOP president ... is beyond me.

I don’t get paid the big bucks as a political consultant or RNC staffer, but even I would have sense enough to put out ads and talking points to say:

“Two years ago before Democrats controlled Congress, gas cost $x per gallon, inflation was at x%, etc. After two years of Democrat control of Congress, gas costs $x per gallon ... etc.”

Why are the idiots on our side not pushing back against this notion that the President runs the economy, controls gas prices, and personally sets the price tags on milk at Walmart?

Aargh....

[VOA]

The RNC coffers are thread bare. There is a grassroots revolt and
it is showing up in the form of the lack of donations to the RNC.

Thanks for the news.
It doesn't make me happy to see things come to this pass.
But the RNC and many top Republicans (McCain, etc.) have been
sent messages by "the base" for years and they just won't freakin' listen.

But if there is actually a revolt going on, it's nice to know
I'm not the only "revolting" person.

[longtermmemmory]

DINO trumps RINO

Don’t forget the engineer of 2006 Mehlman is now working for McCain.

McCain is going down fast and he is too clueless to realize.

A warm bowl of oatmeal provides more excitement than McCain.

[kalee]

“The other guy is worse” is hardly an inspiring reason to donate money or time. Too bad the RNC hasn't realized that voters aren't going to fall for that any longer.

[Tzimisce]

The Republicans have abandoned their core principles. The only people who haven’t figured this out are the party hacks.

[ought-six]

“The other loss was for Speaker Dennis Hastert’s seat which had been Republican for about 100 years. This is serious.”

Well, the Republican Party in Illinois is dead; the only thing remaining is for it to have the sod shoveled over it. The death of the Republican Party in Illinois (which has always lived a precarious life here, because the Dims and the unions, both of whom own the big metropolitan areas in the state, thus pretty much control what happens in the state) can be laid at the feet of two people: Imprisoned former governor George Ryan; and former State Treasurer and GOP gubernatorial candidate Judy Baar Topinka, a former Democrat. Plus, an enabling media that provides cover for the Daley Crime Syndicate, and which is hostile to anything not associated with the Democratic Party, makes any Republican resurrection all but impossible.

[DarthVader]

Ditto. Civil war may be the only alternative to restore the Republic.

[steve86]

With gas 60% higher, groceries and goods 20-30% higher, utilities rising, etc., and their incomes not rising comparably, what do you think their perception will be?

But our government a couple of hours ago said inflation is running 0.1 - 0.2%.

And our government also tells the truth, right?

[demshateGod]

“It’s like burning down your house because the roof leaks.”

Come on man! It’s way worse than a leaky roof. We’re down to the foundation on what can be salvaged.

[Badger1]

“The other guy is worse” is hardly an inspiring reason to donate money or time."

But as I stated in my previous post on this topic, that is the only argument the GOP has made lately.

[Obadiah]

Nice summary.

[ncalburt]

You need to seat on the state and local Repub party rules committee.
I have been working in N Cal and there is a ugly Repub primary race going on in which the two rivals are destroying each other with very expensive and personal attack ads while the Dem has already been decided by the DCC. The same situation in Miss, LA, and IL all over again.

[longtermmemmory]

From the talking hairstyles, the Republican was painted with the impramatur of a RINO.

You had a choice of a stupid party candidate who could BE a RINO (see amnesty, no fence etc... real or imagined) vs a actual conservative regardless of party.

DINO trumps RINO

McCain=Clueless

[surely_you_jest]

The GOP needs to start standing for getting spending under control and tax cuts or it will lose it’s butt.

The GOP was in control of both elected branches of the federal government, and they failed and refused to do so then. Who's going to believe them now?

[Badger1]

"The GOP was in control of both elected branches of the federal government, and they failed and refused to do so then. Who's going to believe them now?"

It is going to take actions rather than words to convince me they mean it this time.

[Oliver Optic]

Now, what is there to work for? What is the dream? We've lost our momentum...

Yep, the base is demoralized, to say the least, for three main reaons: (1) The "Gang of 14" wimp-out on federal judges. (2) Spending like drunken sailors. (3) The amnesty debacle.

And irony of ironies ... the leading light behind two out of three of those shameful episodes is now the leader and presidential nominee of our party.

Go figure.

[LiveFree99]

I hadn’t heard that Cornyn might be in trouble...too bad, as he’s one of the good ones left in the Senate. My own Senator Sununu is currently polling about 10 points behind Jeanne “Betty Crocker” Shaheen. I’d say he has an even chance to pull it out, but it could be an across the board massacre for the GOP in November.

[demshateGod]

“Just how are conservatives to recover from that, or even survive at all?”

By keeping our guns and aiming at the people trying to take them. If any of those things happen it would by time for someone to lead an armed revolution.