A colleague at work tried to bust on me for being a Steelers fan in Eagles country and a Bush supporter in an extremely liberal workplace. I replied, "I have no defense and don't need one. All we do is win." And smiled.
Hillary Clinton, in the middle of one of her anti-Administration rants, said tellingly, "One thing they [Republicans] do know how to do is win elections."
Which is why I am not concerned about the so-called ripe atmosphere for (D) gains in Congress. All that matters in elections is the last 60 days, weighted heavily toward the final weeks, and in these final weeks I see things trending GOP.
Gas prices are down sharply.
The economy is robust and job creation is up.
The DOW is flirting with record highs.
Consumer confidence is up.
War rhetoric is up. (R) leads (D) by a commanding margin on the issue of homeland security. If (R) is able to reframe the issue from "Iraq is a quagmire" to "Who will keep you safe?", (R) owns that issue.
American deaths in Iraq are down.
Foiled terrorist plots are up.
Don't rule out a significant Al Qaida capture or military offensive about a month from now.
Bush's job approval is up -- to 44 percent in some polls, consistent with previous presidents at midterm.
Crazy dictators shouting the same lines as Rangel and Schumer and Kennedy is up. Soon you will be seeing split screen ads showing (D)'s on the left and crazy dictators on the right. Those ads will be tremendously effective.
(R) legislative successes in the House are up.
(R) candidates are trending up in the polls. Even Slate's latest polling shows (R) keeping the House.
In Gallup's latest poll, 67 percent of those polled said (D) has no clear plan for Iraq. So even if Bush lied, kids died, what does (D) offer in exchange? Nothing. That is their major failing. Years to think about it, and still nothing, just Buck Fush. That's embarrassingly weak. Such blatant weakness cannot carry a country that is at war whether it wants to be or not.
Some are now arguing that the winner in these elections will be loser, poised for defeat in 2008. That's stupid. The winner in these elections will be the winner. (D) has serious problems already, which will only be made worse by another defeat, and failing to gain the House must be considered a defeat, especially given their giddiness in recent months about their prospects. They are about to blow their best chance, and that just ain't good news for the Democratic Party.
Like the Cubs, I love when Democrats lose. I especially love it when they (Cubs and Democrats) lose in humiliating fashion, but I won't get greedy.
1 comment:
This is a nice analysis of the current situation, E.
The Dems have had an opportunity all year, but they can't distance themselves from the fringes and articulate a positive message forward. If they start to express any specific plan on the war they will either anger the MoveOn crowd or they will alienate their own moderates. It's easier to hate Bush as the least common denominator. You can probably win 45-46% on that alone but you can't cross the goal line.
Post a Comment