Posted on 10/13/2013 5:01:16 PM PDT by Kenny
WASHINGTON — Next year was supposed to be a prime opportunity for Republicans to retake the Senate. And for a while, everything seemed to be breaking their way: a wave of Democratic retirements, a fluke in the electoral map that put a large number of races in states that President Obama lost, a strong farm team of conservative Senate hopefuls from the House.
Then the government shut down. Now, instead of sharpening their attacks on Democrats, Republicans on Capitol Hill are being forced to explain why they are not to blame and why Americans should trust them to govern both houses of Congress when the one they do run is in such disarray. Complicating the prospects, the grass-roots political force that has provided so much of the energy for conservative victories over the last four years — the Tea Party — is aggressively working against Republicans it considers not conservative enough.
As a result, many Republicans are openly worrying that the fallout from the fiscal battles paralyzing the capital will hit hardest not in the House, which seems safely in Republican hands thanks to carefully redrawn districts, but in the Senate. Republican infighting, they say, has given Democrats the cover they need to deflect blame and keep their majority.
“The Tea Party benefits when the energy is focused on the Democratic Party and their agenda,” said Brian Walsh, a Republican consultant and former strategist for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “What’s concerning is a select few groups trying to turn that fire inward on the Republican Party. And that is not helpful.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
um, is the writer of this article JEREMY W. PETERS destined to to be one of the hundreds of NYTimes employees cut loose in 2014?
We will see in 2014. My guess, the libs are in trouble.
The bridges have already been burned, there should be no retreat.
The Republicans are not going to GAIN any votes/kudos/love by giving into the MSM, the Democrats, or the President, those groups hate them anyway. The Republicans WILL, however, lose any Conservatives and even moderates if they keep up the capitulating attitude. So IS it about votes, or is it about something else? Money from corporations? What?
It doesn’t matter. If the Republicans cave they might as well re-register as democrats.
The GOPe has managed to alienate democrates, moderates and their own base in all this.
Good job McCain.
Rinos are democrats.
Guess that’s what I was verbosely trying to articulate.
If the election was next Tuesday I might agree with the headline, but considering it’s 13 months away the headline (and the polls) aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. For instance, 13 months before the 2012 election, Obama was losing by 10 points to a “generic Republican”...
This reminds me of way back in 1976, when Reagan challenged Ford. Though he lost that one, something remarkable happened. His campaign brought out hundreds of thousands of voters who had never participated before. They were thrilled with Reagan and were there for him in 1980.
Same thing with Ted Cruz. Lots of people are just sitting up now and taking notice. They are inspired by him and will be there in 2014 when the conservative candidates run.
Absolutely. And the low-info crowd will stay home.
Wonder how many RINOs will fall for NYT Spin?
GOP not going to win unless they run solid conservative candidates that bring out the conservative base.
Yet, they keep being reelected.
No sir.
Democratic dreaming.
Says who? I’m not fiving up this early.
Wishful thinking is not the best way to write headlines.
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.