Posted on 07/11/2006 8:06:20 AM PDT by GeorgiaDawg32
ASPEN — Democrats should perform well in November if they focus on issues like climate change, former president Bill Clinton told an Aspen Ideas Festival audience Friday.
“Historically, we should win,” Clinton said. “We might well win one or more houses.” In a wide-ranging, hour-long interview, Clinton discussed AIDS, Sudan, limits to executive power, climate change, Rwanda, oil, Iraq, Democratic Party strategies and GOP mastermind Karl Rove.
The Republican strategy is weak, he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at vaildaily.com ...
Oh, man, I'm sure you're right!
Lindsey Graham uses a metaphor from the links to describe his political discomfort. His fellow Republicans remind him of a tournament golfer who ignores the leader board and thinks he is ahead going into the 17th and 18th holes, when he really is trailing.
"It's like we think we'll get by with pars on the last two holes when we really need birdies," Graham told me. He referred to the 2006 mid-term election, where he sees a real danger of Republicans losing control of both houses in Congress for the first time since the 1992 elections. Such foreboding reflects Graham's fear that demographic changes in America will extend beyond this year's elections and return the Republican Party to minority status.
Graham's remedy to avert short-term and long-term disaster: return to fiscal integrity by seriously cutting spending -- clean up entitlements, develop sane environmental and immigration policies .....necessary for the party's health .... find little GOP support on Capitol Hill and only mixed backing at the White House.
It is not merely lack of enthusiasm for Graham's agenda. Since talking to the senator, (Novak talking)I have tested his theories with a dozen prominent Republicans.
Each of them says the American voter will stick with the Republicans after taking a good look at Democrats, a mind-set that often is a precursor of defeat. To follow Graham's metaphor, perhaps they are not reading the real leader board of American politics.
Republicans surely seem to need some birdies to keep Senate seats in 2006. Rick Santorum remains far behind in Pennsylvania. Conrad Burns is in trouble in Montana. Jim Talent trails in Missouri. Mike DeWine is threatened by a noxious Republican atmosphere in Ohio. Lincoln Chafee is endangered in Democratic Rhode Island. Jon Kyl faces a surprisingly tough race in Arizona. Despite excellent candidates in Minnesota and Washington state, no Republican challenging for a Democratic-held Senate seat is in the lead. Thus, a six-seat takeover capturing the Senate is possible.
This is of special concern for Republicans because the third of Senate seats contested in 2006 is more favorable to their party than what will follow. The long-term outlook troubles Graham, who sees a bleak GOP outlook north of the Mason-Dixon Line. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins in Maine and Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania may be the last Republican senators from their states. The rising Hispanic-American population not only has transformed California into a Democratic state; freshman Democratic Sen. Ken Salazar looks like the new political face of Colorado, and Arizona is no longer safe for Kyl conservatives.
These demographic changes suggest an end to the gradual political realignment that began in the late '60s and produced consistent electoral success for Republicans. As a South Carolinian, Graham must worry about his party suffering the fate of Democrats in the 1920s. Democrats elected only 20 House members and won no presidential electoral votes outside southern and border states in 1920.
Accordingly, Graham is one conservative Republican who supports President Bush on immigration. He and Bush advisers agree that the immigration hard line may alienate the Hispanic vote with disastrous consequences. But Graham has little backing at the White House for a softened party line on global warming and entitlement reform that includes greater contributions by upper-income Americans.
Graham sees the highest Republican priority as controlling federal spending. He proposes renewing the campaign for a constitutional amendment mandating a balanced budget, backed up by self-restraint on earmarks. That agenda evokes limited applause in party circles. Sophisticates in Washington roll their eyes over constitutional limits on spending. Senators John McCain and Tom Coburn have not made friends by fighting earmarks. After all, why should Republicans clap if they think they are ahead going into the last two holes?
OK to have a few laughs at Bubba's expense entre nous, but he is one smart politico. Bubba is shoring up the base right now and I would take him very very seriously ... not to say the GOP should follow his lead. But dammit, I don't think we look at all good in the coming election. Whatever the GOP is going to do, (and I would love to know) they had better start doing, or GW is going to be one very lame duck indeed.
The truth is there's very little the Democrats can bring up without splitting their party.
I agree.
I think the truth is, the 'moderates' have abandoned both parties as regular members. The moderates will still vote at election time, but they don't really vote in primaries or participate in party building between elections.
Which leaves only the fringe Ls as the basis of the D party. And to please them, you gotta pretend to believe some crazy stuff! Which will kill them come time for the general election.
E.G. "You know Al Gore, in addition to inventing the internet also forced the low volume flush toilet through the Senate. It's a typical Democrat solution in that it now takes 25 gallons of our precious water resources to accomplish what 7 gallons used to do.
BTW, the Democrat/Green Loony Left Solution to the problem their stupidity and political correctness caused?
Or how about the switch from R-12, to R-134 Refrigerant in Automotive AC. It's 30% less efficient, thus requires larger components, is prone to leakage, is explosive, corrosive ... and worst of all, the "hole in the ozone layer" pseudo-science that the switch was based on turns out NOT TO EXIST.
Ducks suffering from lead poisoning, ethanol fuels, special gasolines, etc ad inf. All based on bullsheep science .... all costing us billions. Even the damned glue used to hold the heat tiles on the shuttle was changed because of environmental regulations ... and now the tiles fall off!
Jeez, Attack, Attack. Attack! Remember the Dems always have a head start, and they always have fraud going for them in the close ones! 50+% of the American public simply cannot be too stupid to understand, if we tell it right.
OH PUHLEASE.....I hope they all take this advice!
The election campaigns really don't start until after Labor Day.
Compared to the Democrats' platform of "climate change"????
LOLOL!!!
This is the crucial "marketing" period for the election, during which directions and major themes are tested and established. It's just like a retail establishment: now is Christmas. The Back-to-School ads are getting ready to go in the can, the media buy is ready to go.
It is also a period in which the Democrats, who IMHO, are always better at this, have a thousand different weasels out there following coherent scripts, establishing directions and themes. We are lucky they haven't hit on a big winner yet, but they certainly seem to have a lot of little ones!
So far, the GOP is telling itself:
"Any fool can see the Democrats are complete and traitorous weasels, loony-left green maniacs. Why, see here, no sane person could possibly vote for them!"
This ain't a winning strategy. (One really cannot count on analytical intelligence among one's audience, especially if one is leaving it up to them to get the data one might already have. One has to show them.)
Novak, who ain't my cuppa tea neither, is giving a platform to Lindsey Graham, to whom I think it is worth listening, and with whom I largely agree as to the attitude of the Republicans.
Hey, I hope I am dead wrong on this. But I am very nervous about the Democrats taking over the house and Senate when this country is at war, and in danger.
The Dems have not been very good at this for the last decade. They have no positive agenda and lack ideas. They are using the old playbook, which is not working any more. Historically, they should have picked up seats in 2002.
Novak, who ain't my cuppa tea neither, is giving a platform to Lindsey Graham, to whom I think it is worth listening, and with whom I largely agree as to the attitude of the Republicans.
Lindsay Graham is a RINO who is not worth listening to. I predict that he will face a tough fight in SC in getting the party's nomination for reelection. He should worry about responding to his own constituents.
Hey, I hope I am dead wrong on this. But I am very nervous about the Democrats taking over the house and Senate when this country is at war, and in danger.
Not dead wrong, but mostly wrong. The midterms will largely depend on what is happening in Iraq and the economy. The gerrymandering that has gone on in the House has resulted in very few competitive races. The incumbents won 98% of the elections last time. Historically, the Reps should lose seats, but there is no guarantee that will happen. All elections are local so a lot also depends on what is going on in each district and state. It is a bit early to start concluding that all is lost or that we can't lose.
The general public will not listen to the "marketing" until after Labor Day and the end of the summer vacation period.
WHEW! Thanks and from your lips to God's ear.
I don't what it is but after these lefties leave office (Carter, Gore, Clinton), they tend to go way to the looney left.
They need to focus on climate change?!? Climate Change!!!! Whatever, Bill. Don't know if he's playin' to the audience, tryin' to get some, or pointing the way for his party - any way, let him keep talkin'.
Neo-hippies. They have shorter hair but still bathe in patchouli and spread VD.
And no, you can't go for the free eats and drinks. They have gatekeepers who can spot a true believer, which we ain't. The circle of self-congratulation of the Left is a thing of wonder. Your Left wingers would sell their mothers for acceptance by these people at these events ... and they often do.
It's a cult.
limousine liberals - you gotta love 'em. Manhattan, Aspen...where can we jet to and talk about how we can save the environment from those eeeevil Republicans.
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