Posted on 01/12/2009 3:27:57 PM PST by americanophile
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The 111th Congress has just barely begun as Senate Republicans brace for more grueling elections in 2010 which threaten to further weaken the party's influence in Congress.
The latest setback for the party came Monday, when Ohio Sen. George Voinovich -- the 72 year-old two-term GOP senator -- announced he will not seek reelection in 2010. That leaves Republicans with a highly vulnerable seat in a perennial swing state that has drifted Democratic in the last two elections.
Voinovich's decision sent Ohio Republicans and Democrats scrambling ahead of what will likely be a competitive primary on both sides, and virtually guarantees the GOP will have to spend significantly more money defending a seat that otherwise would likely have been a safe bet.
"Republicans are starting the cycle on the defensive once again, it's a familiar but uncomfortable position," said Nathan Gonzalez of the Rothenberg Political Report.
Voinovich is the most recent in a string of Republican senators -- some from crucial battlegrounds states -- to announce his retirement, rattling Republicans in an election cycle that already promises to be difficult.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
Meanwhile, the GOP is back home in the counties rebuilding from the ground up.
Wake up, CNN, the coffee is brewing.
I think the GOP will see a bounce due to BO in 2010.
LLS
:-)
LLS
“If you ask me, by then this whole mess will belong to the Dems, I mean, how long can the centerpiece of their policy be to blame Bush?”
They can blame Bush for as long as GOP remains as passive as they have been, from Bush on down.
The GOP needs a RNC Chairman, a Senate Minority Leader, and a House Minority Leader ho will calmly, firmly, at every opportunity lay out what is WRONG with dem plans and actions.
It will also help if other prominent GOP spokesmen give it a good shot. People like Gingrich, Romney, McCain, Thompson are the ones the media will be inviting to their weekend news shows.
People like Bobby Jindaal, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin should go around the swing states in 2009 and build grass roots movement. We can do it.
Reminds me of a conservative classic:
http://www.amazon.com/Fabian-freeway-socialism-U-S-1884-1966/dp/B00005VUVG
One party control of the government has ended badly. 92-94 and 02 to 06.
It is FAR too premature to assume the GOP and/or conservatives will make a comeback in 2010. They will not have been out of power that long.
The GOP would need a united, coordinated, approach highlighting, taxes, government size, individual liberties and immigration control.
Don’t assume things will be worst in two years either.
After all, the GOP is infested with RINOs and leftists like McCain
I know it didn’t do any good but I wrote McCain the snottiest email ever. It made me feel good to do it. :P
The US may be at a point similar to Massachusetts or California. Urban population centers have control AND no matter how bad anything gets they will keep voting Dem.
To anger people in general you would need drastic decreases in living standards over a short span of time. Those in power work on incrementally changing things to socialism.
I agree with you.
Dean did an EXCELLENT job of turning his party’s prospects around.
He set down a 50 state strategy, and it worked. (Rove apparently used a 28 state strategy).
Dean raised money, recruited mid-term candidates, dominated the internet, etc.
And the GOP under tired leadership across the board, failed.
In my opinion the incumbent RNC Chairman should be out of the running(but he is running). The guy that got nailed for the Email song should be out, too. Very bad judgement.
And the internet is a huge opportunity for the GOP. Talk about missing the obious. Blowing that was inexcusable.
It will be very difficult, because the things we will want criticized—were things GW Bush did. Socialize the financial and auto industries.
I for one will no longer consider myself a Republican. I am a Conservative and proud of it. If a Republican wants my vote ? He or she will have to be one as well. The Republican Party as it stands is no different than the Dims. That’s why we are losing elections.
I don’t want to claim any predictive powers and won’t claim that it’s obvious that Obama and dems will screw up so bad that the tide will reverse in 2010. Still, it’s eve of a complete regime change in (relatively) tough times. To think a few retirements announced now will be any real factor shaping the landscape for the midterms is just dumb.
Stop blaming Bush? Surely you jest. Bush will be with us as long as the recession and ME wars will be.
I live in Ohio...I think 50-50 odds are...optimistic. Many on this forum have convinced themselves that If a candidate could just be conservative then all will be well. This may work in the South (not in VA or NC this year). However, it won’t work in the Mid West...where there is anger towards the GOP because of autos, the economy etc. There is also a widespread belief that the GOP is incompetent...Katrina, the economy, health care...the lack of leadership on these issues makes people believe that the GOP can not govern. You could run the most perfect conservative in Connecticut and It would not matter. It the GOP isn’t careful, the Mid West could become exactly like the North East.
Perhaps used to be a GOP district would be more appropriate...many districts in Ohio, Indiana etc used to be GOP.
Pres. Bush will be blamed for the recession as long as there is a recession. It started when he was president...the only chance the GOP has if the economy improves and Dems do other things that voters don’t like.
No, we’re talking about ones that basically and historically vote GOP for President, statewide, downballot, legislative, etc. A Republican occupies the NOLA seat in LA, and we wouldn’t call it a “Republican” district. In IN, for example, there’s really only 2 out of 9 Democrat districts (and reconfigure the Indianapolis seat, and we can reduce it to 1, all but the Lake County-based 1st district).
The electoral college takes care of this...Repubs used to win California...remember? The fact is Obama won 365 electoral votes to McCain’s 179 votes...this is horrible! It happened because America lost faith in conservative ideals...I know McCain was not a conservative, but not many voters understood this. We have a long hard road ahead and will have to make our case once more...as Goldwater and Reagan did. However, we need to take conservatism to the 21st century-explain how to solve today’s problems.
I understand your point, but the fact is Dems won in many “GOP” areas. Why do you think this happened. Will these voters return to the party in 2010? Who knows.
Let's keep the middle two out of it. Slick Willard is a Democrat agent and Newt is too unreliable.
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