Perhaps a kick in the teeth, as well… Gotta love this one from the Hill… Anxious Republicans fear another beating:
Nine months after Republicans were routed in the midterm elections, campaign observers, K Street lobbyists and political experts say there is little evidence the party can rebound in 2008.
The same bad news – the president's low approval ratings, opposition to the war in Iraq, and the lingering taint of congressional scandal, from the Jack Abramoff investigation to Sen. David Vitter's (La.) involvement with the alleged “D.C. Madam” – leave observers skeptical that the GOP can dent Democratic majorities, let alone reclaim power in the next election.
“The only thing that has changed is that everything that was bad got worse,” said Bernadette Budde, political director of the Business Industry Political Action Committee. BIPAC supports business-friendly candidates of both parties, though most of the group's donations go to Republicans.
If the election were held today, “We'd be lucky to hold our own,” one House Republican said.”
Don't giggle with glee just yet – more below the jump…
Aside from the “facism creep” of the past few years, howzabout the fact that they're wrong on just about everything? Gorver Norquist believes thy can still pull it together if it weren't for that Iraq thingie::
Grover Norquist, director of Americans for Tax Reform, believes the conservative coalition of anti-tax, pro-gun and anti-abortion advocates can still deliver elections, but only if Iraq does not remain the central issue in voters' minds.
So, by this (il)logic, America is still really a bunch of antitax, antichoice gun nuts, we're just a little miffed about the Iraq thing. Uh, okay. Oh, wait.. I get it… that vocal minority of Americans can still get their collective heads out of their asses and away from their Left Behind books and Ted Nugent gun videos to pull of one more for the Gipper. Say it again… uh, okay. Quite a big “only if”, dontcha think? Eh, hell with Norquist… I think this Grover's a lot smarter anyways:
Now, I'm not expecting thngs to turn around too quickly in '08, even if the Dems get more seats and the WH, which is a very real possibility. At least they won't get worse. It's just that there's still no bold, progressive agenda to be seen anywhere, and I fear the squandering of an historic opportunity which results in another backlash and then another 1994. Lest you think I'm being poopy on this, I fully realize that perhaps when the Republican minority is more minor (and the Lieberman problem is effectively neutralized), there's not the constant obstructionsm and they're busy licking their wounds or thier hookers' feet, perhaps some good positive change could actually happen (odds are even greater if Hillary doesn't make it to the WH). I'm still quite jaded, but at least “wait and see” is finally entering the brain dialog.
Now, this isn't just another cynical rant brought on by madness 12 hours alternating in the blistering sun and in my dank, dark crawlspace (see here for more on that..). The larger point I'm trying to make is that it's pretty likely that the GOP is going to be taken to the cleaners in '08, and we can't use that as an excuse to be complacent. We need to keep the pressure on the Dems, both for positive change and undoing the damage of the last 12 years of Repub rule. It's time to stop “practicing” democracy and start getting it right.
crossposted on five before chaos. Sorry.