Stray thought
Let's not forget the GOP had a "first 100 days," too.
I accept that they're kind of blocked on action in the minority, but they also haven't found a single effective attack line on the Obama Presidency. "Socialist/fascist," "weak overseas," "not serious enough to wear ties in the Oval Office(!!!)," have all failed in definition. They're resonating with the shrunken Republican base, but falling flat in the center. Obama is "approved of" both overall and on the issues.
The Republicans have a "first 100 days" job, too, and thus far, it's not getting done. They have elections in 18 months.
I accept that they're kind of blocked on action in the minority, but they also haven't found a single effective attack line on the Obama Presidency. "Socialist/fascist," "weak overseas," "not serious enough to wear ties in the Oval Office(!!!)," have all failed in definition. They're resonating with the shrunken Republican base, but falling flat in the center. Obama is "approved of" both overall and on the issues.
The Republicans have a "first 100 days" job, too, and thus far, it's not getting done. They have elections in 18 months.
posted by mikevotes at
8:06 AM
2 Comments:
The Republicans keep hoping that Obama will "blow it" somehow, which (to them) means that Independents will come streaming back to the GOP. There is this mystical "pendulum" that swings on its own, regardless of what either party does, at least in their minds.
But it hardly seems likely that the GOP will look more attractive in 18 months than it did in 2006 or 2008, even if Obama tanks. Nearly all races are shaping up with righter-than usual Republican candidates.
Obama's possible failure will not make the Right look attractive to minorities. Independents will still see the Party of Rush, Gingrich, and Rove, which is what they fled from. And the MSM's power to shape the narrative is declining due to lack of credibility. The best that the GOP could hope for is a depressed turnout among Obama's base and an incredible turnout from their own base. But the Republican base is getting smaller each month, and is concentrated in too few states to force a national re-alignment.
Even cautious estimates give the Democrats two more seats in 2010.
The thing is, the Republicans can run extreme candidates in several reliably "red" states and win. This will only serve to encourage them to stay well to the right and apply this same strategy in hopeless situations and on the national stage. This is why I don't see losses in 2010 as something that will produce a return to the centre for the GOP. They will have to run someone certifiably mad in 2012 and lose terribly before they can begin to make their way back to sanity. And they will still have the crazy people that got elected in red states in 2010 giving them a bad name.
By
Todd Dugdale , at 8:44 PM
The sad thing is that the area where Obama is falling short of the mark is one where the Republicans cannot attack him.
His support for the secret surveillance of US citizens and his current move to reduce protections against coerced confessions are the only really unacceptable things he has done. But the right cannot go after him for stuff like that, because it is what they would do.
By
OpenMindedRepublican, at 9:52 PM
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