Republicans Stumble Trying To Put Best Foot Forward For Senate 2010

[Joanne98]

If history repeating itself means the 2010 midterms will resemble the 1934 midterms-- and there are ample reasons to believe they will, as Obama struggles FDR-like to save the country from Republican excesses that brought on economic catastrophe while the GOP redefined itself in the minds of voters as the Grand Obstructionist Party-- then Congress will look very different in 2011. Republicans lost 14 more House seats, giving them a total of 103. But the Senate is where they were really devastated, losing 10 seats and leaving them with a total of 25 seats, an ineffectual and irrelevant rump of a party. One Republican, Robert LaFollette (WI) left the GOP and joined the Progressive Party, while an open seat in Maryland went to a Democrat and Republican incumbents in Connecticut, Indiana, Missouri (Harry Truman won), New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia were defeated.

Republicans try putting on a brave face but they are well aware that playing the obstructionist game against a well-liked president-- and betting against the country-- is very dangerous. The anti-Republican trend in congressional races of the past two cycles could easily pick up steam and leave their Senate caucus in the same state it was in after the '34 election: utterly inconsequential.

By publicly threatening to encourage a primary against mainstream moderate Arlen Specter, RNC Chairman Michael Steele has encouraged a primary. Far right extremist loon Pat Toomey, who had settled on a run for governor, has decided to jump into the race against Arlen Specter instead. Toomey is far too right-wing to win a statewide general election in moderate Pennsylvania but he is likely to beat Specter in the closed Republican primary. Hundreds of thousands of moderate Republicans have left the GOP in disgust-- and re-registered as Independents or Democrats-- and would vote for Specter in a general election but now can't vote for him in the primary. Polling shows that Specter is likely to lose. That's one red seat that will probably turn blue.

Republicans are so nervous about the erratic, and some say increasingly senile, Senator from Kentucky, Jim Bunning, that several party leaders, particularly Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn, are actually trying to prevent him for standing for re-election.

Continued>>.
http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2009/03/republicans-stumble-trying-to-put-best_06.html

[Renew Deal]

1. Not only do I agree with this, but I've wanted to post about it.

The republicans feel that they weren't republican enough. They also feel that it's appropriate to go against the president during a crisis.

I think they are lining themselves up for an epic spanking. You're already seeing it in the polls. Opinions of Obama and Dems are increasing. Opinions of republicans are decreasing. Is this a coincidence? NO!

They are not only "betting against america", they are working against her. It's bad political ground.

[damntexdem]

2. But what damage are they doing in the meantime?

Being obstructionist in the Senate could delay or kill important bills. Their and their media lapdogs' pronouncements can send the markets further tumbling, and perhaps initiate downward spirals that will be very difficult or impossible to exit. We cannot always assume that we will have time.

In March 1933, FDR was inaugurated on a Saturday just before what promised to be a nationwide failure of most banks the following Monday. FDR was able to avert this by declaring a 'bank holiday,' closing them for a week, and taking other emergency measures. What if he had been inaugurated a week after the collapse? Likewise, Obama's inauguration seemed to be just in time, but was it? Or what if new stimulus is needed and is successfully obstructed? We can hope that we will have the time, but as promising as 2010 may look, we need to be focused on March 2009.