House GOP Back to Drawing Board for '08

[rodeodance]

House GOP Back to Drawing Board for '08

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnews/20070107/ts_usnews/housegopbacktodrawingboardfor08

By Silla Brush Sat Jan 6, 8:05 PM ET

For House Republicans, the 2006 election strategy was about trying to make all politics local. With the Democrats' sweeping win and success at nationalizing the election, that old strategy has been scrapped.
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Republicans are back to the drawing board, and one Republican strategist anticipates the mood will be much different. With many Democrats winning in Republican-heavy districts in the fall, the strategist says: "You'll just see a lot of campaigns that need to make the case that the wrong representative is representing the district."

He compared the 2008 election with the 1996 election, in which Republicans who won in their decisive 1994 sweep went on to lose eight seats.

"It's the same here," a House Republican leadership aide says, adding that some of the conservative Democrats who won will not be as disciplined as Democrat Rep. Melissa Bean of Illinois, one of the Republicans' top targets in 2006, who was able to stave off a tough challenge. "It's very unlikely you're going to find that many Democrats in the caucus who can divorce their own political ideologies from what they need to do to ensure political re-election." Aides say there will be a lot of basic hand-holding from the national level to help Republican candidates develop finance and media plans.

[MasonJar]

1. It seems the pugs understand that the dems prefer to lead instead

of only run for re-election.

[struggle4progress]

2. So Ds better start woirking together now with an eye on 08

[depakid]

4. They'd better spend the next 2 years drawing a vivid contrast

Between corrupt and ignorant Republicans and cleaner more enlightened policies.

Pandering to the right- or or the perception that they stand up for nothing will cost them dearly.

[classysassy]

3. Forty more years

keep those crooked bastards out of power for forty more years.