Post Mortem Why Republicans got shellacked in the midterms

the weekly standard ^ | 11/08/2006 9:00:00 AM | Fred Barnes

[flixxx]

THIS ONE IS PRETTY EASY TO EXPLAIN. Republicans lost the House and probably the Senate because of Iraq, corruption, and a record of taking up big issues and then doing nothing on them. Of these, the war was by far the biggest factor. Unpopular wars trump good economies and everything else. President Truman learned this in 1952, as did President Johnson in 1968. Now, it was President Bush's turn, and since his name wasn't on the ballot, his party took the hit.

[Vaquero]

[trisham]

365 24/7 trashing of POTUS and reports of only the ugly in Iraq.

*********

Nothing new there.

[chimera]

All good and true, a complete list of things that were all trumped by the perception that we are "losing" in Iraq, not making any progress, didn't find WMDs that we said were there. Scandals were a contributing factor, but not dispositive w/o the Iraq overhang. Barnes is right about that one. Republicans underestimated the anger of the majority of the electorate about this one issue.

[onyx]

It worked -- that partnership of MSM and the democrats.

[freespirited]

I don't think you can blame all of last night on Libertarians splitting the conservative vote; it was bigger than that. Personally, I suspect it was a referendum on the war.

If it hadn't been for Iraq we would have done very well. I am sure of it.

[Rodent_in_NY]

give Islamo-fascist terrorists the green light to attack us at home.

Terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist terrorist...

Keep repeating the mantra for the next 2 years, maybe someone will believe you then.

[Alberta's Child]

I think you're wrong about that. I predict that most U.S. troops will be out of Iraq by the middle of next year.

Barnes is right in one key respect, and in this case there are TWO different underlying factors at work . . . 1) Democrats who never really supported the war in the first place, and 2) Republicans who are utterly p!ssed off at how poorly it has been managed.

The Bush administration is going to "cut & run" in Iraq because it will never accommodate Group #1 no matter what it does, and it simply doesn't have the will (or the resources) to execute the war in a manner that will satisfy Group #2.

Yesterday's election results made it eminently important for Iraq to be off the table completely by 2008, or the Republican Party will lose the 2008 presidential election in a historic landslide even if the Democrats nominate Osama bin Laden.

[trisham]

It worked -- that partnership of MSM and the democrats.

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Absolutely. But it's been going on since the beginning of Bush's presidency.

[ChocChipCookie]

Hopefully, President Bush will get over his unwillingness to veto legislation and veto the hell out of any left-leaning crap that makes it to his desk. I think the Republicans that are left should study and learn from the Democrats tactics the past six years, and then apply those tactics right back.

[Ronaldus Magnus Reagan]

I'd like to start a business of manufacturing protective enclosures against radioactivity for urban dwellers. Sound good? Dirty bombs are now a much larger concern.

[Tucker822]

The terrorists have already tried to "get" us and they are biding their time before they do it again. If the Dems manage to obtain complete control, that will the terrorists ticket to do it again.

Remember, the terrorists hate Bush just as much as the Dems do.

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

365 24/7 trashing of POTUS and reports of only the ugly in Iraq.

and thats because the good has been SOOOOOO underreported? Care to explain? We caught Sadam and hes gonna hang. Whoopie. Did we really need to have our guys on the ground killed for that? We are in a country where there was no hunger for freedom.

[The Bronze Titan]

"the war".... that's all you need to know.

Here's a capsule from a nearby heavy Republican township in NJ:
" in Gloucester County were voted out of office Tuesday, with Republicans losing seven of those positions....Democrats will control local government in 19 of Gloucester County's 24 municipalities. The party will take control of three municipalities that were formerly led by Republican majorities:"

There was no "local" issue to displace all of these people other than the lingering 'bad-taste' prevelent in many people's minds about the current state of the war. That's it, PURE AND SIMPLE!

[dhuffman@awod.com]

Not much to add, really? How 'bout there ain't enough difference between 'cans and 'rats to amount to spit. Immigration is but one issue. The uninfringed Second Amendment is a fine, for me, litmus test.

I will not hold my nose again as I vote in '08. I will not merely vote against the 'rats. I will vote for somebody to represent me republican style.

Either we are equal or we are not. Good people should be armed where they will, with wits and guns.

[MikeyGo]

We on the right do tend to punish RINOs, don't we?

It is the price of having values we actually believe in and hold dear. Sadly, it means we have a minimum of 2 years of the Moonbats in control.

I hope the Republican Leadership is paying attention. We need Newt back to return to true conservatism.

[rwfromkansas]

"and a record of taking up big issues and then doing nothing on them."

Definitely...just what does the GOP Congress have to show for itself?

[shield]

Actually it's quite simple: GASOLINE PRICES...that's how simple minded many Americans are.

[rightinthemiddle]

Why is the war in Iraq unpopular?


The MSM.

[mutley]

"It worked -- that partnership of MSM and the democrats."

You got it right. The media was successful in leading the ignorant and gullible, right to the trough.