Posted on 07/11/2010 1:57:11 PM PDT by SandRat
President Barack Obama's party could lose its House majority in this fall's elections, his spokesman said Sunday, perhaps trying to jolt Democratic voters with the specter of GOP lawmakers rolling back White House policies.
"I think there's no doubt there are enough seats in play that could cause Republicans to gain control. There's no doubt about that," press secretary Robert Gibbs told NBC's "Meet the Press."
Democrats now hold a 255-178 edge in the House, with two vacancies in the 435-member chamber. Anywhere from 40 to perhaps 60 House seats could be competitive by the fall. Republicans would need to take back about 40 seats to slip into the majority, placing the current GOP leader, Ohio Rep. John Boehner, in line to replace Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., as speaker.
Those House Democrats who won election for the first time in 2008 in conservative leaning districts as part of the Obama wave are particularly vulnerable this fall, given that the president is not on the ballot.
Gibbs said retaining House control would depend on strong campaigns by Democrats. "I think we have to take the issues to them," he said, adding that the primary argument would be how Republicans would govern as the majority party.
His remarks could be intended to light a fire under Democrats who are dispirited after about 18 months of Obama's presidency and motivate them to work hard to maintain their majorities in both the House and Senate. The party in power typically loses seats in the first midterm elections under a president, and Democrats are defending a slew of districts they picked up in 2006 and 2008.
The White House also could be working to lower expectations in case Democrats do lose the House majority.
Gibbs hit again on points that Obama has touched on in recent fundraising appearances: Texas Rep. Joe Barton's apology to BP for being pushed to set up a $20 billion fund for damages from the Gulf oil spill and Boehner's remark that suggested the effort to regulate Wall Street in the wake of the financial meltdown was tantamount to "killing an ant with a nuclear weapon."
"I think that's a perfect window not into what people are thinking but the way they would govern," Gibbs said. "Joe Barton, John Boehner, those are the types of things you'll hear a lot I think from both the president and from local candidates about what you'll get if the Republicans were to gain control."
No doubt the dems will be rushing to the polls for more unemployment, more war casualties thanks to the ROE, and higher taxes on the way.
And then there will be health care costs that will drive more businesses out of the US.
Some jolt!
If the Republicans have majorities in the House and the Senate they can repeal all of the laws they want. Unfortunately, Obama will veto any repeal legislation and there won’t be enough votes to over ride a veto.
I anticipate Obama will enjoy using his veto pen and his accomplices int he mainstream media will help him blame the obstructionist Republican Congress for the economy, jobs, and any other issue on the mind of the American people.
The only real power a Republican Congress will have is the power of the purse. If they have the backbone, they can choose not to fund Obama’s programs. However, the Elena Kagan hearings don’t give me much confidence the Republican leadership has the backbone or stomach to fight Obama the way Pelosi and Reid fought George Bush.
The biggest disappointment of the Bush era was George W. Bush’s failure to use his veto pen to control spending. He and the Republican Congress greatly, and unnecessarily increased the national debt, paving the way for the reckless explosion of the debt under Obama. Bush’s failure to control spending resulted in the Republican party losing all credibility for being able to manage the federal budget. This loss of credibility hurts the country today.
Thats stupid. The GOP just needs to grow a pair of balls.
No... The GOP needs to really change their ways! If they don’t get into alignment with the Tea Party folks, they are just as likely to lose as the Democrats! Seems that we have NO party that actually represents the people these days!
Except that the GOP won’t do so. The history of the US is full of political parties coming and going every 20 years so until the Civil War.
That is a natural selection process that needs to occur again.
Did Gibberish indicate why this might be happening?
Love it!!!
I thought that there were 435 seats...and as far as I am concerned they are ALL in play unless the Dems have secretly reworded the Constitution again.
What’s the matter, Gibbsy old chap, the friggin’ COOL AID not so tasty anymore?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.