Posted on 11/06/2002 1:10:00 PM PST by truthandlife
National Review Online provides the post-election comments from a number of columnists. It's material that you won't read in the Chronicle.
Pete duPont President Bush wasn't on the ballot yesterday, but he won a substantial victory anyway. President Bush held the House and gained perhaps three Senate seats. That is an extraordinary political achievement that bodes well for Bush's reelection effort and the remainder of his term.
Republicans now control the House and the Senate; the obstructionism of the Daschle Democrats has come to an end. A budget will be passed, judges confirmed, and legislative business restarted.
Now the Democratic party will be driven further left by its angry teachers' union, minority, feminist, and antiwar base, and that will help the Republicans too.
But one thing at a time; yesterday was an extraordinary historical triumph for an increasingly successful president.
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David Horowitz, is editor of Frontpage.com and author, most recently, of How to Beat the Democrats It was a big night for Republicans; much bigger than the media is admitting. The first Republican governor in Georgia in more than 100 years; the first Republican governor in Maryland in 38 years (against a Kennedy); a decisive shift in Florida to the Bush camp; only the fourth time in history a triumphant presidential party has gained House seats in the first midterm elections, and the first time in history a presidential party has gained seats in the Senate. And all this in a bad economic year.
It's the war, stupid; and the leader. No one should underestimate the transformation that George Bush is working on the American electorate and on the fortunes of Republicans. This is a leader who has opened up new electoral horizons for his party..
The consequence of the defeat for Democrats is likely to be an internal battle royal, a lurch to the left, and a push for the presidential candidacy of ''populist,'' antiwar Gore. This could provide an historic opportunity for the Republican party to become the party of an American majority. Given the dangers of the looming war on terror, and the appeasement mentality of the Democratic Left, the opportunity couldn't come at a better time.
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Laura Ingraham, host of a nationally syndicated show for Westwood One Radio Anytime a favorite loses--a candidate or a party--it's always hard to pin down one reason for it. But some of the vivid memories of the past week reveal volumes. Bill Clinton glowing and backslapping on the Jumbo-tron screens at Minnesota's Paul Wellstone ''memorial'' service/rally. Bill Clinton doing his best preacher improv before black congregations to get out the vote in Florida, Maryland, and New York. Bill Clinton in Harlem Monday night--bemoaning the way the media covers politics (first politics, then personality, and lastly issues). Bill Clinton throwing up one last hail-Mary pass for New York gubernatorial candidate Carl McCall. None of this worked. The Master Communicator has lost his groove. The Clinton Era is officially dead.
You know what's bothering Clinton most--''How does this guy with a frat-boy mentality continue to confound us and fool the American people?'' Earth to Bill: George W. Bush doesn't think that the American people can be so easily fooled. President Bush stuck with a novel concept--called the truth.
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Mark R. Levin, NRO contributing editor The Republicans won big yesterday because: 1) The Democrats are weak on national security. 2. They're weak on economic prosperity. 3. They're weak on leadership and statesmanship. 4. They can't rid themselves of the detestable Clintonoids (Bill, Hillary, Terry McAuliffe, James Carville & co.). 5. Many Republicans actually ran on conservative principles (e.g., tax cuts, limited government, and a strong defense). 6. George W. Bush is a very popular wartime president.
The Republicans not only protected 20 seats, but now control the Senate. In 2004, the Republicans will only need to defend 15 seats, while the Democrats will have 19 seats in play. In 2006, the Republicans will defend 16 seats, the Democrats 17 (18 if you include Jim Jeffords).
Ahhh ... It's morning in America once again.
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David Limbaugh, syndicated columnist and lawyer. He is author of Absolute Power, about the Clinton-Reno Justice Department.
The Democrats had all kinds of ostensible ammunition and couldn't fire a shot--because they have nothing positive to offer. So I predict they'll get even shriller, making all kinds of excuses and allegations trying to explain away their inability to ride historical trends even in the midst of a lethargic economy. (And don't forget this would have been an even-bigger rout had the New Jersey supreme court not thwarted the rule of law to allow Frank Lautenberg in the race.) Among their excuses will be: 1) Republican special-interest money thwarted the will of the little people (Dick Gephardt). 2) Minority voters were intimidated (Tom Daschle). And, most amazing: 3) Voter apathy (New York Times, R. W. Apple).
Whatever else these results show, they tell us clearly that the Democrats' negativity is wearing thin. It didn't work nationally and it especially didn't work where it was directly tested, in the Florida gubernatorial race. To that venue, the Democrats brought all their heavy hitters (Clinton & Gore) and hit man (Terry McAuliffe) in a concerted effort to humiliate George Bush and vindicate Al Gore. They're going to have a hard time blaming this loss on the United States Supreme Court.
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Bernadette Malone, columnist for the Manchester (N.H.) Union Leader & and editor at Regnery Publishing Company. Attention all 2004 Democratic presidential candidates: Election Night 2002 proved New Hampshire remains a rock-solid conservative state, despite the recent influx of Taxachusetts natives. You may want to bear that fact in mind before committing to a liberal platform and renting Manchester headquarters for the Granite State's first in the nation primary.
Three-term Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen was her party's greatest hope for picking up a Senate seat. She had never lost a statewide race until last night, when Rep. John Sununu defeated her 51-47. Shaheen attacked Sununu for supporting personal Social Security accounts, the flat tax and ''corporate America.'' She blasted him for being pro-life and anti-environment. She campaigned as an independent and criticized Sununu for being a conservative Republican. And Granite Staters, God bless them, asked, ''What's your point, Guvna?''
Two major races in New Hampshire were won on the issue of tax cuts: Republican Craig Benson won the governorship 59-38 against Democrat Mark Fernald, in what was a referendum on a statewide income tax. Democrats's top-tier candidate Martha Fuller Clark went down in flames 58 to 39 in large part because she supported a statewide income tax as a state house member, and her opponent Jeb Bradley did not.
The other major race in New Hampshire was Rep. Charlie Bass's, the moderate Republican who wasn't much different on the issues than his moderate Democrat opponent, Katrina Lantos Swett. But Swett's campaign was orchestrated and paid for by her father, California liberal Rep. Tom Lantos. She lost, 57 to 41. Granite Staters don't like out-of-state liberals like Lantos fiddling with the very pleasant conservative status quo in New Hampshire.
Let that be last night's lesson to John Kerry, Joe Lieberman, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Al Gore.
Here endeth the lesson.
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