How this midterm effects 2008 - my opinion

thomez · 11-08-2006, 06:01 PM

I think that having Pelosi as the forefront of the Democratic party will hurt them over the next 2 years, I am still not convinced they have anyone who can win in 08, nor that they have what it takes to put someone in the White House, so I predict that 2008 brings us a Republican President, a Republican Senate, and a much closer margin in the House.

I really believe that the more people in middle America see of Pelosi, the less they will like her - she's a super-liberal woman from California, who comes off very pompous when speaking - that is just a terrible leader for them on the national scale. It could very well cost them 08.

That's my .02 at least.

Ardentfrost · 11-08-2006, 06:03 PM

Since dems got both sides on congress, I sure hope they don't get prez in 2 years.

So maybe Pelosi is a good thing

garbagemanlb · 11-08-2006, 06:14 PM

Originally Posted by thomez

I think that having Pelosi as the forefront of the Democratic party will hurt them over the next 2 years, I am still not convinced they have anyone who can win in 08, nor that they have what it takes to put someone in the White House, so I predict that 2008 brings us a Republican President, a Republican Senate, and a much closer margin in the House.

I really believe that the more people in middle America see of Pelosi, the less they will like her - she's a super-liberal woman from California, who comes off very pompous when speaking - that is just a terrible leader for them on the national scale. It could very well cost them 08.

That's my .02 at least.

I disagree. I think Pelosi is intelligent enough to realize she has to be moderate on the issues. She is aware of her situation and prominence now in the national spotlight, and she is aware of the pressure that this has and the power she has now to potentially influence the 08 elections.

There will be investigations of certain areas of the Bush administration and policy, but the true focus will be on making progress with the issues set out in the 100 hour plan and trying to bring back accountability and oversight to Washington.

Of course, the Republicans are going to try and paint Pelosi as a latte-drinking elitist ultra-liberal, but she will not act as such, and the Republicans would have had a better chance with that argument in the months BEFORE this mid-term, which for some reason (beyond me) they didn't do.

Thorgrim · 11-08-2006, 06:25 PM

Originally Posted by thomez

I think that having Pelosi as the forefront of the Democratic party will hurt them over the next 2 years, I am still not convinced they have anyone who can win in 08, nor that they have what it takes to put someone in the White House, so I predict that 2008 brings us a Republican President, a Republican Senate, and a much closer margin in the House.

I really believe that the more people in middle America see of Pelosi, the less they will like her - she's a super-liberal woman from California, who comes off very pompous when speaking - that is just a terrible leader for them on the national scale. It could very well cost them 08.

That's my .02 at least.

Harry Reid will be the public figure...i mean really who knew who was Denny Hastert in 2004?

Who knew who the speaker was in 2000 for that matter?

The only person people knew was Newt because he was obnoxious and a firebrand...Pelosi will govern as a moderate...and then theres no ammo for the media to use on her

You are going to see a TON of great legislation that will either pass and be popular or be vetoed/embarrass republicans

Also, hearings that make the GOP look bad for how they handled the country from 2001-2006

Denny Hastert almost never made big public speeches...they will probably do the same with Nancy, let Harry Reid the Majority Leader be the face, if people are even looking for one

People are going to look at the Dem candidate as the face of the Democratic Party

Clark/Richardson/etc with Warner as a VP? Great faces

I don't see anyone except McCain who can win in 2008, and who knows if he'll win the primary and if he can beat after 2 years of Democrats making the GOP look bad through entirely fair ways

thomez · 11-08-2006, 06:47 PM

I think 2 years is more than ample time for Pelosi to both make a fool of herself and look like the pompous liberal bitch that she definitely is. She is not who I would want in a national leeadership position if I was a Democrat, that's for sure.

And I think she wants to be a new Newt, a firebrand with opposite opinions.

RMNIXON · 11-08-2006, 07:04 PM

I still predict this will be mistaken as a victory for the far left (even though clearly centrist Dems led the victory) and that may hurt the Democrats in 2008 if they get carried away? Also note the constant mantra of blame the Republicans for verything is OFF THE TABLE! So it all depends on who gets the 2008 nod in both parties and how far to the edge they are driven by their respective base voters.

Should be a good one!

Thorgrim · 11-08-2006, 07:12 PM

Originally Posted by thomez

I think 2 years is more than ample time for Pelosi to both make a fool of herself and look like the pompous liberal bitch that she definitely is. She is not who I would want in a national leeadership position if I was a Democrat, that's for sure.

And I think she wants to be a new Newt, a firebrand with opposite opinions.

What can I say except that I think you're completely wrong and we'll have to agree to disagree

Thorgrim · 11-08-2006, 07:16 PM

Originally Posted by RMNIXON

I still predict this will be mistaken as a victory for the far left (even though clearly centrist Dems led the victory) and that may hurt the Democrats in 2008 if they get carried away? Also note the constant mantra of blame the Republicans for verything is OFF THE TABLE! So it all depends on who gets the 2008 nod in both parties and how far to the edge they are driven by their respective base voters.

Should be a good one!

It was a victory for the far left

17+ progressive candidates won, the majority was won by progressives "nutroots" whatever you wanna call them

The Senate was won by the netroots buzzing about Tester and Webb when the original outlook was that the first was too liberal, the later not established enough...also who rallied behind Whitehouse, Brown, and all the other holds against people like Steele/Kaine

The Senate was all about the far left, 8 seats became more liberal, the only loss was Lamont

thomez · 11-08-2006, 07:23 PM

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

What can I say except that I think you're completely wrong and we'll have to agree to disagree

well since neither of us can predict the future, that seems to make perfect sense

Vietvet · 11-09-2006, 11:18 AM

Originally Posted by thomez

I think that having Pelosi as the forefront of the Democratic party will hurt them over the next 2 years, I am still not convinced they have anyone who can win in 08, nor that they have what it takes to put someone in the White House, so I predict that 2008 brings us a Republican President, a Republican Senate, and a much closer margin in the House.

I really believe that the more people in middle America see of Pelosi, the less they will like her - she's a super-liberal woman from California, who comes off very pompous when speaking - that is just a terrible leader for them on the national scale. It could very well cost them 08.

That's my .02 at least.

I think the far right is dead in '08. Republicans will be forced to nominate someone like Guliani or Mitt Romney. I think McCain has even lost a lot of credibility, mainly because of his supporting an increase in the number of troops in Iraq, and because of his giving in to Bushco after taking a stand on interrogation of prisoners. Pelosi will prove to be a formidible an intelligent leader in the House, especially when compared "head to head" with Hastert. I mean, who WOULDN'T look good compared to that bell-ringin' bastard?

The "L" word is not gonna work as effectively any more as a tool for the far right to scare people. The only true Liberal in Congress is Bernie Sanders, and he's a socialist. The "left" is actually the center. The only reason the right doesn't understand that is because the right today is just left of Fascism. The so-called "left" today is actually what used to be called the middle.

Scrum · 11-09-2006, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by Vietvet

I think the far right is dead in '08. Republicans will be forced to nominate someone like Guliani or Mitt Romney. I think McCain has even lost a lot of credibility, mainly because of his supporting an increase in the number of troops in Iraq, and because of his giving in to Bushco after taking a stand on interrogation of prisoners. Pelosi will prove to be a formidible an intelligent leader in the House, especially when compared "head to head" with Hastert. I mean, who WOULDN'T look good compared to that bell-ringin' bastard? The "L" word is not gonna work as effectively any more as a tool for the far right to scare people. The only true Liberal in Congress is Bernie Sanders, and he's a socialist. The "left" is actually the center. The only reason the right doesn't understand that is because the right today is just left of Fascism. The so-called "left" today is actually what used to be called the middle.

Excellent post. I couldn't agree more.

6SpeedTA95 · 11-09-2006, 12:07 PM

I think the result of 06 will force the political parties to get back to their true roots. That means democrats becoming more moderate and economically conservative. That means that republicans will once again strive for smaller government and economic conservatism. Both parties in the 50s and 60s were pretty conservative economically, especially the democrats. The dems didn't move far left until the assasination of Robby in 1968 at that point their left drift became a significant left shit and they've steadily gone more left over the last few decades to the point that Dean and Pelosi are seen as party leaders. Something that will hurt the party in 08 and I think republicans will take the white house unless the democrats nominate someone like Ford or Bayh.

DosEquis · 11-09-2006, 12:13 PM

Not so fast my friend /lee corso

She, as an individual is fairly "left, however the group she is leading is a fairly conservative group of democrats for the most part. She, although maybe "left", is not a retard and knows what they have to do.

I happen to like the faces that are surfacing for president on the democrat side. Biden, Clark, Obama, etc... I can't really think of any republicans other than maybe Rudy and McCain. Both of which have proven to liberal for the conservative base.

6SpeedTA95 · 11-09-2006, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by DosEquis

Not so fast my friend /lee corso

She, as an individual is fairly "left, however the group she is leading is a fairly conservative group of democrats for the most part. She, although maybe "left", is not a retard and knows what they have to do.

I happen to like the faces that are surfacing for president on the democrat side. Biden, Clark, Obama, etc... I can't really think of any republicans other than maybe Rudy and McCain. Both of which have proven to liberal for the conservative base.

You think Clark will run again? I like clark...actually I like all three of those guys but tend to agree with clark's politics. Also what about Bayh?

Scrum · 11-09-2006, 12:27 PM

Originally Posted by 6SpeedTA95

You think Clark will run again? I like clark...actually I like all three of those guys but tend to agree with clark's politics. Also what about Bayh?

It's looking like he's going to run. No official announcement, but he's been around quite a bit lately.

Haven't heard about Bayh.

Stylerod · 11-09-2006, 12:52 PM

Here is a good article by George Will that fits nicely in this thread:

Some highlights

At least Republicans now know where the "Bridge to Nowhere" leads: to the political wilderness. But there are three reasons for conservatives to temper their despondency.

First, they were punished not for pursuing but for forgetting conservatism. Second, they admire market rationality, and the political market has worked. Third, on various important fronts, conservatism continued its advance Tuesday....

Making the Democratic House majority run smoothly will require delicacy. The six elections beginning with 1994 produced Republican majorities averaging just 10 seats. The six elections before 1994 produced Democratic majorities averaging 44. Nancy Pelosi's majority will be less than half that. The most left-wing speaker in U.S. history will return to being minority leader in 2009 unless she eschews an agenda that cannot be enacted without requiring the many Democrats elected from Republican-leaning districts to jeopardize their seats.

This year Democrats tacitly accepted much of the country's rightward movement over the past quarter-century. They did not call for restoring the 70 percent marginal tax rates that Ronald Reagan repealed. And although Pelosi and 15 of the 21 likely chairmen of committees in the coming Congress voted against the 1996 welfare reform, which has helped reduce welfare rolls by roughly 60 percent, Democrats this year did not talk about repealing it.

The property rights movement gained ground Tuesday as voters in nine states passed measures to restrict governments from exercising eminent domain in order to enlarge their tax revenue. In Michigan, opponents of racial preferences in public hiring, education and contracting easily passed their referendum, 58 to 42 percent, in spite of being outspent more than three to one. In Minnesota -- the only state Democrats have carried in each of the past eight presidential elections, but one that is becoming a swing state -- Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty was reelected. And, come January, the number of Republicans in the House (at least 200) will still be larger than the largest number during the Reagan years (192 in 1981-83).

The country remains receptive to conservatism. That doctrine -- were it to become constraining on, rather than merely avowed by, congressional Republicans -- can be their bridge back from the wilderness.

Complete article
George F. Will - A Loss's Silver Lining - washingtonpost.com