Friday, September 17, 2010

The Race to November is On

UPDATE II: "Republicans are threatening to force a tax increase on the middle class unless they get paid off with tax breaks for the wealthy. It’s an offer Democrats must refuse. . . [Democrats] need to highlight their differences with the G.O.P. — and it’s hard to think of a better place for them to take a stand than on the issue of big giveaways to Wall Street and corporate C.E.O.’s." Read The New York Times, The Tax-Cut Racket.

Time to call the Republi-con bluff!


UPDATE: "Contrary to popular belief, this week’s Tea Party victories haven’t hurt the electoral prospects of Republicans in November. . . [their] damage is all in the future. Right now, the Tea Party doesn’t matter. The Republicans don’t matter. The economy and the Democrats are handing the G.O.P. a great, unearned revival. Nothing, it seems, is more scary than one-party Democratic control. " Read The New York Times, The Backlash Myth.

Not yet anyhow.

And therein lies the Naive-crat election strategy.

Will the Republi-CONs win big in 2010? In order win by "the earth-shattering, upside results that Republicans are dreaming about — they will need for three basic things to happen. First, they will need a solid majority of independent voters to select their candidates. Second, they will need the Democratic base to be disinterested in the election. And third, they will need their own base to be enthused."

And for that to happen, the party establishment and their subsidiary, the Tea Party, will need to make nice, nice.

And therein lies the Naive-crat election strategy.

A Republi-CON Civil War Told Ya So

UPDATE II: What effect will this civil war have in November? Will independent voters abandon the Republi-con party? Not so says one pundit.

"Contrary to popular belief, this week’s Tea Party victories haven’t hurt the electoral prospects of Republicans in November." Read The New York Times, The Backlash Myth.


UPDATE: For more analysis of the meaning of the last group of primary election read the Washington Post, Republicans ride the tea party tiger, Righty pundits on 'suicide' watch, and Bill Clinton: New-look GOP makes Bush look liberal.

Today's top election story is Christine O'Donnell beats Rep. Mike Castle in Delaware Republican Senate primary, which finds this primary outcome "the latest in a string of embarrassments for the Republican establishment this year, underscoring the civil war that continues to rage in the party." As a result, in Delaware Senate race "the Republicans went from being extremely likely to win the race to extremely likely to lose it."

But I (and others) foresaw the civil war.

From an October 2008 post: "Suddenly, the conservative writers are discovering that the very anti-intellectualism their side courted and encouraged has begun to consume their movement." -- Is The Unholy Alliance Coming Apart (which quoted Washington Post, Civil War on the Right)

Other posts and updates over the past year regarding the Republi-con civil war:

A Preview of the 2010 Republi-CON Cat Fight

Are You Ready for Some Republi-CON Smack Down

But the Republi-con know they risk losing in the general election if they don't reach out to independents and moderate Republicans. Look how Rubio has 'veered from the Tea Party script.'

Is it possible the Naive-crats retain control of the House and Senate?

Who Wants the Nuts to Rule?

UPDATE III: Watch the absolutely hilarious Colbert Report on Tuesday's primary results:

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As unlikely as a reasonable person might think, O'Donnell may win in November. She is "poised and telegenic, with a sparkle that her Democratic opponent, Chris Coons, will be hard-pressed to match. She has mastered what should be called the Sarah Palin Affect -- the perkiness, the folksiness, the religiosity, the occasional flash of bared fangs -- and she performs it well."

God help us all.


UPDATE II: And how would the Tea Party rule? "Tea Party candidates this year have voiced opposition to masturbation, support for prohibition and a fear that bicycle-sharing would lead to world government. " Read the Washington Post, The Tea Party: More than just white tea?


UPDATE: This week marks end of primary season, with seven states voting. And not everybody is happy about the way it is ending. "Victories in Republican primaries on Tuesday by Tea Party-backed candidates may complicate Republican efforts to gain control of Congress." Read The New York Times, G.O.P. Braces for More Discontent in Final Primaries.

Also read Politico, Charles Krauthammer rips 'irresponsible' Palin and the Washington Post, The Tea Party: From rebellion to absurdity, with a great quote -- "I could buy a parrot and train it to say, 'tax cuts.'"

Pretty much sums up the Republi-cons.

What is the Tea Party? A "loose agglomeration of right-wing insurgents, libertarians, conservatives, evangelicals, survivalists, gun-rights crusaders, anti-tax protestors, deficit hawks, anti-government zealots, militia members, Ayn Randers, Limbaugh “ditto heads,” Glenn Beck fanatics, birthers, Birchers and supporters of Sarah Palin and Ron Paul." So writes Will Bunch in his new book, The Backlash: Right-Wing Radicals, High-Def Hucksters, and Paranoid Politics in the Age of Obama.