GOP's Bold Play for Power

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-gop21jul21,1,3971200.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Emboldened by a popular president, key fund-raising advantages and an opposition party plagued by divisions, Republicans are heading into the 2004 campaign eyeing a goal that extends far beyond the election: They want to establish political dominion for years to come.

With the GOP now controlling the White House and Congress, next year's vote looms as a test of whether this Republican reign is an interlude or the start of an enduring period of political supremacy on par with Democrats' hegemony for much of the 20th century.

"The president has said he does not want a lonely victory," said Christine Iverson, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee. "We really have an opportunity here to make this a permanent majority."

Toward that end, Republicans have pressed their cause with bold — some say hardball — tactics. They launched an effort to redraw state political maps to favor GOP candidates. They are laying claim to issues — such as improving education and health benefits — traditionally associated with Democrats. They are trying to turn Washington's lobbying establishment into an army of GOP loyalists. And they are building up campaign treasuries that dwarf the Democrats'.

"It is breathtaking," said Thomas Mann, an expert on politics at the Brookings Institution think tank. "It's the most hard-nosed effort I've seen to use one's current majority to enlarge and maintain that majority."

[benfranklin1776]

1. They are brazen in their stated objectives.....

......as Grovler Whorequist, he of the "bipartisanship is like date rape, drown government in a bathtub" philosophy openly crows about them. This should be a rallying cry to everyone to unite and fight. The prospect of these regressive neanderthals having the reins of power for the next 30 years should be enough to induce horror in the minds of any thinking individual who has watched the rape of democracy by these cretins over the last decade.

[young_at_heart]

4. Regressive neanderthalsl......a certain ring to it!

I would be nice to have our country back....I miss it!

[benfranklin1776]

6. Yes I believe they belong to the "knuckledragging neocon" tribe.........

.....It will be nice to restore government of the people by the people and for the people but we can rest assured that they will never give it back. We will have to take it back at the ballot box, provided of course, as another poster has noted, every vote is legitimately counted in a verifiable process.

[aquart]

16. What makes you think we'd last 30 years?

These boys have fatally weakened our military, our economy, our environment......uh, what have we got left?

All we have left for defense are nukes which would destroy whatever is left everywhere else.

We are naked and small and a little more of this and we'll get squashed like the cockroaches we've devolved into.

[Sliverofhope]

2. This must be stopped at all costs.

I'm sure nobody disagrees with me. But the Republican party has evolved into such a creature that anyone left of center, center, or truly conservative should fear. While it is true the democrats need some reform (DLC), the Republican party must have its fascist wing excised.

[TahitiNut]

22. "Devolved," not "evolved"

Other than that, I agree.

[goforit]

3. And with all the computerized rigging , who needs elections?

Pathetic people!

[JohnnyAmerica]

5. Bold play for power

I really cannot blame the republicans for doing what they are doing. They have spent the last two years instilling fear into us and making us paralyzed to the point where we will listen to any voice that seems to speak to those same fears.
And it worked. Until now. They thought they were living in a brick house, but thanks to DU and the internet, the straw house they are really occupying is beginning to sway in the wind. Let our voice knock it down!

[moondust]

7. And, incidentally, they are destroying the United States.

Destructive people naturally gravitate to Republicanism. It's a virtual trademark.

[OneBlueSky]

8. given the way things are going right now . . .

the only way repugs can be thinking along these lines is if they know for sure that they have the vote counting process under control . . . which they probably do . . .

[Dover]

9. The way this story is framed, you'd think the only issue at stake is party

supremacy. Get real! This is about rich/poor, it's about democracy and our Constitution, it's about planetary annilation, it's about greed, it's about everything that matters.....and...oh yes, politics.

[clarkbarr]

10. Hey, what do you expect from the Lies Angeles TImes?

Nothin but GOP Lies All the TIme in the Lies Angeles Times!

[Flubadubya]

11. I hope this is a real "pipe dream" ...

for the sorry facists, but if they really are able to pull it off, it's good-bye democracy, hello Canada (or other parts unknown).

There couldn't be anything much worse befall this country than a complete Republican takeover. Hell, terrorists couldn't do as much damage as they can.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

12. So, what are we doing?

It seems we are concentrating on the Presidency and ignoring Congress. I've heard it stated here that we can't do much about Congress, at least this time, because of redistricting. But if we don't get Congress, the redistricting will get worse, not better.

Will we be having the same conversation after 2004 that we did after 2002?

[kentuck]

13. We should not put all our eggs in one basket....

We should not "only" run against George W Bush. We need to run against this radical and incompetent Congress. We are making a big mistake if we let them escape responsibility for the present budget and foreign policy disasters. We need a massive overhaul and the people need to know it. George Bush will fall if the Congress falls.

[mrsteve]

14. Huh? Democratic Hegemony?

This phrase "on par with Democrats' hegemony for much of the 20th century" stuck out.

Have the Democrats had a hegemony for much of the 20th century? It seems to me that the balance of D to R political power in the 20th century was pretty close, if perhaps a bit Democratic leaning.

Of course, if the Democrats did have political control of the 20th century, it make sense that the 20th was a century of great economic progress, much like the Clinton administration was a economic bright spot amid the economic weakness of the Bush adminstrations.

[David__77]

15. Reminds me of Reagan's 1986 bid.

In '86 Reagan went all out to push GOP Congressional condidates. They lost many Senate seats and their majority, falling to 45 seats. They stayed in the minority in the house.

The problem we have is the shift in the south. If one takes that out, we'd still have a majority. I predict that as the GOP becomes the Dixie Party, we'll gain in other areas cinluding the northeast and southwest (especially with the increase in Latino voting). But we better start grooming impressive candidates and winning new constituents. We also need to continue to reform campaign practices to take big money out of the equation. Power to the people--not to the dollar!

[goobergunch]

24. In NJ, DE, and PA...

we are due to pick up several seats (PA-7,8,DE-AL,etc) once certain popular Repukes retire. Unfortunately, southern losses (popular Dems in Repuke districts like Taylor (MS)) will counterbalance some of these gains.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

17. What is missing from the online version is a graph that demonstrated

that the GOP hasn't made gains in voter registration so much as the Dems have LOST ground. The greatest growth in voter identification was the INDEPENDENT category but it does not distinguish Greens from Libertarians. The GOTV aspect of the Dem campaigns actually was a good push but too little too late last year.

Dems cannot compete with advertising time. IF Dems are to make headway, they need to focus on the ground. Instead of trying to play big money like the GOP, Dems could do far better on the ground in ground campaigns.

Stop trying to reach people on their TV's and have more town meetings, coffees and other low cost get togethers. There is enough time to do that and then it is the personal against the advertising buck. IT CAN BE EFFECTIVE.

[diplomats]

19. And as another poster pointed out on a separate thread

this article is actually a couple months old. So it predated all the brouhaha over Niger. I'm not sure why it's being rerun. However, it's points are still important.

[Johnyawl]

18. And they're going to get plenty of help

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=25527&mesg_id=25527&page=

[Clete]

20. Right out of the German Nazi's political manual of dominance

by a radical minority party.

[mvd]

21. They will not succeed..

if the Democrats act a little uncivil back and tell what is happening from the rooftops. We must be prepared for their every move, and I'm worried about if we are.

[0007]

23. I don't care who's in charge

When anyone screws around with our overtime and is out to destory our unions and leave us to dogs life, I pity the fuckers!!

[goobergunch]

25. Let's start with the first five words

"Emboldened by a popular president..."

* RE-ELECT
CNN (7/16-17, MoE 3.1%): 50%-46%
Zogby (7/16-17, MoE 3.2%): 46%-47% (47% *, 44% Dem)

* APPROVAL
CNN (7/16-17, MoE 3.1%): 55%-40%
Zogby (7/16-17, MoE 3.2%): 53%-46%