So, even a narrow win in yesterday’s special election to replace Rep. Robert Wexler in FL-19 would have spelled electoral trouble for Democrats nationally, but a comfortable Democratic win is entirely meaningless…?
“A closer race would’ve added to Democratic paranoia about their chances this fall, but the fact that Deutch performed close to the average for a Democrat in the district does not lessen the fact that nationally, GOPers are still likely to enjoy big gains in the general election,” said Tim Sahd, editor of Washington-based House Race Hotline.
Funny how it works out that way, huh? Democratic victories in special elections — even pickups — are ignored by the pundits as foregone conclusions or outliers, whereas Republican victories are hailed as precursors of an electoral earthquake.
Seems to me that our media has something invested in creating a little drama this fall.
The Republicans are reaping the fruits of their “scorched electorate” strategy hatched after the Goldwater debacle.
Good. Good for them.
Their tactics are divisive, spiteful and hatefull and besides the fact they aren’t working it is now becoming clear they are losing an entire generation of voters.
Great. Couldn’t happen to a bigger bunch of assholes.
Republicans will get used to the idea of losing elections between now and 2012.
“Couldn’t happen to a bigger bunch of assholes.”
Agreed.
Just like the Conservative Party candidate in the NY23rd last year that run on not needing to know the local issues and then lost, partly because he did not know much about the local issues. The significance of that loss for the GOP(who were using the Conservative Party candidate because their own candidate was too moderate, almost like Wally Hickel’s return to the Alaska Governor’s office on the AK Independence Party ticket even though he was still the big supporter of Alaska Statehood that he was in his early days), was a district that some joked had more recently been held by a Whig Party member than a Democrat.(That long)
The Tea Party people may have managed to split something in New York, usually the Conservative Party takes advantage of the Fusion sysgtem and cross-endorses the Republican, just like the Liberal and Working Families parties cross-endorse the Democrats, instead of running their own candidates.
Maybe it’s a good idea for the media to keep repeating the wingnut’s predictions of a rousing victory in November. That may be the one thing the Democrats need to mobilize their base in an off-year election. Perhaps we can repeat the incredible turnout of 2008 simply by reminding people that if they don’t vote, the Republicans will do their best to turn back the clock to 2008. Or 1928. Or 1872.
“Seems to me that our media has something invested in creating a little drama this fall.”
Or maybe the media, which is owned by rich white guys who vote Republican, has one hell of a rightwing bias.
Media eats ratings, the good of the nation is a distant second (or third behind tv hair).
Yes, they need a simple, repeatable, and attractive drama for the Fall line up. Journalism and reporting are money losers, talking heads repeatingwords you want to hear between advertisements is king.
Big media is in charge, we’re fucked.
But I think that the media is missing a point. Sure, Seniors may feel “don’t mess with my Medicare/Medicaid”, self survivor needs. Fear relentlessly hammered by Faux Entertainment.
At the same time, MANY of those Seniors have major real fears for their own Children/Grandchildren and seeing the need of Healthcare Reform, needs of unemployment benefits/COBRA assistance, flood insurance. They have lived through the Great Depression or have had their parents hammer all the lessons of the Great Depression, never to forget frugality or the desperation.
The Seniors are a serious voting block. But I don’t think the Republicans can count on Seniors being as stoopid as Republicans may think they are. The Republican Party is not the same as in the old days.
It was hilarious! The Republican ran on the complete Republican dream platform, with as its centerpiece a heapin’ helpin’ of “Repeal the ACA!”
And he lost by 26 percentage points.
Democratic district? Proably. But did non-Republican independents, disgusted with an overreaching and out-of-control government, flock to their Repeal candidate and make it an unepxected horse race? FUCK NO.
Just don’t think that message is gonna resonate the way some folks hope.
Arlen Specter is trailing a Republican by 10 points in Pennsylvania.
Deutch got 62% in a District Obama got 66%.
He outspent the Republican by 15-1.
The R’s obviously conceded this District as evidenced by the lack of spending.
It’s a long-time Democrat District.
No big deal.
Would have been had the R’s dumped equal $$ in.
There are many more fertile fields to be harvested.
@10 Exactly, the Tea Party is moot. Obama won the district by 66%, even with the drop in his poll numbers (he’s not magical anymore, just a good politician) the Democrat still carries the district by 62%. What that tells me is that the folks who voted for Obama have NOT run screaming away. No big change.
The Tea Bager Party is made up of almost exclusively Republicans and independents who did NOT vote for Obama, they’re only splitting Republican tickets. Or they’re retarded. Obama and Clinton campaigned for a YEAR on doing some form of national health care, the ONLY debate was HOW close to single payer all inclusive it would be. If they voted for Obama and are NOW angry at what he’s doing, they’re RETARDED! Obama hasn’t EVEN DONE half of what he promised in his campaign. God damn, if he DID they’d be three times as pissed. So none of these folks angry at the black guy…I mean spending…voted for Obama anyway, at least such a small percentage as to be moot.
How retarded! This was too safe a district for Democrats. It wasn’t an outlier AND was a foregone conclusion. Wexler was an asshole and is replaced by another asshole. What’s your problem?