Bring It On: Van Hollen Dares GOP To Make 2010 Elections About Obama

[babylonsister]

Bring It On: Van Hollen Dares GOP To Make 2010 Elections About Obama


The Democratic Party’s House campaign chief is daring the GOP to nationalize the 2010 elections as a referendum on Obama, vowing Dems will respond by aggressively casting the contest as a showdown between the current President and George W. Bush.

In an interview with me about the emerging GOP strategy to make this year’s Congressional races about Obama and his national policies, DCCC chief Chris Van Hollen insisted that it would be a bust, because it would “open the door” to “bringing in Bush and Cheney,” who “drove us into the economic ditch.”

But Van Hollen did seem to concede that Obama’s policies — and even a campaign appearance by Obama himself — could prove liabilities for some Dems in marginal districts.

The developing GOP strategy: Tap into voter anxieties about the monumental scale and cost of Obama’s policies, to paint Congressional Dems as irresponsible enablers of an unchecked national Big Government agenda. But Van Hollen insisted that would give Dems an opening to turn the tables — a sign Dems know their best chance to stave off huge losses is to go on the offensive and ensure the election isn’t about themselves.

“They’ve got a very tough argument to make,” Van Hollen told me, speaking of Republicans. “If you want to nationalize the election, you also bring in Bush and Cheney. If they do that, they open the door to the question: Why would you give the keys to the guys that drove us into the economic ditch and then refused to help get out of that ditch?”

“If you want to talk about President Obama’s record, you have to recognize that he inherited a mess that was given to us by Bush and Cheney,” Van Hollen continued. “You can’t argue one without having to address the other. We will ask a simple question: How did we get into this mess and what have Republicans done to get us out of it?”

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http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/house-republicans/bring-it-on-van-hollen-dares-gop-to-make-2010-elections-about-obama/

[LiberalAndProud]

1. Target engaged.

Exactly. We may not be perfect, but we are a damn site better than the alternative, and that will *win* us seats in 2010. Watch and see if I'm not right, blather from the talking heads on the noise boxes not withstanding.

[phantom power]

2. The GOP will absolutely dare.

And I think it may work. I suppose we'll know in 11 months.

[OHdem10]

3. The GOP will make it about Obama and policies, especially Health

Care.

I fear blaming Bush is getting old in the American Public's eyes.
I am not excusing Bush Administration. Everything has a shelf
life. They should have been out in force early on using the
Bush Lines and explaining how and why they are better and should
be trusted.