Are the Repubs going to slaughter the Democrats as advertised??

[kentuck]

I saw Charlie Cook, a political pollster, on TV this morning saying that Repubs only need 39 seats to take back the House. He thought they might take 50 or more. Do you agree that the Democrats are going to get slaughtered in November?

Or do you think it might be a case of self-fulfilling propaganda? If they say it over and over enough times, then everyone starts to believe it? And the Democrats do not turn out at all in November? And the Republicans turn out in full force because they hate Obama so much? Also, because the jobs market and the economy really suck? And they have been successful at blaming it on Obama and the Democrats. After all, he said the stimulus would keep unemployment below 8%. Was that a mistake or a major blunder?

What, if anything, can the Democrats do to prevent this slaughter in November? The way they are running scared, afraid to challenge the lies of the Republicans, it might just happen? I still think George W Bush is the best issue that the Democrats have. But they seem very hesitant to use it anymore. But the damage this moron caused may be with us for decades. Unfortunately, no politician can say that.

[babylonsister]

1. No. I hope Cook goes down in flames. The Dems have a lot

of $ and strategy coming up. Don't give up the ship.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

16. Right

I think it's still early to give up. The Dems have been too quiet so far- they are either planning to hold their fire until after Labor Day and then start really hammering on the GOP through November or they have already given up and expect to lose big time in November (and are secretly relieved that they might be back in the minority so that they don't have to assume responsibility for "not doing anything"- at least according to some people :eyes:). I tend to think that the reality is the former rather than the latter. The GOP has ended up with a whole roster of "teabagger" candidates that should be easy targets for the Dems to pick off come election time. I don't really think that the DNC honestly believes that we're doomed in November. I think that what's going on is a good old-fashioned "rope-a-dope". I could be wrong but I do NOT believe that this is going to be a re-run of 1994 despite the desire of so many people trying to make it so.

[babylonsister]

20. I have NEVER believed they want to lose; exchange

Pelosi for boner? I don't think so. I know they have tricks up their sleeves, and think the rethugs are anxious. They're not taking a stand on anything (big surprise there) until Dems fire the first shot. We're about to see a free-for-all; should make the fall very interesting.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

22. Me neither (and I know you haven't either)

I've just been seeing that meme pop up here and elsewhere and felt like I needed to say something about it. I agree with you. I think that Cornyn was saying last weekend that he thinks it may take TWO election cycles to get back into the majority, which indicates that even he is not at all certain of a Republican takeover after November and he is in a position to be "in the know" as one of the Republican campaign coordinators. I think that the primary election of so many "teabaggers"- combined with a lack of dynamic leadership and the stain of Bush II- is going to conspire to mess up their plans to win big in November. The Republican MINORITY will likely be bigger next January but I don't think they'll be in the MAJORITY by any means. Bookmarked for future reference......

[Atticus]

2. The truthful answer is "I don't know", but I will venture an observation.

Despite everything we saw and heard and felt in our guts through the summer and fall of 2008, the MSM kept insisting that McCain/Palin and Obama/Biden were "neck and neck". Even after everyone with a pulse would have bet their pension that the tall black guy was going to the White House, the MSM tried to talk into existence a last minute "groundswell" that would sweep Gramps and Gidget into office.

NOT!

I hope the American people will get off their collective asses and prove the spinmeisters wrong again.

[Dawson Leery]

3. Why we should keep Democrats in power/keep the teaklan out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwgNzi4tNL8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUPMjC9mq5Y&feature=fvwk

Do we really want a teaparty/fox 'news'/right wing victory this fall?

[annabanana]

oh hells no.. They are shooting grade A prime, crazy wingnut crap

WAY beyond their batshit base and into mainstream media where not-crazy people can see it..

[ThomWV]

4. No, Biden got it right as he so often does.

While nobody was watching Joe Biden has become the best Vice President since Al Gore.

[3waygeek]

5. Talk about damning with faint praise n/t

[bigtree]

28. Actually it was Gore whose terms redefined the modern vice-presidency

. . . into a more active, vital role than in the past.

[66 dmhlt]

29. Well, D'oh! That only leaves CHENEY

We all got mold in our refrigerators that would have been a better Vice-President than "The Dick"

[Vogon_Glory]

6. The Mainstream Media Has Been Listening To The Right Wing Too Long

The mainstream corporate media has been listening to the right wing for so long that they lost the ability to sift out the truth from right-wing propaganda.

I think a lot of the blame for this can be laid at the doorsteps of senior editors and media honchos. The suits have been pressured by wingers and Republicans for YEARS about so-called "liberal bias," and like so many victims of the "big lie," they chose to believe it.

Moreover, the suits have done a very good job at gutting their news departments, firing reporters, and failing to practice investigative journalism. In doing so, they lost a lot of people who were good enough at their jobs that they could have told them that the right's charges were so much horse-droppings. Left with a shortage of reporters, a shortage of news materials, the senior editors started incorporating right-wing propaganda into their reportage--and started believing it.

For a while it looked like (so-called) "conservatism" was the coming thing. Look how many Republican Presidents we've had since Ronald Reagan got elected. Look at the Republican-controlled Congress that nearly ran the country into utter ruin.

I think that the election of Barrack Obama has signaled the beginning of the end of the so-called "conservative era," but we'll have to fight hard to smash movement conservatism to bits.

We Democrats will probably lose some congressional congressional seats this autumn. We'll probably also lose a couple of Senate seats, too. But we may gain a couple of Senate seats as well as losing others.

I'm from Texas. OUR Democratic party has been kicked to the curb and we're still in the middle of a very long march back to where we were in 1990. So I can look past our defeats.

As annoyed as I am at Barrack Obama for his caution and timidity (FDR would have been a lot more aggressive), I don't think Obama will let the Democratic establishment repeat the 1994 'Fat, Dumb, and Happy' routine that cost Democrats control of Congress back in 1994.

As for the corporate media, being seen often enough as fools, idiots, and just plain wrong when reality contradicts their pundit-driven predictions might make at least some of them lose their habit of taking the right wing's bull as gospel truth.

:dem:

:patriot:

[sendero]

14. What "we'll" have to do..

. is stop passing legislation that benefits only corporations. Obama apparently does not know how to do that.

[madrchsod]

7. illinois is a crap shoot....

it could go republican...senate, house , and governor

[MannyGoldstein]

8. Elected Democrats need to help working Americans

And they need to do it immediately. The 90% of them that suckle at the teat of The Predator Class need to pry their mouths off, swear off triangulation, and start doing that they promised to do when we sent them.

If they do that NOW, we'll do fine.

[stevedeshazer]

9. No.

I think this meme is way overblown.

Only the same racists and nutcases as before will vote for Republicans.

Apathy is the greatest danger for Dems.

[lynne]

10. People tend to vote with their wallets. So, Yes, unless the economy improves -

- significantly between now and the election. The party in power always takes a hit when the economy stinks. It doesn't make any difference as to why or how the economy got into that condition.

[Chipper Chat]

11. In 1998 Brit Hume said the republicans were going to pick up 20 seats.

They lost 12!

[Dawson Leery]

12. Jeff Greenfield (remember him?) said 30-40 seat gain for the GOP.

[midwestnerman]

13. Brit Hume is a wingnut n/t

[Dawson Leery]

15. True.

[DFW]

17. Charlie Cook is not a partisan hack like Luntz

But he can only poll the present. We can make some serious ground between now and November.

"Can" being the operative word here. It could still go badly for us, but we could do far
better than such polls now indicate, and people a lot better informed than I am think so as well.

[Imajika]

18. You are completely correct...

Everything you just said is exactly accurate.

Cook is not making anything up, if the election was held today we would be in serious trouble. We do have time though, and we CAN turn this around with a good solid Fall campaign. All we need to do is minimize our losses. We've done so good the last 2 cycles that we were bound to lose a few seats - we just can't lose too many. We just need to hold the House and Senate, we will make up a lot of the ground we lose this cycle in 2012 when the President is at the top of the ticket.

[Dawson Leery]

27. As you said.

If nothing else, keep the Teaklan out of power.

[Raine]

19. Most likely IMO nt

[CanonRay]

21. Not in Colorado

We're going to hold onto everythingn we've got, and pick up Attorney General as well.

[Iggo]

23. I hope not. On the other hand, advertising works.

So knock it off!:rofl:

[gazeteere]

24. It's all Lies, Damned Lies and Damned Polls -can't trust anything these days,

The media has really become a joke. With clowns like Glenn Beck, rush Limbaugh and the politically motivated, Fox News network, where do you get the truth.

If you want a clue in that direction, read this, it really gives a great insight on how to read the polls.


Sad reality is, you have to struggle to find the truth, and websites that are not affiliated with any special interest are more reliable than anything that you will find on radio, television or newspapers.

[Panaconda]

25. I do not think so

What we have in this country is mass political confusion and incoherence. The levels of disenchantment are very high. The largest bloc of "voters" are the ones that stay at home, not because they are apathetic but because they understand perfectly they are not being represented.

It will be a draw and the unrest will simmer for a bit longer.

[Trekologer]

26. The Dems need to stand for something

Right now, I don't know where the Democrats stand on issues. I know that the GOP stands for not doing anything but it is not clear what the Democrats want to do.

Despite what polling suggests about the health care bill and how it is unpopular, I think we can use it that to our advantage. Admit that it was not a perfect bill but also point out that it was the best that could be passed with the GOP blocking every attempt at reform. Highlight the good parts (such as elimination of the Part D donut hole, your young adult children can remain on your policy while they get themselves on their own post school, coverage cannot be denied for pre-existing conditions) and offer improvements to it (maybe things like premiums cannot increase higher than inflation, public option/medicare buy-in) and contrast to the GOP wanting to go back to no reforms.

Remind voters where we started in 2009.

We wanted to improve access to health care, the GOP wanted to do nothing.
We wanted to protect consumers from abuses by credit card issuers, the GOP wanted to do nothing.
We wanted to reform Wall Street so that "to big to fail" was a thing of the past, the GOP wanted to do nothing.
We wanted to stimulate the economy by rebuilding our infrastructure, the GOP wanted to do nothing.
We wanted to protect the 9/11 first-responders, the GOP wanted to do nothing.