GOP's current position mirrors Democrats' spot in 1993

[UrbScotty]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/krwashbureau/20050519/ts_krwashbureau/_bc_congress_politics_wa

Republicans are starting to find themselves in the same kind of political environment that Democrats faced in the summer of 1993 - the year before the Democrats lost control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years.

Reverse the party labels and the circumstances are strikingly similar.

Now, as then with the other party, Republicans' ethics are under assault. Their opposition denounces their vicelike control as "arrogant." Their ambitious agenda risks overreach and public backlash. Their popularity is sinking. A unified opposition party is holding off until closer to the next election before offering its own agenda - thus withholding any good target for counterattack.

There's one major difference. Both parties have redrawn House of Representatives district boundaries to make their members safer. That makes it much more difficult than in 1994 to sweep the ruling party out of power in a single wave of voter anger. Also, Republicans have more than a year to improve their standing, plenty of time in politics.

Still, Republicans have cause for concern, and Democrats for optimism.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

Read that story,

It ignores the growing national mood, which is, to my mind, is under-reported,

People are getting it. At just the right rate,

[PSPS]

2. It's not the same as '93

First of all, there is no "democratic Gingrich." Second, the state media wouldn't cover them even if there were.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. You ignore...

Harry Reid. He may just resonate differently than Gingrich.

[LightningFlash]

15. I would offer the opposing view...

I think people are getting that this needs to stop and these individuals need to be held accountable. There may not be any recourse with the next election, knowing the voting machines are still out there....

This is heading towards an uprising. It could lead into impeachment trials.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Self-Delete

n/t

[BattyDem]

4. I don't mean to kill the mood, but there IS one major difference ...

DIEBOLD :-(

If it wasn't for those damn machines, I'd been feeling very optimistic about 2006. Then again, if it wasn't for those damn machines, President Gore would be serving his second term ... or at the very least, President Kerry would be serving his first. :cry:

[IbeaBonehead]

6. ya beat me to the punch

:)

[BrendaStarr]

11. Not just Diebold

The Republican rank and file is more activist in getting their message out to the rest of the people in the nation.

And you won't find them tearing down their own candidates 99% of the time in their own groups.

[BattyDem]

13. "you won't find them tearing down their own candidates"

That's true, but ... if I think the Dem candidate is wrong on something, I'm going to say so. Blind obedience and unquestioning loyalty is their game ... and look where it's gotten us. :-( Liberals are who they are because they support debate and dissent. I don't think that's a bad thing and I don't believe it has cost us elections ... because I don't believe we lost.

As far as getting the party message out is concerned ... they're not better at it - I just think it's a thousand times easier for them to get their message out because they have the media to repeat their talking points 24/7. The public tends to believe you when every newspaper, news broadcast, news magazine and radio talk show repeats your lies and supports your message.

[Beetwasher]

21. Diebold AND The Corporate Media

A deadly combination.

[IbeaBonehead]

5. There is however one MAJOR difference I can see..

The GOP now controls the voting technology. The Dems never had that advantage.

We saw it in 02, 04 and we WILL see it again in 06.

I will bet anyone $100 that the GOP retain it's majority in the COngress and the Senate.

Any takers?

Line em up...

[Arkana]

7. GOP's Current Position Mirrors Democrats' Spot in 1993

http://news.yahoo.com/s/krwashbureau/20050519/ts_krwashbureau/_bc_congress_politics_wa

Very, very interesting...

WASHINGTON - Republicans are starting to find themselves in the same kind of political environment that Democrats faced in the summer of 1993 - the year before the Democrats lost control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years.

Reverse the party labels and the circumstances are strikingly similar.

Now, as then with the other party, Republicans' ethics are under assault. Their opposition denounces their vicelike control as "arrogant." Their ambitious agenda risks overreach and public backlash. Their popularity is sinking. A unified opposition party is holding off until closer to the next election before offering its own agenda - thus withholding any good target for counterattack.

There's one major difference. Both parties have redrawn House of Representatives district boundaries to make their members safer. That makes it much more difficult than in 1994 to sweep the ruling party out of power in a single wave of voter anger. Also, Republicans have more than a year to improve their standing, plenty of time in politics.

---

And yet all it would take is for a bunch of Pukes to say "Y'all don't want them....QUEERS to marry, do ya?" and people would flock back to the party in droves. :grr:

[leesa]

8. I don't think so. Republicans are facing treason charges and war crimes

charges. I think it's a tad different.

[alittlelark]

9. Quite a few 'Tads' different.

Almost like night and day different.....

[flaminbats]

10. Republicans should take some advice from the DLC in 1989...

http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=128&subsecID=174&contentID=2447

"the politics of evasion -- continues unabated today, years after the collapse of the liberal majority and the New Deal alignment. Its central purpose is the avoidance of meaningful change. It reflects the convictions of groups who believed that it is somehow immoral for a political party to pay attention to public opinion. It reflects the interests of those who would rather be the majority in a minority party than risk being the minority in a majority party.

This paper is an exploration of three pervasive themes in the politics of evasion. The first is the belief that Democrats have failed because they have strayed from the true and pure faith of their ancestors -- we call this the myth of Liberal Fundamentalism. The second is the belief that Democrats need not alter public perceptions of their party but can regain the presidency by getting current nonparticipants to vote -- we call this the Myth of Mobilization. The third is the belief that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the Democratic Party: there is no realignment going on, and the proof is that Democrats still control the majority of offices below the presidency. We call this the Myth of the Congressional Bastion."

If Republicans took this advice seriously they could have a lasting majority, if not..:nopity:

[Democat]

12. We have no strategic leadership and the right wing owns the media

A little different than 1993.

What we need are a lot of new candidates running in 2006 who have a unified message.

We should take lessons on speaking from Galloway and put together and nationwide strategy if Democrats want to win big in 2006.

After what we saw in 2004, I doubt anything big is going to happen in 2006.

[UrbScotty]

20. So Howard Dean is not a leader? (nt)

[ngGale]

14. As hard as I try to believe this....

just can't get by the voter fraud. They have it down to a science now, unless our party can cheat better then I may have hope.:tinfoilhat:

[LightningFlash]

16. It's not going to help.

Not until the voting machines are taken care of in these districts...I'm sure they want to keep majority, and do anything to retain it.

[Kolesar]

17. these are like "filler messages" ... eom

[Skittles]

18. yeah, but Democrats did not control the voting machines

that is a major difference

[Demit]

19. LOL! I assume the writer meant "vise-like", but vicelike will do.