Republicans need the democrats to help them get re-elected in 2006.

[no_hypocrisy]

Here's how:

The republicans (well, the traditional, non-neocons) are justifiably nervous about supporting the Social Security "reforms" proposed in the SOTU address. Polls have shown significant resistance to the concept.

If the republicans go along with it, they are susceptible to challenge and defeat for their seats in 2006, Diebold nothwithstanding.

But, they can't come straight out and openly challenge * and Rove. The other political suicide, rock and the hard place thing, etc.

So, the republicans need for the democrats to be noisy and oppositional and have their way with this one thing. That's a sort of passive-aggressive opposition to the SS reform.

And therefore, Social Security changes won't go through, the dems take the political heat for being obsolete, and the republicans get the credit for being "loyal" to their party. And they get to keep their seats for another 2/6 years, depending on which House they belong to.

Sort of good cop/bad cop.

[sellitman]

1. All the Repukes need is..

The same voting machines they had in 2000, 2002 & 2004. If we don't change the machines we will NEVER win another major election again. Nothing else matters my friend. Nothing!

[MissWaverly]

5. Look at this!

Here's a snip, we are making progress slowly-see link below for details on voting machine audit in California, Maryland and now Washington states. I'm the lady that pressed the button for 5x for Kerry and Bush lit up and stayed lit each time, and on the 6th try the Kerry button lit and stayed lit. There are 7 missing votes in my precincts results (which I got from the Board of Elections in Baltimore City) for prez. If each 1 of those people voted 5 x for Bush and had their real vote
dismissed as an overvote, then George would have received 19 votes instead of 54 votes in my precinct alone. I remember reading during the Ohio recount that they keep coming up with a 7 vote discrepancy also. So I waited in line for 2 hours, was hassled over registration (required 2 forms of ID, voter registration card and photo ID, although I have voted at the same place for 10 years only to have my vote stolen by REPUBLICAN electronic hocus pocus." The Republicans are looking for who stole the election, the fraudulent voter is the invisible man inside the machine."

The Washington Secretary of State's Office is launching a statewide audit of county election offices to make sure that local election systems are secure and are using only state-approved software and voting machines.

The audit follows similar reviews in Maryland and California, which found that some election offices had used unapproved elections software, lacked basic security training, and had a number of other "high-risk vulnerabilities."

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/210734_vote04.html

[Splinter Cell]

2. You know what they say.....

You DON'T tug on Superman's cape,
You DON'T spit into the wind,
and You DON'T FUCK AROUND WITH SOCIAL SECURITY.

They're going to hand us congress in '06 if they keep it up.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Welcome to DU.

* may have bit off more than he can chew this time.

[w4rma]

4. Nah. You are just looking at the Repug strategy against Dems for if Dems

are really able to stick together, as it appears that they are doing, on this issue.

If Dems don't stick together on this issue, the Republican leadership will declare victory, say the destruction of Social Security was "bipartisan" and run ON their policy, saying it helped social security for a couple of years until the whammies hit in 2009 or so and then they'll switch gears and hide behind the DLC Dems that helped them out when things go bad.

[BillZBubb]

6. You've got it right.

The Democrats ONLY path to success here is to totally shoot down Bush's plan--and not to support any watered down alternative. Be unified, stand strongly for something for once.

Do just what the Repugs did to Clinton's health plan. That is the only winning strategy for the Democrats and for the country.