Well, Congress left Washington without providing a Continuing Resolution to keep the government operating past the end of the month or providing disaster relief for the victims of the wildfires in Texas or the flooding from Hurricane Irene. FEMA will run out of money on Monday or Tuesday. And, even before this happened, the people were thoroughly fed-up with Washington. I can’t wait to see how the public reacts to the latest display of dysfunction.
In a memo circulated widely on Capitol Hill, GOP pollster Bill McInturff warned that the debt-limit debate had “shattered confidence in our political system and everyone involved.” Voters lost faith in the ability of both President Obama and congressional Republicans to “make the right decisions about the economy,” the memo said. But congressional Republicans had taken the bigger hit, it added, with 81 percent of those surveyed saying they had little or no confidence in the judgment of the GOP.
Veteran political analyst Charlie Cook, editor and publisher of the Cook Political Report, said if lawmakers continue down this path, the 2012 election could bring “the biggest, broadest anti-incumbent year of post-war history,” with voters indiscriminately tossing out lawmakers in both parties, pulling the lever “against anybody’s name they recognize.”
“The debt ceiling debacle is almost a horrible metaphor: It’s as if a bomb went off at 800 Pennsylvania Avenue and sent shrapnel flying in every direction,” Cook said. “I don’t know what these guys think they’re doing, but it looks like they’re committing political suicide.”
This is why I am getting frustrated with the lack of news from DSCC chairwomen Patty Murray on candidate recruitment for our Senate races. Who is running in Arizona? Can’t she get former Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal to run against John Barrasso? I ‘d like to see Jim Matheson run against Orrin Hatch. Who are our candidates in Tennessee and Mississippi? I know none of these races seem winnable, but we’re entering uncharted territory. We need challengers to all incumbent senators, especially because a lot of the people we think are safe may not be safe. Give people an alternative, and it’s not unlikely that they’ll take it.
We should just assume that anyone who is an incumbent is at a disadvantage. But you can’t beat anybody with nobody.
In Arizona, I would love to see Janet Nappolitano leave the DHS and run. I used to live there for a time while she was Governor and the state has not been better run since she left. She was a really great Governor. And probably most people miss her leadership.
Surely they could replace her at DHS so that she could run.
IIRC, she was leading Cranky McSame in the polls if she were to have challenged him. And this was during his campaign for President. It’s obvious people in AZ weren’t in love with that asshat, but they took the bastard they knew(Cranky McSame) over the one they didn’t(Glassman).
You are correct. She could have won his Senate seat if she had run. I’m sure of it. But it would be even better to see her take the seat of one of the biggest assholes in the Senate, Jon Kyl.
When people remember her, they will remember a very competent Governor who ran things so well and kept the Republican legislature in line. Contrast with the current occupant Jan Brewer. Ugggh. Jan Brewer is SUCH an embarrassment.
P.S.
Boo:
I hear that Ailes(it has to be) is still trying to talk Christie into the race. If that happens, it means two things. One, the obvious that Governor Goodhair isn’t fit for the national stage in the eyes of the GOP establishment. Two, that Christie is admitting he’d only be a one-term Governor.
I’m convinced that Perry was never meant to be the candidate to supplant Romney. He was encouraged to enter the race in order to block Bachmann from consolidating the Tea Party faction. I find the Christie rumors bizarre, since he brings more liabilities than assets compared to Romney. His entry might damage Romney sufficiently to open space again to the right; but it seems like a recipe for a brokered convention. That might be the plan, but it’s a very high risk strategy without a lot of reward that I can see.
I read these comments about hostility toward Congress and especially the GOP and then I look at the generic ballot polling and see no evidence that the GOP has suffered much in this measure from their misbehavior. I agree completely that we need to have good candidates in every election because this election is likely to be very unpredictable, but at this point what I’m seeing is people pissed off, not at all trusting the GOP but still leaning toward voting GOP because I suppose they think that given a chance the GOP will at least be able to do something different than what we have. I’ll add that whatever the analysts pollsters might be saying about GOP vulnerabilities, the GOP politicians themselves are acting like they believe the generic ballot is accurate as well.
you do have to run someone, and then actually SUPPORT THEM.
period.
there’s a Black who won the nomination for Governor of Mississippi.
where’s the DNC support for him in a state that is 40% BLACK?