How did the Repubs stay in power stay in power (Congress) from 1995-2007?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

I, like so many of here at DU, had to suffer through the train wreck (for us) that was the 1994 mid-term Congressional elections that brought a Republican majority that lasted for 12 LONG years and I have recently been wondering how exactly they maintained power for that long despite the government shutdowns and the whole Monicagate/impeachment circus that exposed literally scores of GOPers as bald-faced HYPOCRITES and led to the (early?) resignations of several prominent (and particularly loathsome) GOPers such as Newt Gingrich. I believe that I read that their numbers dwindled down quite a bit as the 1990's progressed but they remained in power nonetheless. There was one brief shining moment when, due to Jefford's defection from the GOP in 2001, the Democrats regained (nominal) control of the Senate but we quickly lost it again after the 2002 mid-term elections which saw another smaller- but no less significant- GOP "wave".

The only theory that I've been able to come up with, at least for the 2002 and 2004 elections, is Bush's "war on terror" and the apparently successful promulgation of the myth that, despite the massive intelligence and leadership failures of the Bush (mis-)administration that contributed to the terrorist attack on the WTC/Pentagon on 09/11/01 and the subsequent inability to solve the Anthrax murders and capture/kill Bin Laden, the Republicans are *better* at preventing terrorism.

Of course, by 2006 that myth had been exploded and, along with the discovery of massive GOP corruption and scandal and the devastating unpopularity of Bush and Republicans in general (largely because of Iraq), the Democrats were finally able to rout the GOP but only regained a nominal majority. The 2008 election proved to be a further devastating repudiation of Republicanism and we finally have some real power again now. I just don't understand why it took 14 years to get to where we are today, particularly after so many debacles during the 1990's. Did it really take THAT long for most people to figure out the GOP was NOT their *friend*? Does anybody have any theories, suggestions, etc?

[baldguy]

1. They lied, with the collaboration of the corporate media.

[Thothmes]

2. The won elections.

[depakid]

3. Democrats were perceived as weak and standing for nothing

You can only betray your core constituencies so many times before people get fed up and think that "they're all the same."

[rgbecker]

4. It's all about Right Wing Hate Radio.

Rush and the rest, everyday brain washing poorly educated Americans all across the country. It took a lot of dead bodies and finding no WMDs that finally found the truth dawning on the brain dead.

[Captain Hilts]

11. Yes, I think Katrina was a turning point for hate radio too. nt

[stray cat]

5. Alot of America support aspects of the republican agenda and are fearful of democratic stereotypes

and believe they are all pacifists who will never defend anything and do not support the values of rural America including marriage and family, faith and recreation habits.

[librechik]

6. the finest, most amoral propaganda machine since Nazi Germany.

dang, if only we believed in propaganda and lies . We could hypnotize the people into believing our agenda too.

We''re stuck with the truth and no media access.

[navarth]

7. Let's not forget the responsibility of the people to educate themselves

Yes I know, everybody's trying to make a living, feed their kids, etc. TOUGH. If you don't know what's going on and you don't try to find out, you're guilty.

I exclude from this mini-tirade anybody who's holding down three jobs to make ends meet. Anybody like that just can't do it.

[zbdent]

10. It's kinda hard to keep the gen. pop.'s attention when they suffer from

Attention Defi - hey look! A squirrel!

(kudos to Frazz ...)

[SoCalDem]

8. Fear.. bullying.. rigged elections

to name a few ways:)

[No.23]

9. The answer lies in one picture...

As Ralph often said and some Dems like to misquote:

"There isn't enough of a difference between the Democrats and the Republicans" (often misquoted as "there isn't a difference between....")

[AndrewP]

12. The complicit media, and a lazy electorate.

[Seeking Serenity]

13. Health-Care "reform." AWB. 40+ years of solid (and calcified?) Democratic control of Congress

The GOP had an articulated plan (the Contract for America) that they could focus voters' attention on. We hated it in form and substance, but it was politically brilliant -- a simple plan with articulable points that could be easily explained.

As the previous 40+-year reign in Congress by the Democratic Party amply demonstrated, incumbancy is a very hard thing to overcome. So after 1994, it was easier for them to stay in power. The power of incumbancy is only overcome when the people decide it's time for a serious house cleaning. We're just lucky they weren't able to keep a 40-year hold on Congress (Thanks so much, GWB!).

[steelmania75]

14. They won in the 1994 elections because they were saying Clinton was a disaster already..

[Juche]

15. Lazy electorate, war on terror, incumbent benefits to reelection, republicans are better politicians

I am also confused. Anyone who paid a bit of attention should've known DeLay and Gingrich should not be in power and were plutocratic autocrats.

To be fair, the senate was in dem hands from 2001-2003. And the 110th congress had bigger dem majorities in the house than any time the GOP had majorities from 1994-2006.

I think fundamentally the GOP is just better at politics and elections. Their ideas suck, but the majority of americans barely pay attention anyway enough to figure that out. Luckily, now that the GOP has controlled the senate, house and executive at the same time the public cannot ignore what kinds of policies they'd pursue in power. Hence they are getting raped in the polls now.

[Stinky The Clown]

16. The media

everything else was fodder for the media

[moondust]

17. Maybe this will help.

Cable News TV Ratings Roundup For February
Posted on 25 February 2009 by Bill Gorman

By Program

NETWORK PROGRAM NAME P2+ A25-54 A18-34 A18-49 A35-64

FOXN THE OREILLY FACTOR 3,608 803 169 591 1,438
FOXN HANNITY 2,768 671 141 491 1,101
FOXN GLENN BECK 2,173 512 130 411 894
FOXN SPECIAL RPT W/BRET BAIER 2,063 455 103 341 876
FOXN THE FOX REPORT W/S.SMITH 2,056 492 105 377 904
FOXN ON THE RECORD W/GRETA 2,020 462 102 337 794
CNN LARRY KING LIVE 1,500 407 95 339 622
FOXN AMERICAS NEWSROOM 1,500 366 75 264 681
FOXN YOUR WORLD W/NEIL CAVUTO 1,476 313 73 246 578
FOXN THE OREILLY FACTOR (RPT) 1,451 458 111 345 709
MSNB COUNTDOWN W/ K. OLBERMANN 1,359 446 176 371 687
CNN ANDERSON COOPER 360 1,351 440 117 375 608
FOXN STUDIO B W/S.SMITH 1,274 278 55 213 507
HLN NANCY GRACE 1,252 469 118 378 691
FOXN HAPPENING NOW 1,242 301 60 218 526
MSNB RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 1,223 383 143 342 606
FOXN LIVE DESK, THE 1,218 290 53 213 507
CNN SITUATION ROOM 1,089 266 86 234 476
FOXN FOX AND FRIENDS 1,066 351 44 251 623
CNN CAMPBELL BROWN 1,052 310 83 274 466
CNN LOU DOBBS TONIGHT 994 288 83 253 474
MSNB COUNTDOWN W/ K. OLB(RPT) 825 285 134 276 414
CNN ANDERSON COOPER 360 824 335 91 292 430
CNN CNN NEWSROOM 809 227 68 194 365
MSNB HARDBALL WITH C. MATTHEW 740 212 71 167 352
HLN NANCY GRACE (RPT) 683 309 73 238 408
HLN ISSUES 591 239 60 193 348
MSNB 1600 PENNSYLVANIA AVE 571 157 71 141 262
MSNB RACHEL MADDOW SHOW (RPT) 540 206 103 208 284
HLN LOU DOBBS TONIGHT 535 213 41 167 299
CNN AMERICAN MORNING 501 186 43 147 286


Lots of hypnotized zombies.

http://tvbythenumbers.com/category/ratings/top-news/cable-news