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.

[ncalburt]

BS, this election is about Bush but also the lack of a RCC leadership. BUsh had let the Dem media trash him non stop for 8 years and never counter attacked . he is still the party leader and he is one dragging it down. The RCC is a total chaos under Boehner and Bush .

[Liberty Valance]

The bleeding won’t stop until the GOP reclaims it’s conservative roots.

[ZULU]

If you don’t stand for SOMETHING, you will fall for EVERYTHING.

After 8 years of a pseudo-conservative, the Republicans are running an out-and-out Rino with an explosive temper for Congress. The economy is in a shambles and the average VOTING American is being hurt - BADLY - by skyrocketing costs and the embarrassment in the White House flies to Israel for a visit.

The Repubs and Bush SHOULD be pushing for oil drilling anywhere we can in the U.S. providing funding at an accelerated level for nuclear-powered electric plants, increasing the use of coal using new technologies, construction of new refineries, stopping the flow of oil into the oil reserves already at 97% capacity, putting the screws to the market in oil speculation, and funding accelerated research for alternate energy.

Instead of buying into the religious cult of Global Warming like the Non-Entity in the White House and the fool running for President and the Democrat Party, they should be exposing this for the hoax it is.

They should stand for an English as an Official Language platform and support the construction of a physical border wall with Mexico as well as deportation of all illegal aliens.

Unless the Republicans return to their conservative roots, they will die as a political party and, if that’s the case, we are better off without them.

We need another political party - one free of the Rockefeller-Bush-Rove RINOs.

[rightwingintelligentsia]

BTW, who in the heck is the Chair of the RNC????

Some guy named Duncan. Don't know anything about him.

As to the House, ever since Delay was forced out things haven't been the same.

[Tulane]

It’s time for the conservatives to throw out the RINOs and take the party back. Or else, start our own party, which is the poorer of the two options.
_______________

Davis is not a rino. These same Mississippians who voted for the Democrat WILL VOTE FOR McCain in the general. I can guarantee you that. You cannot blame the total implosion of the party on the rinos. It starts with Iraq, it ends with the economy...mix in disgruntled base and pow...total collapse.

[ZULU]

Isn’t Childers a philosophical conservative - pro-gun and anti-abortion?

[bmwcyle]

Now we have the Carbon Credit John “ALGORE” McCain.

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Wake up. The MS loss had nothing to do with RINO politics. It had everything to do with Mississippians wanting a generic “change” of brands.

No, it has everything to do with RINO politics, because that is what the GOP has increasingly allowed itself to be cast as. The GOP no longer has a credible name when it comes to keeping taxes down, opposing spending, fighting big government, and is even losing its reputation as the socially conservative party, which will do nothing to bring on board conservative Reagan Democrats.

Davis may have been as conservative as you can get, but the problem is, Childers was pretty conservative, too, and Davis was stuck with a label that now says "Hey, we're soft on taxes, spending, government intrusion! Vote for us because we're Democrat lite!". If you offer people Democrat lite, they'll just go for the real thing, instead.

[AD from SpringBay]

The GOP tolerates conservatives only because conservative votes equal power. They will relearn this lesson in a few short months. If the Republic and the Constitution don’t die between now and 2012...we may see a conservative comeback.

[laconic]

These were THREE solidly Republican districts (one was Speaker Hastert’s). This bodes a coming disaster, with a veto proof House, the Republicans are likely to have about 140 seats, the same they had after 1964. GW Bush will have leveled the House (and Coalition) that Reagan Built.

[jpsb]

The Bush legacy, the end of the GOP as a national party. 2008 will be a massacre. Hopefully McCain will beat Obama, but down ballot will be very very bad and the electorate rejects Bush bots and thier neo-con policies.

[TomGuy]

the only big problem I see is the price of gas

That could be the problem with your perception of the problem.

You apparently don't do your own shopping.

Not only are gas prices 50%-60% higher than they were just a year ago, but grocery and other commodity (goods) prices are now rising at substantial rates. On many products, increases of 20%-30% in the last 6 months are not uncommon.

As the cost of fuel rises, correspondingly, the prices of groceries and other goods rise. As those increase, they will cause the costs of services, including utilities (gas, heating oil, electricity) to rise.

Wages are not keeping pace. And those on fixed incomes are facing significant re-evaluating of their financial conditions. Many who depend on interest-bearing supplemental income are seeing those vehicles with very low interest-bearing returns.

If the GOP/NRC think the economy is NOT a problem, they will find their answer in November, as they lose more House and Senate seats, state offices, and possibly the White House.

It IS the economy. And voters vote based on their pocketbooks. If they perceive their personal finances in difficulty, they will vote for change. If they perceive their personal finances stable, they will vote for the status quo.

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?

[Fawn]

Does anybody in the GOP care?

I think they realized that there aren't enough real conservatives left in the country....most are immigrants who can't speak english and just want their free checks.... the liberals have succeeded in dumbing down education so we can't rely on our kids anymore...

[Tulane]

Isn’t Childers a philosophical conservative - pro-gun and anti-abortion?
______________

Yes. This result had everything to do with the degraded republican brand (Bush, Iraq, Economy) and local politics (Davis was involved in a knock down drag out fight with a popular Republican before the election)...

I chuckle at all the true believers (and I am staunchly conservative) who want to blame “rinos” for every loss. This loss had nothing to do with McCain or rinos. McCain will carry the first district of Mississippi by at least 15 points come the general.

[thulldud]

That's why McCain still has some chance to win the Presidency, because he has been so effective in distancing himself from the tainted GOP brand.

He is certainly attempting to get away from the brand, but the MSM will hang it on his neck like a junk tire full of flaming gasoline.

Deservedly so. McCain himself bears no small responsibility for tainting the brand.

[Osage Orange]

I don’t understand why people are mad at the economy. Unemployment isn’t high, taxes are down, and the stock market is holding it’s own - the only big problem I see is the price of gas and who do we have to blame for that? The Democrats.

Easy question.....

When the MSM/DBM tells the anything sheeple over and over again..they believe it.

We are doomed....... : )

[Tulane]

No, it has everything to do with RINO politics, because that is what the GOP has increasingly allowed itself to be cast as. The GOP no longer has a credible name when it comes to keeping taxes down, opposing spending, fighting big government, and is even losing its reputation as the socially conservative party, which will do nothing to bring on board conservative Reagan Democrats.

Davis may have been as conservative as you can get, but the problem is, Childers was pretty conservative, too, and Davis was stuck with a label that now says “Hey, we’re soft on taxes, spending, government intrusion! Vote for us because we’re Democrat lite!”. If you offer people Democrat lite, they’ll just go for the real thing, instead.

______________

Wrong, wrong wrong. If you were correct, why will this same district go for McCain by 15 points in the general? I answer that. It’s because this district will see McCain as outside the typical republican brand. They will also associate Obama with the right reverend.

[Moby Grape]

Keep in mind that Southaven Mississippi is JUST below the Tennessee state line and HIGH numbers of blacks (democrat voters) have moved there to escape the crime in Memphis.

[TSchmereL]

You are right.

[LADY J]

"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. Just wait until October when there are no ground troops for door-to-door type activity for McCain or few others down the ticket.

The GOP is broken and as long as they continue the present course there will be a train wreck, and maybe that’s not such a bad thing."

I'm thinking the 'revolution' has started & people are fed up with what the Republican party has decided. Pushing McCain & deliberately ignoring the conservatives & joining with the lefty causes is what started this. The people are sending a message to the GOP!!

It seems not to matter who the individual running is - if they have an R after their name - they are going to suffer for it until the GOP wakes up!