Decision ‘08

Punditish Provides The Perspective

Don’t despair if the worst comes to pass, says our old friend:

I don’t know how the 110th Congress will look when the chads have settled sometime near Midnight, but I do know that, short of an absolute shellacking, Republicans should not despair over Congressional losses. After all, we’ve been repeatedly informed that the ruling party, historically, loses seats in mid-term elections. The last few elections, however, have turned this precedent on its head. This may be due to the GOP’s sophistimocated get-out-the-vote strategery, or it may be the result of the War on Terror. I do not pretend to know.

What I do know, however, is that this previously common wisdom is under fire, to the point at which Democrats are positively giddy at the possibility that they might actually take control of a segment of Congress. Republicans, on the other hand, have become so accustomed to winning that they’ve grown despondent at the prospect of something which, until recently, was considered par for the course.

Electoral standards have been raised on the right side of the aisle, and correspondingly lowered on the left. And while I cannot fault conservative voters for being disappointed with what might unfold today, I do hope that disappointment, if it materializes, is tempered by perspective.

I say this not because I support all conservative candidates, or because I regard Democratic control of the House or Senate as an unmitigated bad. To the contrary, I have come to believe that no party will entirely behave itself if given free reign, and that a sane and competitive Democratic party is ultimately in the interest of all conservatives.

This is true…and we all need to hope that the sane part of the Democratic Party asserts itself. One thing to watch for, if the Dems do win, is ridiculous assertions on the part of the Nutroots® that they delivered the victory.

On the contrary, the one candidate who most personifies their aspirations on the national level, Ned Lamont, is by all accounts headed for a good whipping. No, if the Dems win this one, the true culprit is clear: an air of incompetence surrounding Republicans over our handling of the occupation, fueled by the initial tepid response to Katrina.

Katrina? Have I lost my mind? Yes, Katrina…because prior to Katrina, there was still a feeling that there was a need to be measured in criticism of the Commander-In-Chief (remember the outrage directed towards the Dixie Chicks? Today, it would barely register). Après Katrina le deluge - on more levels than one…

One Response to “Punditish Provides The Perspective”

1 too many steves Says:
November 7th, 2006 at 11:18 am
Erosion of support for the GOP was not an event but, just as it is in geology, a process. Slow but steady abandonment of conservative principles (smaller government, lower taxes, less intrusive government, security, & economic issues) bring us to where we are today. Actually, I am willing to bet that were Katrina to happen 100 times, and incidents 2 - 100 occured with the full benefit of hindsight, it would play out exactly the same way. Not because the response was a failure of leadership, which it was, but because large, bureaucratic organizations do not move fast, efficiently, and effectively.

As for the Dems winning control of some or all of Congress: I don’t see a huge downside in that happening. The majority will be small, the Dems have proved themselves to be less cohesive on the issues, and they are likely to run into a President who opposes their agenda. Thus, GRIDLOCK is my prediction should the Dems prevail today and GRIDLOCK in government makes this voter happy.