Voter ire threatens GOP seats

Washington Times ^ | 10-16-08 | Donald Lambro and Sean Lengell

[JZelle]

A fast-growing anti-Republican wave threatens to significantly shrink the party's ranks in Congress, as Democratic challengers make headway against once safe incumbents including the Senate's minority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

Nearly a dozen Senate Republicans - many considered safe for re-election just weeks ago - are now in locked in tight races with Democrats. Analysts and operatives agree that such a change could put Democrats within reach of a filibuster-proof, 60-vote majority.

Democrats also are poised to make significant gains in the House, where they now have a 36-seat majority in the 435-member chamber. Analysts are predicting that Republicans could lose as many as 30 additional seats, which is nearly double recent expectations for net losses.

Congressional election analysts have sharply raised their forecasts of the number of likely Republican losses in the Senate, adding Mr. McConnell and Sens. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia, Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and Norm Coleman of Minnesota to the list of those primed for defeat.

"My range of likely Democratic pickups now is six to eight, but I don't dismiss the possibility of nine," said Miss Duffy of the Cook Political Report. With that number of pickups, Democrats would gain a 60-vote majority, enough to shut down Republican-led filibusters that often have succeeded in blocking Democratic measures.

[ScottinVA]

OK, I get it now. We the public despise Congress so much (10% approval rating), so let’s just make it MORE like it is now. Yeah! Let’s go with that plan.

[ari-freedom]

I think all of these banks are now GSE’s like freddie mac.

[ari-freedom]

yes but democrats never punish their own no matter what they do. That’s why saxby will lose and barney frank will win.

[LibFreeUSA]

Yep.

Voter ire set to embrace the party of...

Tim “Screw Her” Mahoney
Barney “Screw Him” Frank
Charlie “Screw You” Rangel
Chris “Screw Everyone” Dodd
Bill “Bomber” Ayers
Jeremiah “White America” Wright
Franklin “Got My Millions” Raines
John “They’re Racists” Murtha

[goldstategop]

We have a Republican Administration in power and that's why GOP is set to lose this year. The financial crisis wiped away any gains the GOP made earlier in September. Its hard to run the tables when you can't point the fingers at the Democrats. They SHOULD get the blame but its worth pointing out that by definition, life's unfair. Get used to it - we're in for some tough years ahead.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[MadIsh32]

My big fear is the Dems will be able to use “George W Bush” for the next 40-50 years just like they used “Herbert Hoover”

It is going to be tough sledding for a while. We must we must constantly be highlighting our differences with the communists and go back to what we believe in, small gov’t which believes in the right to life and that our citizens come first

But we haven’t done that while in power

[Brookhaven]

Voters should be mad at Republicans, the problem is they should be mad at Democrats too.

Chambliss brought it on himself with his amnestry attempt and other disregard for our State’s citizens.

I'm seriously considering voting AGAINST Chambliss (not for the Dem.) I've come to the conclusion that he is more part of the problem than the solution.

Thankfully, Linder is my congressman. At least there is one vote I can feel good about.

[ari-freedom]

it’s not the spending per se.

we could have built and repaired more roads and bridges and wired up the whole country for broadband. Those ideas would be good for the economy.

The problems were the toxic viral GSE’s, promotion of debt (so much for the ownership society), more pork and more regulations like Sarbanes Oxley.

[goldstategop]

The Republican brand is damaged by its promotion of government spending and eagerness to side with most of the Democrat agenda. Why have two liberal parties in this country? The voters aren't that stupid!

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[ari-freedom]

so when the polls say congress has low approval, it’s really an association with Bush. The republicans made no attempt at a national “contract with America” campaign.

[sarasota]

I think it’s much like the numbers that have already declared Obama as President. Perhaps Americans will just surprise us by putting more Republicans in the Senate in addition to electing McCain as President.

[Non-Sequitur]

Perhaps Americans will just surprise us by putting more Republicans in the Senate in addition to electing McCain as President.

I'm not going to hold my breath on that one. I'd be happy to see McCain win, but I fully expect that he'll be dealing with a Democratic House and Senate.

[MoreGovLess]

they were too busy lining their pockets to be accountable

[Post Toasties]

The gutless congressional Republicans ought to start a huge reform movement to dump Frank and Dodd as finance committee chairmen for causing our current financial crisis.

Can't these Republican turkeys in Congress see that doing so is becoming necessary for them even to survive as an effective force in Congress?

[businessprofessor]

I'm seriously considering voting AGAINST Chambliss (not for the Dem.) I've come to the conclusion that he is more part of the problem than the solution.

Your intentions are foolish. Chambliss has his faults but he is far better than the alternative. It is difficult to remove incumbents so Georgia may be stuck with a rat senator for a long time.

The rats are the problem, not most Republicans. Rats have radical ideas on every policy including taxes, health care, energy, environment, housing, racial preferences, labor, litigation, and education. The rat winner in Georgia will be the other rats almost every time. Chambliss will vote against them most of the time.

[Post Toasties]

I don’t see why. IAC, our concern is the next few weeks.

[BillT]

There are always corrections to cycles only the government can make it worse by playing God with the used-to-be-free economy.

Government intervention only makes it a deeper recession/depression and much much longer.

Thank your congress critter!

[ScottinVA]

“My big fear is the Dems will be able to use ‘George W Bush’ for the next 40-50 years just like they used “
‘Herbert Hoover’”

Nah. Americans are a fickle bunch; plus the Dems will over-reach if Obama wins. They’ll press their liberal agenda too hard and cause a backlash. Likely we’ll see a resurgence in ‘10. Remember, the Dems will have to defend more than 20 Senate seats that year. We thought the GOP was headed for a generational dark age when Clinton won in ‘92. Then, two years of liberal mismanagement later, we took both houses of Congress by storm.

Yes, the Dems will rule the Senate and House, and quite possibly the Oval Office. But they’ll fail, just as before.

[ScottinVA]

Chambliss and McConnell are not going down. Even Ted Stevens is ahead by +1 in the latest poll. I predict a net gain of +5 or +6 for the Dems. If so, so what? As long as we hold the power of filibuster, it’s no different than what we’ve had since the 06 elections.

[rollo tomasi]

My big fear is the Dems will be able to use “George W Bush” for the next 40-50 years just like they used “Herbert Hoover”

My biggest fear, which has already come to pass, is the ignorant electorate not understanding Aritcle I and Article II of the United States Constitution.