Why Some Republicans Don't Want to Win the Senate

CNBC ^ | November 02, 2010 | Eamon Javers

[CutePuppy]

What good is the United States Senate if you can’t use it?

That’s the question quietly being asked by several prominent Republicans on election day, as the GOP stands poised to capture the House and, just possibly, the Senate.

But two prominent inside-the-Beltway Republicans told me yesterday that they’re worried about Republicans taking over the Senate, because of the political hand it would give President Obama going into 2012.

It isn’t every day that political figures tell me why it would be bad for their party to win on election day.

But here’s their case: Unemployment is at near 10 percent and is going to stay at politically toxic levels for a long time. If unemployment goes down at the pace it went up, which is no sure bet given that that would represent a spectacular economic boom that few economists predict, it will still be high by historical standards in 2012.

And these Republicans worry that a unified Republican House and Senate will bear some of the brunt of voter anger about that unemployment—anger that’s now almost entirely focused on the Obama administration.

“I hope to hell they don’t take control in the Senate,” said one prominent Republican lobbyist. “Probably the best scenario for Obama is if the Republicans sweep.” .....

< snip >

“If you control Congress, you get almost half the blame for the lousy economy. The president will always get more blame than Congress, but why take the blame if you’re not going to be able to do anything in the Senate?” ..... < snip >

[CutePuppy]

It was going to be a tough slog to win 10 Senate seats, but doable in a true "tsunami" election cycle as this one was. Certainly, the GOP could have done better in several Senatorial contests.

Unfortunately, as some (Senate and/or Governor) races in AK, CA, CO, CT, DE, NV, NY, WV have shown, the money and enthusiasm alone are no substitute for having good, well-grounded in the issues, staying on message (and preferably, articulate) candidates and campaign organizations (including strategy and media consultants and GOTV efforts) - the lessons that GOP (whatever it is today) simply can't seem to learn. Particularly so, considering the wide disparity between results in the Senate / Gov. and other races or propositions in the same states, that would otherwise make no sense ideologically (excluding fraud).

We know what the media and unions will do for Democrats in every election cycle and in almost every race, so it shouldn't be a surprise or an excuse, it should be counted on and adjusted for... especially with their reputations in the dumpster. But without good candidates who can win the GOP primaries, conservatives are not going to get where they need to be to dramatically change the political culture and direction of the government policies in the U.S.

[Jim Robinson]

RINO idiots are the enemy!! Dump the cowardly turncoat RINOS!! The sooner the better!!

[aces]

They better grow a pair and do what we want,.,we are sick of crap mouthed politicos..do what we elected you to do..

[VRWC For Truth]

AK and DE were sabotaged by RINOs. RINO season is open in 2012.

[CutePuppy]

A thread on the subject has been posted the day before the elections:
Pros and Cons of Winning the US Senate (Vanity) - FR, November 01, 2010 6:46:08 PM by RestorerOfAmerica

[onevoter]

With this article coming out of CNBC (emphasis on NBC) I can’t help but wonder if this is a way of smearing the Pubs and trying to make certain that Pubs get as much blame as possible. While I agree with the premise, I certainly can’t see a Pub sharing this outlook with ANYONE with any NBC connections.

[Soothesayer]

What?!

They really need to stop talking like this is some kind of game.

[Jane Long]

Could be the best of both worlds for Repubs...controlling the purse strings with the House and not having to take full blame for Bammy's non-bipartisanship. And, who know's how many senate Dims will end up voting with Repubs, just to distance themselves from this toxic POC.

And the icing on the cake is the number of Repub Gov's and state seats that we got.

We've got their you know whats in a lock box and that's good. (Now if the Repubs will just figure this out...)

[misterrob]

I think the premise holds true to a point. Obama can veto anything he wants and without super majorities the repubs could do nothing. Holding the House allows the Repubs to set the spending agenda and they can blame the Dems for failures to enact cuts and other elements of fiscal sanity. If they had too much power than Bambi can cry victim even more than he does.

[Graybeard58]

RINO idiots are the enemy!! Dump the cowardly turncoat RINOS!! The sooner the better!!

That's what I and others tried to preach here on F.R. concerning the ultra liberal, lying sack of s*** Mark Kirk, so called "republican" Illinois. For our efforts, zots were called for.

Now we will all sit back and watch him out liberal McCain, Snowe and Collins combined for the next 6 years.

[CutePuppy]

Liberals, RINOs or Democrats, don't like to go quietly into that good night...

RINOs should be removed in the primaries and told firmly "No soup (seat) for you!". But we need to "farm" good conservative candidates for primaries well before they happen if we want to avoid the problems we had this year in several easily winnable states.

[CutePuppy]

One place where the argument fails, is the confirmation of federal judges by the Senate, but with Republicans usually deferring to the “competency” it’s probably marginal (with the better margin of minority Republicans in the Senate would be an improvement)

In the end, it will still all come down to the Republican candidate in 2012 on the presidential level (Dole or McCain, anyone?) but, as far as the “blame game” is concerned, it may make a huge difference on the congressional and states’ elections.

[NTHockey]

The one positive is that RINOs were exposed and beaten. The battle for the Republican Party is not over yet; not while Graham and the Maine RINOs are still in Washington.

Here in DE, the RINOs stood by and campaigned against a very electable candidate. The one thing I learned from working for and with Christine O’Donnell is that two can play the game of personal attacks.

That is the “game” RATs want to play; fine. Today, I start collecting personal data to use against any and all RATs. I don’t get mad; I get even. It is no longer a matter of maintaining the high ground. THIS IS ALL OUT WAR.

The Marines - no better friend; no worse enemy. RINOs and RATs are the enemy.

[Soul Seeker]

I don’t agree losing the Senate should be pursued just for political posturing in 2012.

However I didn’t want the Senate. I didn’t want it because then people like Lindsey Grahm, the Maine twins, McCain, McConnell, Cornyn control the agenda and I don’t trust them. I don’t trust the House either but the House traditionally and instinctivelt is sympathetic to conservatism when Republicans rule where the Senate is entrenched with those who don’t face judgement for 6 years. Two year congressman are easier to control. The reason the Republican majority collapsed after 2004 was because we’d finally realized a workable majority. Then we discovered they didn’t want to act on their promises. They had lied. Disillusionament greww fast afterwards and by 2006 discussions of teaching them a lesson were heated around here. Put this current group in charge is the fastest way to cut off enthusiasm of the grassroots right now and the last thing we needed to happen. We got 5 new conservatives. That’s a nice haul. Next election we have a chance to double that if not more. If that happens then I’d be more secure for a GOP ajority in the Senate even if McConnell leads but not until then.

[CutePuppy]

With this article coming out of CNBC (emphasis on NBC) I can’t help but wonder if this is a way of smearing the Pubs...

Very unlikely in this case. CNBC, being mostly a business channel, has fairly more "diversity" in represented views (by hosts or guests) than the rest of NBC media family. CNBC reporters, unlike their media cousins, have "permission to speak freely." By contrast, the Bloomberg Media (TV, print and Internet) is generally much more liberal, with very few exceptions.

Here is just one opinion piece by a very popular CNBC business anchor/reporter Michelle Caruso-Cabrera (an anchor of CNBCs Power Lunch and author of 'You Know I’m Right, More Prosperity, Less Government.') who described herself as "fiscally-conservative, yet socially-liberal" (of course that does not mean that she speaks for all "independents"):
Here's the Real Reason Independents Have Turned Against the Democrats - CNBC, by Michelle Caruso-Cabrera, 2010 November 02

Also, let's not forget that it was Rick Santelli of CNBC whose rant on the floor of the commodities exchange was the trigger for the Tea Party movement.

Santelli Says Tea Party Rant 'Woke People Up' - CNBC, 2010 November 02

< snip > ..... Nearly two years later, Santelli says his emotional message served as "an alarm clock" that "woke people up."

Angered by the Obama's administration's efforts to modify mortgages, Santelli and traders at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange voiced their frustration at the federal government's plan to help troubled homeowners, many of whom bought homes they couldn't afford. ..... < snip >

In his on-air rant (a term Santelli himself uses to describe his flare-up), Santelli said "we're thinking about having a Chicago Tea Party in July... and I'm thinking about organizing it..." He said the government's actions at the time were making the country's founding fathers "roll over in their graves." ..... < snip >

[truthfreedom]

Yes, in DE, Castle did not endorse. Rove and his neocon buddies should not have attacked Christine, a Conservative, after she won the primary. It was wrong. And they should be harmed for doing so. But it didn’t really matter that much.

Black chicks did not dig Christine.
14% of the voters were black chicks.
The went 95% for Coons.

Christine tied with white women 48-48. She won white men by 12 - 42-54

Christine’s performance among whites was closer to Pat Toomey’s than Linda McMahon’s
average +14 for toomey, +6 for christine, -5.5 for mcmahon

Sex by race
Joe Sestak Pat Toomey
White men (43%) 39% 61% +22
White women (43%) 47% 53% +6

Sex by race
Christopher Coons Christine O’Donnell
White men (36%) 42% 54% +12
White women (35%) 48% 48% 0

Sex by race
Richard Blumenthal Linda McMahon
White men (43%) 48% 50% +2
White women (42%) 56% 43% -13

Exit Poll
http://www.cbsnews.com/election2010/exit.shtml?state=DE&race=S&jurisdiction=0

[CutePuppy]

Sensible arguments. There is no question that, barring a disaster, we will get a Senate majority in 2012 (sheer numbers of Dems on the ballot are in favor)... but it would be nice to have and easy to achieve a larger minority in Senate this cycle if we had a decent class of experienced conservatives running. e.g., Rubio (after a stumble) and Toomey ran very focused, professional campaigns.

Of course, there is little, if any, excuse / "justification" for losses in some Governors races, where the problem was not the money or enthusiasm but complete incompetence in running a campaign. Winning a national or state's or municipal office today (at least in competitive locales) is not just something you can do by throwing amateurs into water and letting them sink or swim; it does require "professionalism" and either some experience or a good old-fashioned training. It's tough enough for a good experienced candidate like Dino Rossi (WA) to break through a liberal state's wall, it's much more so for inexperienced outsiders who tend to make mistakes, lose focus and get frazzled and off message, or come off as detached and impersonal.

Conservatives/TP need to think about that well before it comes close to the primaries. That would also greatly reduce the number of qualified conservatives and reduce the fracturing of support in the primaries which lets the party "insiders" into general. One reason Democrats rarely have a "bloody" primary is because they have a very large pool of experienced government or public/private political operatives who can jump in on a moment's notice if a seat becomes available.

[BillyBoy]

Mark Kirk asks out “Mob Banker”

They make a lovely couple, don't they? Mark Kirk's "opponent" Alexi even gave a present to the man who defeated him. I haven't seen so much love since Gray Davis and Willie Jones got all mushy with Ahnuld. Apparently these two guys hit it off at their little closed-door "beer summit" get together. Kirk took plenty of notes and the two exchanged their "personal" email and cell phone numbers so they can quickly get in touch and consult each other in the future. After all, Kirk needs to get ahold of his Chicago masters right away when he's across the country in D.C. I bet their next date will go even better. Nothing brings a tear to your eye like socialist combiners kissing and making up.

And to all the freepers out there who continue to delude yourself into thinking Kirk is going to "stop Obama"... I hate to break the news to you but Kirk is laughing AT you, not with you.

[calcowgirl]

Ugh.

[fieldmarshaldj]

Who was the first to give a reach-around ?