Faux News has some bad news for Dennis Hastert.
WASHINGTON — House Republican candidates will suffer massive losses if House Speaker Dennis Hastert remains speaker until Election Day, according to internal polling data from a prominent GOP pollster, FOX News has learned.
“The data suggests Americans have bailed on the speaker,” a Republican source briefed on the polling data told FOX News. “And the difference could be between a 20-seat loss and 50-seat loss.”
Most GOP lawmakers have stood by Hastert, pending a full airing of the facts in his handling of the Mark Foley affair, in which the former Florida representative was caught exchanging salacious messages with teen pages in Congress. The new polling data, however, suggests that many voters already have made up their minds.
The GOP source told FOX News that the internal data had not been widely shared among Republican leaders, but as awareness of it spreads calculations about Hastert’s tenure may change. The source described the pollster who did the survey as “authoritative,” and said once the numbers are presented, it “could change the focus” on whether the speaker remains in power.
Notice that they are putting their choices as between “a 20-seat loss and 50-seat loss.” Either way, that would make John Conyers, Jr. the head of the Judiciary Committee and would spell doom for the GOP. But I am not going to count my votes before they are stolen.
Over at MyDD, Chris is wondering whether it would create more chaos if Hastert resigns. I think it would.
If Hastert resigns the House would probably have to reconvene to elect a new speaker. And then the real bloodletting would begin. It would also take precious campaigning time away from their many vulnerable candidates.
If this Faux News report is true, though, the Republicans may find themselves in a no-win situation. It sucks to be them.
Six months ago I bet my husband $50 that the democrats would win both houses. Last night he finally admitted that he might be in danger of losing that bet.
I’m not counting on anything, not anything. I may just stay in bed on election day and drink. But oh my, things are starting to look up…
But I am not going to count my votes before they are stolen
That was a great line. Sad state of affairs, but it made me laugh on a day that I feel invaded by the ghost of Hunter S. Thompson.
even if they win, Hoyer and the other Republicrats will do everything they can to insure that John Conyers doesn’t get anywhere near that Chairman’s seat. Do you think that he won’t use the very same change in seniority rules that he attacked the Republicans for?
Maybe. But a big Dem House win would have a momentum of its own that the Dinos might not want to swim against. Fear, after all, is their overriding motivation.
It sucks to be them.
My eyes are welling up.
He’s made history as Speaker, according to his site: (1) the first Republican Speaker in more than a century, (2) one of two Republicans to be reelected Speaker for four consecutive terms.
And now ??? (3) first speaker to resign just before election day for ignoring/covering up a Republican scandal ???
well, he isn’t the first GOP speaker in a century, since Gingrich was Speaker before him.
Remember Repubcorp™ was preparing for a thousand year reich . . . I mean to be in power for the 21st century.
Yes, why yes it sucks to be them.
Absolutely. And I just can’t feel very sorry for them. My heart bleeds, as they say.
So silly for Hastert to lie… yet, there it is.
I wonder where people are getting their news on this? The MSN, including PBS and NPR, are treating this like victorian ladies hinting at the existence of sexuality. “Inappropriate messages” seems to be the favored euphemism for what was in fact blatant obscenity. Anyway, good for us.
Being me, I can’t be 100% happy that Hastert and the GOP got away with so many murderous lies and swindles and incompetencies, only to be brought down for being an enabler in a sex scandal. Kind of like Al Capone finally going to the slammer over tax evasion while getting away with murder, kidnapping, extortion, and all the rest. But we’ve got to be grateful for whatever finally bursts through the media’s supine Bushlove.
Anybody know if Hastert could be forced out of his leader job without an impeachment-like proceeding? If he absolutely refuses to resign, can he be pushed out by party leaders? That would seem to be the worst of all options for the Godly Old Pederasts.
all it takes is a call for a vote for the speaker position, and whoever wins the election becomes speaker.
Yep. That’s those are watch words. ” But I am not going to count my votes before they are stolen.”
Against 2 more years, with a backdrop on the loooong war on terra, I doubt that Dems will savour the victory.
Unless, the win in both houses will be large enough to sustain Articles of Impeachment.
for the past couple of decades.
godDAMN
On the very issues that they beat progressives over the head about.
The gift that keeps on giving…
At least we know the difference between gay and pedophile. The way they are spinning, a few hundred heads are going to explode over the mass confusion.
Oh, I want Hastert to resign. I WANT HIM TO.
It may just stop that Naval squadron going from Britain to Iran, as London Yank at the Orange Zone has alleged.
It sucks to be them.
The definition of Republicanism in 2006 CE in five words or less.