Do you think the Republicans really want to "win" in 2008?

[Vektor]

And I use the term "win" loosely. Perhaps I should have said "continue to control the country" in 2008.

Two elections "won" under dubious circumstances. Eight years of the Neo-con strangle-hold. One horrible, messed up quagmire of an invasion that is rapidly losing popularity with the American people.

No matter how you look at it, Iraq is a DISASTER. The Republican special interests; Haliburton and the oil companies, et al, have all profited largely from this mess, though, and they will be able to continue to ride the coat-tails of their war profiteering for years to come.

If they retain the presidency for another four years, Iraq will continue to be their pox, and the party will continue to lose popularity. They will actually have to start seriously considering an exit strategy at some point, and lord knows, they don't have one yet - never have. They might actually have to start WORKING rather than just posturing, sloganeering, and scaring people. That is no longer doing the trick.

What are the chances they might wage a weak campaign, with lame duck candidates, ambivalent about winning or losing, but secretly thinking "let the damn Dems have it - it's their problem now." How many Republicans do you think are secretly looking forward to the prospect of handing off this albatross, letting US deal with it, while resting on their duffs for a few years before deciding to fire up the Diebold machines, and hijacking this nation again?

Either way, I'm all for giving Dems a chance to end this war and restore order in America. But I can't help but wonder...

[FreakinDJ]

1. Not only is Iraq a disaster

Not only is Iraq a disaster – The Economy is an Implosion waiting to happen

6 years of “Band-Aid” economic fixes and Outsource Economics have left the US economy in a very precarious position. A mountain of Debt and possible Trade War with China looms close at hand

[Vektor]

5. Right...

and they'll either run this nation into the ground while continuing to practice poor policy, or we'll inherit their mess.

Which would be better than letting them keep it.

[FreakinDJ]

17. Remember Poppy Bush looking at his watch

during the debates, NOT once but 3 TIMES

It was so perfect as to insure he lost the election it was as if it was "SCripted"

[CrispyQ]

2. They want to win.

They're first in line at the trough & they will not easily give up that position.

[Vektor]

3. Good point.

I wonder how much longer before the party self-destructs? They can only heap so much disaster upon themselves before they collapse. Something's got to give eventually.

[nevergiveup]

4. You make some good points

but the Republicans need one more appointment on SCOTUS to secure a totally right-wing court and they will do anything to get it. Don't think for one second they will sit on their hands this time around and this will be particularly true if Hillary is the nominee.

[Vektor]

8. Ugh.

Yeah, the hostile take over of the SCOTUS is an issue.

What would they do if they did manage to completely hijack the county and make it their own? They would utterly destroy it in seconds.

Meanwhile, reasonable people would be flocking to colonize the moon to get away from this reign of terror.

[CitizenLeft]

6. there are those on the right who have said that...

...that losing in '08 would be the best thing that could happen to both the country and the party; it would give them the chance to clean house and get back to those "traditional" conservative values. I can't provide a link right now, but if I remember correctly, there was a collection of articles by conservatives like William Buckley who said just that. So did Andrew Sullivan.

The candidates themselves though? No way. With rampant egos like Giuliani and Romney and now Alan Keyes... and how arrogant of Thompson to think he doesn't even have to do his homework or earn his votes... no, they think they can win. It's the old party base - not the fundie nuts, but the pre-Reagan Republicans - who just might believe this.

[NanceGreggs]

7. Judging by the candidates they've put out there ...

... I have to think that no, they don't want to win - or have simply decided that they can't win, so why bother putting too much effort into it.

As per usual, the GOP waits for a Democratic president to clean up their messes, especially the financial messes they're so fond of creating, and then waits to pounce again AFTER everything is back on track.

That's why it is imperative, IMHO, to keep reminding the voters at every turn over the next few years exactly what the BushCo years were like ...

[Vektor]

9. That's kind of what I was thinking.

Their candidates are pretty weak, and their front-runners seem really odd choices for the conservative base. I'm surprised to even see Giuliani or Romney running. It's weird.

[NanceGreggs]

11. And the lack of enthusiasm out there among their 'own' ...

... is palpable.

I make it a point to check out the right-wing websites, to see what's being said. There are no, "Yeah, Giuliani's the guy!", or "Fred will beat anybody they've got!"

There's an endless amount of bashing of the Dem candidates, but almost to the complete exclusion of anything positive being said about their own wannabes.

With way more young voters registering as Dems than as GOP, plus the dramatic shift in more older voters now identifying themselves as Democrats rather than Republicans, I think they've realized there's just no hope this time around.

[Vektor]

12. Oh, yeah I've witnessed that too.

Very little talk of their own candidates, just a bunch of guffawing over Hillary's clothes, JE's haircut, and thinly veiled racism aimed at Obama.

[NanceGreggs]

13. Yes, exactly.

I think their plan (because it's the only option left) is to wait for a Dem to start paying down the debt, and get us out of Iraq.

Then the battle cry in 2012 will be: "The Dems cut-and-run from a war we could have won, and raised your taxes in the bargain!"

Same old, same old.

[Inuca]

10. Interesting perspective

I obviously do not know the answer, but one wonders...

[TwilightGardener]

14. They sure aren't running their best and brightest...or maybe they are, and

that's just really sad. Either way, things are looking good.

[OHdem10]

15. They want to win so seriously they are already framing

the Issue for the next election. They are turning
things in such a way that they can control the Issue.
The Greater(Larger) War on Terrorism is the issue
and those Cut and Runners, those wimpy Democrats who
are weak on Defense are not capable of defending this
country. The Hate America Crowd will appease and say
everything is those Democrats' fault. You cannot trust
Democrats to defend our nation.

I have to leave for a while. BE back in a short while
and I will explain the framing that has been going on
for a couple of weeks.

Until we start studying their framing and start pre-empting\
them by re-framing, they will win.

See ya later. More to come.

[zeemike]

16. I don't think it matters to them that much

As long as the goal of controlling the OIL in Iraq is accomplished. that is what is important to them because it fuels there industry for the future.
Hillary will do fine for them as long as she does not betray that objective and keeps the privatization of government going because in that is the establishment of an Oligarchy that is actually the ones that control things in this country.
They already have the SCOUS and replacing a liberal with a moderate is not too scary for them.
Now someone like Kucinich is scary for them because he would try to change things in a way that would conflict with there goals, but he has already been marginalized and so no problem from that quarter.

[TheFarseer]

18. I think alot of Repubs feel like they deserve to lose

They will not be as motivated to go vote. As for the party bosses, I think they need a Dem in office to blame stuff on. When Iraq doesn't work out it will be the next preident's fault and on down the line with all sorts of national problems.

[OHdem10]

19. If they did not want to win, they would spin 24/7 smearing

Democrats. As far as the GOP is concerned they are
doing a general election right now. They have spent
more TV Time smearing DEMs in the last month than some
spent in last election.

It was reported today they think they made headway this
week in rallying their base and bringing their voters home.

[CK_John]

20. Think you had the plan right until Mitt jumped in. He is running outside the neocon box and is on

a mission of his own. That is why he is our worst case scenario, he wants to win, and will do or say anything to get in. Beware!