Posted on 05/19/2010 4:35:30 PM PDT by MissesBush
Republicans who were already planning their Nancy Pelosi retirement galas for November may want to cancel the caterer. The GOP lost the most important election that was held on Tuesday, and if it fails to learn from the experience the party will lose in the autumn too.
The GOP lost the one race in which a seat in Congress was up for grabs, the contest to replace the late Jack Murtha in the 12th House district in southwestern Pennsylvania. John McCain had carried the seat with 49% of the vote in 2008, President Obama's approval rating was well below 40%, and the national party poured about $1 million into the contest. Yet Republican businessman Tim Burns was crushed by former Murtha aide Mark Critz, 53% to 45%. In a swing district in what is supposed to be a Republican year, that's embarrassing.
What happened? One obvious lesson is that Democrats aren't about to go down without a fight. Mr. Critz was able to use his ties to Murtha to rally his union base and prevail in a low-turnout election. Republicans who were counting on their voters to be more enthusiastic should be concerned that too many stayed home when it counted. Democrats have been reading for months that their majority is in peril, and Tuesday's results showed that they know how to motivate and get out their vote.
Republicans also got outsmarted on message. The GOP's made-in-Washington strategy was to "nationalize" the race by stressing Mr. Critz's Beltway ties and linking him to the Obama agenda on health care, cap and trade, and runaway spending. One problem: Mr. Critz said he was against all of that stuff too. The national Republicans ran TV ads playing up Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Obama, neither of whom were on the ballot.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
But McCain won this district in the 2008 pres. race, in a very tough election year for Republicans. Something went seriously awry here in a year that's suppose to be good for Republicans that Burns wasn't able to prevail. True the Dem. primary and low turnout no doubt helped Critz, but there are other lessons here we need to learn for the fall.
It is a good post. An excellent reminder that the American public still like their freebies. I see no real evidence for this Republican tsunami many talking heads are predicting - particularly on Fox. There is nothing in these turnout numbers that give me a reason to believe the American public is really furious and “not going to take it anymore”. The GOP should win seats in November, but I seriously doubt they take either the House or Senate.
Oh, we did get another Paul out of Tuesday’s election. Ugh. More Paulbots inbound. At least Rand doesn’t sound like will be hanging up with Truthers like his Dad. If what we have to look forward to is more Paul family nonsense, the Republican Party is in serious trouble.
This man ran as PRO LIFE
ANTI OBAMACARE
PRO GUN
How is this a lesson to us. Are we to disallow conservative dems to run for political office.
The man worked for Murtha in the home district office. He was the face of Murtha for years.
This knee jerk blather is unintelligent and laughable.
Are you smoking COKE? The Independants most assuridly Voted in this Congressional Election! but possibly some more Indys will showin November, but OBOZO has Lots pf “STIMULUS MONEY” waiting for distribution on November 4th by the likes of ACORN, the Black Panthers,and every Demorat Ward Boss!
“The 2-1 Dim voter ratio was stupid enough to reelect Murtha after he insulted them repeatedly.”
#####
Indeed.
And that is why I am not nearly so depressed over this loss. Did we really expect to win in the diseased, corrupt, lockstep Democrat area known as Pennsylvania 12.
All the political signs where I live contain “Your Conservative Choice”. I am sure that is a common tactic to delude the masses.
Remind voters of all the Dems who voted against Obamacare the first time it hit the House, but who caved like cheap whores on the second go-around, ala Bart Stupak, Scott Murphy, etc. And tell voters guys like Critz are just as likely to cave if given a chance, esp. under the threats and cajoling of the Pelosi cabal.
A good candidate and a good message could have overcome all that. With all the "Blue Dog Democrats" who exposed themselves as total phonies on Obamacare and the stimulus and the myriad other ways they've voted in lockstep with Pelosi, it should have been a no-brainer for Burns to lump Critz in with them as just another hack who pretends to be one thing at home and goes to DC to be Pelosi's best friend. How hard would it have been to just say "When given the choice between a pretend conservative and a real one, your surest bet is to go with the real conservative." Sorry, we can't be as cavalier and dismissive of this as you want to be. We need to apply what went awry here or November is going to be an embarrassment.
Of course the NRCC would never run such an ad. They would tell us that it is too confusing or mean spirited. It would be called "negative campaigning". But th etruth is that it would expose how the game is played, and the GOP leadership would prefer to lose.
Now, granted, Indys’ could vote in the special election, in question -—
But Rendell KNEW Dem turnout would be huge, and Rendell picked this date for a reason.
Conservatives need to understand strategy. A great many people do not vote on issues, at all. Also, Turnout and “coat-tails” are always in play.
The Dem Senate Primary was HOT -—
That helped any Dem (ONE, in the Special Election)
I think the vote count was around 70,000 for Crist and 60,000 for Burns with a turnout of 45,000 Repubs. That means Burns got 15,000 independent an/or dem votes and a 10,000 margin with a 2 to 1 advantage in a district that was specifically gerrymandered to benefit murtha.
A 7.6% MOV is not a rout.
Mr. Critz said he was against all of that stuff too.
"Do we want to send someone to Washington who has to fight his own leadership to represent us?"
"Will you therefore, if elected, not vote for Pelosi for speaker?"
"What will Pelosi do? Punish our Rep with no position and no power - for us?"
etc. etc.
Simple answer there. Democrat voters in that district are racist and won't vote for a black man.
Bump. Seems like a good article to me. Readers need to distinguish between the psyops “analysis” articles that lefty organizations like the AP puts out (along with the more obviously liberal trash, that is) and constructive criticism by conservatives for conservatives. Conservative Republicans and others people in the constitution, Libertarian parties, etc. often seem to think that if Dems go too far, the Republican party will be swept back into power, clean up the beltway for good, and everything will be hunky dory again. Others have given up hope, thinking that the Left-Democrat insurgency will never really ever go away no matter how they vote. There is a bit of truth in both points of view.
I don’t know a thing about the republican in this race so I can’t comment on his message.
Seems there have been several really good men running against Murtha since he maligned our marines but none have been able to beat him......even in death it would seem.
...not only that, but this writer isn’t the only person who is suspicous about the Fairtax.
You are 1 Trillion Percent Correct! Fast Eddie Rendell is a Sleasemeister First Class....He has all but destroyed Pennsylvaniafor his and his Party’s Gain! and he will do everything and anything to get Sestak elected in Nov. with that disgusting Onarato and everthing he can do to destroy Charley Dent and all Patriotic Pennsylvanians! We have to stop the Rendell Thugs and get Toomey, Dent, Burns and every great Pennsylavanian Conservative Candidate elected!
...........or America as we Love Her will be gone by 2012!!
The GOP would be wise to point out to the voters the current performance (i.e. Stupak & Co)of current Blue Dogs and how they easily compromise those values.
Good analysis. To me, the operative words in the article were “low turnout.” Had the GOP — or any other organizations that tout themselves as being movers and shakers — bothered doing the grassroots organizing that was necessary, they could have beaten the Dem with a good Repub voter turnout.
I can’t think of one Washington organization, with the possible exception of AFP, that is really serious about grassroots organizing. In fact, I personally know of one whose national political director is so divisive that when he goes in to organize, he creates such dissension that he destroys whatever he touches. Did that up in NY23. Angrily took over Hoffman’s campaign just as he was surging, reversed the momentum, and pulled defeat out of the jaws of victory. All because he divided everyone around him.
The Right needs to get serious about boots on the ground.
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