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The Dems give up the House: Have the House Democrats lost their minds?
Jewish World Review ^ | Feb. 7, 2003 | Dick Morris

Posted on 02/07/2003 5:10:16 AM PST by SJackson

Have the House Democrats lost their minds? Why did they elect Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), a certified liberal, as their leader? Why were they obvious in sitting down during Bush's State of the Union to evidence their dislike of a war against Saddam Hussein that 68 per cent of Americans support (according to the latest Fox News poll)?

Out of their minds? No. They have simply changed their priorities.

Too long out of power, the Democratic Party, both deliberately and subconsciously, gave up its bid to win the House, settling instead for a lifetime guaranteed incumbency for its congressmen that the GOP was only too pleased to offer.

In state after state, a tacit deal emerged between the parties as reapportionment of congressional districts unfolded. Republicans, anxious to preserve their control, put as many Democrats as possible into districts that already had Democratic congressmen to make swing districts more likely to go Republican.

For their part, the Democrats welcomed the initiative. Even when the Democrats controlled the reapportionment, they opted for safety for their incumbents instead of a chance to pick up a House majority.

In California, for example, where Democrats control both houses of the state Legislature and the governorship, Democratic strategists chose to reinforce the incumbencies of the six new members their party had picked up since 1996 rather than spread the Democratic voters more thinly in swing districts.

As a result, all six congressmen, who had won with less than 55 percent of the vote in 2000, won with 59 percent or more in 2002, including two who got more than 70 percent of the vote.

By contrast, the Republicans played reapportionment to win. In Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Texas and, most notably, in Florida, they spread their party loyalists over a host of marginal districts in the hopes of winning extra seats. With guts that the Democrats failed to match, they bet that they could defend their incumbents in their current districts and put new Republican voters into the swing seats they wanted to pick up.

Only in Georgia did the Democrats play the game like the Republicans did. But they so overreached that it blew up in their faces, costing them a Senate seat, a governorship and both new congressional seats.

The Democratic Party knows that it so completely blew the reapportionment sweepstakes, by its excess of caution and refusal to take risks, that the House will remain Republican until the 2010 census, barring a political earthquake. Without hope for power, they are settling for a hassle-free life of comfort, turning the House of Representatives into a body with about as much instability and democracy as the House of Lords.

The result has been a growing introversion among House Democrats - a desire to protect their political base and assure themselves of safe seats.

....snip.....

Content to be in the House for life, the Democrats are growing fat and happy. As Shakespeare said, "Ambition should be made of sterner stuff."


TOPICS: Editorial; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS:
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1 posted on 02/07/2003 5:10:16 AM PST by SJackson
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To: SJackson
Cuz they got the snot beat outta em!
2 posted on 02/07/2003 5:13:23 AM PST by Marines981 ("Rattle the big dogs cage and get your a** bit")
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To: SJackson
LOL! This post has made my morning. Thanks.
3 posted on 02/07/2003 5:15:20 AM PST by Arkie2
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Comment #4 Removed by Moderator

To: Arkie2
Simple! Hillary wanted a woman. It couldn't be her because it might have interferred with her "posistioning" on the Security council.

Like it or not, this is about "women" voting for "women". They've created a theorum of "women should be in power" and will vote for women, no matter what and it works. Several of my male friends were livid when they found out their wives voted for Hillary.

Upstate NY

5 posted on 02/07/2003 5:22:43 AM PST by Sacajaweau
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To: SJackson
These Nancy Pelosi 0cents Stamp Sheets, tee shirts, mousepads, magnets and particularly, the coffee mugs, were very popular at CPAC.

One can laugh as well as educate the workplace!

Nancy Pelosi - Democratic Socialist 0cents Stamp Products

6 posted on 02/07/2003 5:23:19 AM PST by Seeking the truth
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To: SJackson
bump
7 posted on 02/07/2003 5:24:49 AM PST by Oldeconomybuyer (Let's Roll)
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To: SJackson
assure themselves of safe seats.

And may they stay safely in the minority for a long time.

I am concerned tha the Dems seem to be betting on a lot of American casualties in Iraq in order to regain power. Such a bet seems so heartless and opportunistic, not to mention just plain ugly.

8 posted on 02/07/2003 5:25:26 AM PST by Tom Bombadil
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To: Tom Bombadil
The Dems have set themselves up for a win-win. If we attack Iraq, there will surely be a loss of lives.

If we don't attack Iraq, there will surely be a lost of lives (The Diplomat) and some of our boys have already lost their lives.)

If we have another major hit on the homeland, it will be because the Bush administration did not "secure" us through the additional funds the Dems proposed.

They must have a grocery list a mile long to play on. This isn't about their concern for the PEOPLE OF THE UNITED STATES, this is anti-Bush and anti-Repubs.

Effectively, they're anti-american.

9 posted on 02/07/2003 5:34:41 AM PST by Sacajaweau
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To: SJackson
More from the mind of Toe-Sucker Creepy Dick.
10 posted on 02/07/2003 5:38:26 AM PST by A Vast RightWing Conspirator
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To: SJackson
Lost their minds?

Wrong part of the anatomy I'm thinkin'.

11 posted on 02/07/2003 5:40:27 AM PST by mewzilla
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To: SJackson
Only in Georgia did the Democrats play the game like the Republicans did. But they so overreached that it blew up in their faces, costing them a Senate seat, a governorship and both new congressional seats.

The Democrats gerrymandered the districts in GA. Even the liberal (and consistently democratic leaning) Atlanta Journal pointed it out (inclulding publishing maps that compared GA's districts to Iowa's compact districts.) I don't think the Republicans anywhere in the country came close to doing what the Democrats did in GA.

12 posted on 02/07/2003 5:41:19 AM PST by Brookhaven
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To: SJackson
The analysis makes a lot of sense. The leading goal of every politician is to get re-elected.
13 posted on 02/07/2003 5:42:51 AM PST by Man of the Right
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To: SJackson
.

Very nice contemplative article.

I tend to agree with his appraisal.
14 posted on 02/07/2003 6:03:23 AM PST by vannrox (The Preamble to the Bill of Rights - without it, our Bill of Rights is meaningless!)
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To: SJackson
This is just how the Republicans,in the House,acted for 40 years. Then Newt said No! He showed his people that winning was possible by use of the media. In his case, he made a series of very instructive lectures during noon time, daily on C-SPAN. Now we will see the media helping us again, only this time it will not be the rat media. The rat media is in the process of losing it's power and ability to control what is and what is not news. Without this weapon, the rat's lie machine stops dead in it's tracks. FOX tv, talk radio, the internet and the flood of great conservative books are slowly but surely ripping the rat media's hands off the controls. When this transfer of power is complete, the rats are done for.
15 posted on 02/07/2003 6:28:41 AM PST by jmaroneps37
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To: Tom Bombadil
I am concerned tha the Dems seem to be betting on a lot of American casualties in Iraq in order to regain power. Such a bet seems so heartless and opportunistic, not to mention just plain ugly.

Hillary is clearly hoping for a terrorist attack here, with lots of civilian grave to dance on.

16 posted on 02/07/2003 6:55:44 AM PST by SJackson
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To: SJackson
Only in Georgia did the Democrats play the game like the Republicans did. But they so overreached that it blew up in their faces, costing them a Senate seat, a governorship and both new congressional seats.

Bump.

17 posted on 02/07/2003 6:57:44 AM PST by cinFLA
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To: Sacajaweau
Several of my male friends were livid when they found out their wives voted for Hillary.

I am sorry for your friends, if my wife voted for this witch she would be no my wife anymore.

18 posted on 02/07/2003 7:13:30 AM PST by Anticommie
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To: SJackson
Just a quick point. This article is wrong about saying that the GOP re-districted Texas to stretch its power. They tried to, but the Dems won a court battle in order to maintain a slight advantage. In spite of the fact that the GOP won the Texas Congressional vote by a margin of 53%-44%, the Dems still hold a 17-15 advantage.
19 posted on 02/07/2003 8:43:30 AM PST by No Dems 2004
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Comment #20 Removed by Moderator


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