This week hasn't gone very well for the GOP has it?
Now that Foleygate has largely died down, Repubs have temporarily succeeded in protecting their ears from the sonic boom that the investigation would have produced by postponing it's results until after the election.
Just when they thought they could take a breath and go on the offensive with made-up B.S. about both John Kerry and Nancy Pelosi -- the NY Times had to go and point out that the Republicans have been publishing Nuclear Secrets on their website for the last month.
Oops.
Meanwhile, The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Times will be publishing editorials calling for Rumsfeld to resign on Monday. Even the Gubernator wants us out of Iraq. Another Republican Congressman has resigned amid scandal. Another Right-wing Gay-Bashing Neo-Christian Cult leader - is Gay, and a drug user and a bad liar.
The result?
It looks like the Repubs are going to take it in the short and curly's on Tuesday -- and the numbers are looking worse all the time.
Right now the Repubs are hoping that the Saddam Verdict - due to be announced tomorrow - will help stem the arterial spray from their Mid-Term campaigns.
But that will probably be far too little - far too late.
On Wednesday - CQPolitics showed 1 Republican House seat where a Democrat was favored, 5 that were leaning Democratic, 19 seats with No Clear Favorite and additional 21 that were only Leaning Republican.
Today those figures have shifted:
Republican House Seats with a Democrat Favored: 1
- Ariz. 8 -- Kolbe*
Republican House Seats Leaning Democratic : 8 (Up by 3)
- Colo. 7 -- Beauprez*
Fla. 16 -- vacant*
Ind. 8 -- Hostettler
N.Y. 26 -- Reynolds
Ohio 18 -- vacant*
Pa. 7 -- Weldon
Pa. 10 -- Sherwood
Texas 22 -- vacant*
Republican House Seats with No Clear Favorite : 21 (Up by 3)
- Ariz. 1 -- Renzi
Ariz. 5 -- Hayworth
Conn. 4 -- Shays
Conn. 5 -- Johnson
Fla. 22 -- Shaw
Ill. 6 -- Hyde*
Iowa 1 -- Nussle*
Ind. 2 -- Chocola
Ind. 9 -- Sodrel
Minn. 6 -- Kennedy*
N.C. 11 -- Taylor
N.H. 2 -- Bass
N.M. 1 -- Wilson
N.Y. 20 -- Sweeney
N.Y. 24 -- Boehlert*
Ohio 15 -- Pryce
Pa. 6 -- Gerlach
Pa. 8 -- Fitzpatrick
Wash. 8 -- Reichert
Wis. 8 -- Green*
Wyo. AL -- Cubin
Republicans seats only Leaning Republican : 21 (same)
- Calif. 4 -- Doolittle
Calif. 11 -- Pombo
Calif. 50 -- Bilbray
Colo. 4 -- Musgrave
Conn. 2 -- Simmons
Fla. 13 -- Harris*
Idaho 1 -- Otter*
Ky. 3 -- Northup
Ky. 4 -- Davis
Minn. 1 -- Gutknecht
Neb. 1 -- Fortenberry
Neb. 3 -- Osborne*
Nev. 2 -- Gibbons*
Nev. 3 -- Porter
N.J. 7 -- Ferguson
N.Y. 19 -- Kelly
N.Y. 29 -- Kuhl
Ohio 1 -- Chabot
Ohio 2 -- Schmidt
Pa. 4 -- Hart
Va. 2 -- Drake
Overall 6 more House Seats have come into play in the last three days, bringing the total to 51.
If we only win half of those seats, our primary goal is accomplished - the Congress shifts to Democratic Control. Every committee chair becomes a Democrat, with we get subpeona power and the ability to set the Congressional agenda with genuine oversight hearings. Rather than having the Downing Street Forum in the basement or having their microphones shut-off during a Patriot Act hearing - Democrats get to be heard. And so might a few facts as well.
On the Senate Side the main shift is the Allen/Webb race in Virginia which has gone from Leaning Republican to No Clear Favorite. Currently there are 7 Republican Senate Seats at risk.
Mont. -- Burns
Ohio -- DeWine
Pa. -- Santorum
R.I. -- Chafee
Mo. -- Talent
Tenn. -- Frist*
Va. -- Allen
And one Democratic - Senator Menendez in New Jersey - remains in a dead-heat.
Picking up the 6 needed to take the Senate will be difficult, we'll need to retain Menendez and blow out both Corker in Tennesee and Senator Macaca the Bully in Virginia.
I think it's looking good, probably not time to pick out any office furniture yet, but I doubt even Saddam can save them now.
(Now if we could just make sure the votes get counted...)
By Tuesday this overall trend could slide even further, and if so - I don't see any way for the Repubs to keep the House and possibly not even the Senate. We can be sure that the right-wing attack dogs will be ready to pounce on anything the Democrats do, say - or don't say - after they take power.
It's going to be a free-for-all. We've already had to listen to the President repeatedly say that anyone who disagrees with his strategery in Iraq - "wants America to lose". Nevermind the fact that America IS already Losing under his policies and neither the White House or Congress can name a single one of these phantom appeasers. This President and the Republican Congress have codified Torture into our War Policies, and have effectively obliterated due process and habeas corpus. They've illegally spied on ten of millions of Americans and then threatened Journalists for printing the truth while the Pentagon continues to spread public lies
These are not the actions of a free and Democratic society.
To paraphrase the Bannana Republicans at the RNC - we have to remember what's truly at stake here. Our national dignity, our international honor, and our future on not just how to handle the Real War on Terror (in Afghanistan and Pakistan) and bring stabiity to Iraq but also Global Climate Change, Healthcare for working people, the Defecit, Social Security, Maintaining a Living Wage, Protecting Pensions and closing up the War Profiteering Sieve.
Tuesday is our chance to make a dramatic and profound change. We can't afford to miss this oppurtunity.
Vyan
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