Posted on 03/13/2014 2:53:52 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Via the Corner, an atypically clear-eyed assessment of the national landscape or a mindless overreaction to the GOP’s big win in FL-13 earlier this week? Could be that this is just standard partisan alarm-sounding after a supposed bellwether: Just as Karl Rove’s warning Republicans not to get cocky and assume that ObamaCare alone will deliver the Senate on a silver platter, Matthews wants Dems to fear the reaper and go on offense over the minimum wage, voting rights, etc. Both are motivational tactics. Maybe we can settle this by turning to a dispassionate election observer, RCP’s Sean Trende, who’s been modeling this fall’s Senate elections based on Obama’s job approval and who thinks the GOP is overstating how important Jolly’s win over Sink in FL-13 was.
Trende’s verdict: Yep, sure looks like the Senate is going, going, gone.
Republicans need six seats to claim a majority. Obama hasn’t seen an approval rating north of 45 percent in RCP’s average since early August of last year, before the Syria “red line” fiasco and the the Healthcare.gov meltdown. You do the math. Trende himself now gives Republicans somewhere in the ballpark of an 80-85 percent chance of capturing the seats they need to get to 51. Matthews isn’t out on a limb here.
But that doesn’t answer Rove’s strategic question. If ObamaCare is an advantage but not a decisive advantage for the GOP, what other issues should the party emphasize? Here’s a clue from a new poll of Louisiana, where Mary Landrieu is rocking a 42/52 approval rating.
Of course, Obama might take that issue out of Republicans’ hands by approving the pipeline before November, but don’t underestimate the ability of especially dumb liberals to tie his hands on it. There may not be enough of them willing to turn out to stop the GOP this fall, but there are certainly enough of them to make Obama’s life difficult if he tacks too far towards the center to better position the party for the midterms. Thank heaven for small favors.
Exit question via WaPo: Democrats keep saying they want to “fix” ObamaCare. “Fix” it how, exactly? What does that mean, beyond the standard blather of extending the enrollment deadline for another month or waiving the mandate penalty that’s already effectively been waived? It’s a meaningless soundbite designed to appease angry voters by suggesting that they’re kinda sorta angry too. Let’s hear some specifics.
Not if Cornyn can help it.
You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips.
And there's no tenderness like before in your fingertips.
You're trying hard not to show it, (baby).
But baby, baby I know it...
You've lost that tinglin' feeling,
Whoa, that tinglin' feeling,
You've lost that tinglin' feeling,
Now it's gone...gone...gone...wooooooh.
HAHAHAHA! But seriously, the GOPe will do everything they can to lose, including forcing Mighty Mouse Mitch on Kentucky voters.
Let’s face it: Chris Matthews has lost his mind.
The only thing that bothers me about this is that Matthews is wrong about 99% of the time.
But then again that 1% has to show up somewhere, I think this is it.
I'm not a psychiatrist, but I can say Matthews has some serious issues. It's as if he did something bad to a black person somewhere in his past and is going out of his way to atone.
Too bad Chrissy ain’t goin out with em!
If the Dems lose the Senate, look for a boatload of barely-living old collectivists to retire from both the House and Senate before 2016. Their fun time is over and they’re not going to sit in the back seat.
On the other hand, look for a boatload of Republicans to leap far left to represent the cause of collectivism.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO HIS TINGLE?
Turns out it was just Deep Vein Thrombosis.
Turns out it was just Deep Vein Thrombosis.
Or, Deeply Vane Thrombosis.
I hope it’s such a landslide that even the dead dem0crats voting can’t change the outcome...and even the ballot machines in trunks of cars.
Once the courts rule on all the “edicted” and un- constitutional changes Obama has made to zerocares fits and starts and tosses it. What are the GOPES (gop elite snobs) going to campaign on ?
If it’s 50-50 after the election, I look for John Mccain to do the Jeffords Jump before the new Congress seats
Dems will win the Senate thanks to GOP gross incompentency and RINOism.
RE: Once the courts rule on all the edicted and un- constitutional changes Obama has made to zerocares fits and starts and tosses it
Who’s going to file the lawsuit in the courts?
Neither party can win unless it can raise enough money, and we’re now at a critical point in the election cycle when soliciting donations is particularly important. So Chris Matthews’s grumpy negativity must be hurting the Democrats.
Nobody wants to jump on a loser’s bandwagon, so why should prospective donors answer campaign letters from Democratic candidates or take their phone calls if Chris Matthews is assuring everyone that the Democrats will be crying in their beer on election night?
Ever listen to Mark Levin ? There’s a bunch of them now up for decision. Levin’s not speculating on the eventual court decisions but from a political standpoint. Tossing zerocare would throw a monkey wrench into a lot of races and it’s something the GOPES better consider which they’re not.
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.