Reuters: War, sex scandal sinking GOP in polls

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyid=2006-10-11T014531Z_01_N10316434_RTRUKOC_0_US-ELECTION.xml

War, sex scandal sinking GOP in polls

Tue Oct 10, 2006 9:46 PM ET

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush and Republicans are sinking under the weight of the Iraq war and the Capitol Hill sex scandal, according to a flurry of polls, endangering their control of Congress in the November 7 elections.

Democrats hold a growing advantage heading into the final four weeks of the campaign, with analysts moving more Republican-held seats into the high-risk category and improving the odds of Democrats seizing control of at least the House of Representatives.

The polls, all taken after the sex scandal surfaced, show Democratic candidates with huge leads over Republicans amid broad public unhappiness about the Iraq war, Bush's leadership and the Republican-led Congress.

...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/09/AR2006100900868.html

Poll Shows Strong Shift Of Support to Democrats

By David S. Broder and Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, October 10, 2006; Page A01

Democrats have regained a commanding position going into the final weeks of the midterm-election campaigns, with support eroding for Republicans on Iraq, ethics and presidential leadership, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Apparent Republican gains in September have been reversed in the face of mounting U.S. casualties and gloomy forecasts from Iraq and the scandal involving Mark Foley (R-Fla.), who was forced to resign his congressional post over sexually graphic online conversations with former House pages.

...

[marmar]

1. Crash and burn, baby.

The sooner these creatures are sent packing the better.

[Erika]

8. Amen.

Get rid of the garbage and their backers.

[Akoto]

2. I don't think even the North Korean hoohah will save them.

[physioex]

11. Naaa.....

They are just blaming that on Clinton......

[Kikosexy2]

25. Well..

it's Diebold and Fox News to the rescue...memo: Attn newscasters call all elections in favor of Repigs before complete tally if Repig candidate is ahead...you know, what Jeb & his cousin did in Fla. on Fox News in 2000...

[Toots]

20. Save them?????

How in the hell can they think being shown as total incompetents can save them. Maybe they could revive the Katrina fiasco to "save them" as well.

[olddad56]

3. Last time I checked it was the actual election, not the polls....

that decided who the winner is. The elections can be as fake as wrestling, so don't get your hopes up quite yet. You know that elections in Florida and Ohio have been rigged before. How many other states, especially in the south, have the same potential.

[civildisoBDence]

18. NEVER pass up a chance to rip the South n/t

[calimary]

28. An excellent point not to be forgotten. However, this does help, I think.

If the polls remain this lopsided, and the signal they're ALL sending remains this clear, that's a good thing. Things are different now, in this country, than they were when bush first started stealing elections. Back then, people weren't that happy about Monicagate. But that was a triviality when you look at the broader picture, and probably equal numbers of people were bothered by the people who were so bothered by Monicagate. But the economy was still doing fairly well, more people had jobs, our standing in the world was MUCH higher, we weren't at war, and we'd gotten a handle on our debt. People were quibbling about tiny non-essentials like whether a politician had a wooden personality or seemed like a fun guy to go have a beer with. There was no national malaise, anger, fear, depression, disgust, shame, humiliation, downright desolation, or deep divisions. Compare that to now.

You can't say any of those things are true now. You can't say that trivialities are the main focus. You can't say the big stuff is being handled well, or even that the big stuff is good big stuff. The big stuff is ALL BAD big stuff. Of EPIC and MOST TRAGIC proportions. Hence the numbers going the way they are now.

With THAT kind of climate going into an election, I'm tempted to expect that we just might do well. Too many people are seeing this in all the media, over and over, and being reminded of it. What do you suppose might happen if just all of a sudden, magically, the republi-CONS start winning. I'd suspect that if that happens, a few of the Olbermanns, David Gregorys, Brian Rosses and other high-profile people might start asking some really serious questions and creating something of a ruckus. Because along with any stunning reversals will come a VERY fishy smell. It won't add up, and it will be just a little too obvious by then.

Further, I'm not entirely certain the public would take such incredible (LITERALLY!) election results lying down this time. There's too much hurt. There's too much pain. There's too much loss. There's too much suffering. There's too much recognition of too many lies. It would not add up. And I think this time people would be pissed. I would HOPE that calls for recounts, election challenges, or even re-voting would not be sneered down this time. Besides, there's enough out there now about previous stolen elections, fraud, Diebold, and the rest of it, that it IS on the radar, also. Too many people now have their suspicions, to one extent or other.

Certainly I could be wrong. Wouldn't be the first time. But I think in THIS climate, the republi-CONS would steal elections or manipulate the vote at their peril. Because I'm not so sure such results would be allowed to stand. Not sure it'd be enough to get people into the streets, en masse, with torches and pitchforks. But there'd be some sort of hell to pay. The time to steal elections is when they're close enough to steal, when rigged results don't seem so terribly far-fetched. when there's a stronger probability that you can get away with it. That's not happening now.

It's just a guess. I have no inside knowledge. Hell, if I did, I'd probably be trying to use it to make sure some elections were rigged BACK, so we'd have some secured wins on our side to offset the ones that will undoubtedly come in the bad guys' column. The races to watch, I think, are the ones that are now stacking up STRONGLY in our favor now. Run the numbers. If they inexplicably and unreasonably flip, something's fishy - and it WILL be noticed, and reacted to.

[mcscajun]

4. We'll take the good news where we can get it, but we should not

become complacent. So much is still at stake, and so much can happen in a few short weeks.

[UrbScotty]

7. I posted a similar sentiment in GD:Politics

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/ih8thegop/78

[calimary]

29. And I will go over there and kick it again.

:thumbsup:

[Iceburg]

5. New Title: War and Piece (an epic storyabout the GOP) /nt

[texastoast]

6. Politics can change overnight

Never become complacent.

[disndat]

26. Watch out.

Randi Rhodes said yesterday that they are sending big aircraft carriers, etc, to the Middle East. BushCo may be planning a "Hail Mary, October Surprise," around the 21st of October.

[texastoast]

30. Here we go.

Staging up. It's all according the MIC plan. Bush is but a stupid fucking pawn.

[Trajan]

9. I think it is too late for them ....

I disagree with some posters (somewhat) on this thread ... I DONT think the GOP can turn this around in 4 weeks .....

This is like the theory of 'Punctuated Equilibrium' .... long periods of static activity, interrupted with a sudden, great, momentous evolution of ideas .... A meme has been cast into the common discourse, and has moved the polity in a different direction ....

What chance do they have of rebounding ? ..... criticizing the Democrats ? : that will just turn off ALL voters from ALL parties .... They will still lose voters ...

Are they going to apologize ? : That might salve a few voters, but those who would forgive wont all suddenly forgive, simultaneously .... That will take too much time to regain all they had ....

The Christian RW is pissed .... They will NOT forgive anytime soon .... an apology and some firings would lead in an upward direction, but it wont move back over the line in 4 weeks ....

They cannot regain what they had before Foley, and THAT was pretty awful already ....

They cannot rise up in opinion polls in time .... but they could just say FUCK YOU and steal it ....

If they dont steal it ... it is over for them ....

[Yukari Yakumo]

12. In other words...

The Foley scandal rocked their Fundie base. Without them, the RePugs have almost no one to turn to.

Momentum is definitely is in the Dems favor... but that doesn't win elections. It helps, a lot, but doesn't win them. Plus a lot can also happen in the 4 weeks that are left, so don't count you're chickens before they've hatched.

[RevolutionStartsNow]

21. Don't count your chickens until they've....VOTED!

National sentiment doesn't necessarily translate in local elections.

Remember the GOP is ruthless and also very good at GOTV.

Please make sure we get everyone we can to the voting booth in Nov. That's how this will be won or lost.

[civildisoBDence]

19. Trajan, I'll go you one better...

I think the polls are underestimating the Democrats' strength.

For one thing, Republican turnout will surely be diminished, especially among evangelicals.

For another, Republicans who say they would vote Republican in a phone poll may not do so when it actually comes time to vote.

On top of that, I'll bet plenty of Republicans will vote Democrat or Independent and then tell exit polls they voted Republican.

Newsprism

[beltanefauve]

10. They're blaming Clinton

AGAIN! There was the ABC mockudrama a few weeks ago, and now we have McCain blaming Clinton for N Korea today! Have you ever heard any administration blame the previous one as much as Bushco does?

[davekriss]

24. They were blaming the Democrats for the Foley scandal

What did we know and when did we know it? The Rovian Wurlitzer is working fast and furious to re-frame the scandal as one of Democratic origin, from Fox's display of "D-Florida" three times under Foley's face, to questions such as this from the punditocracy.

It just proves how morally vacant the Republican leadership is, and how complicit the major media has become. Incredible. Our founding fathers are SPINNING in their graves!

[ClintonTyree]

13. Not good enough........

until the Republican Party is of sufficient size that we can "drown it in a bathtub" I will not be satisfied. I want to marginalize these bastards just like they've marginalized Democrats for the past 6 years. I want them to know what it feels like to helplessly stand by while your country is taken in a direction totally alien to all your beliefs: stripped of any power to actually DO anything about it.

No, not really. I don't want to be like "them". I want a bipartisan country with citizens who care about what's best for ALL, not merely the rich. Run by Democrats, of course. ;)

[badgerpup]

27. I want a different set of Republicans if we're going to be bipartisan.

This particular bunch is for the most part poisoned, corrupt and evil beyond redemption.
I'd like to throw the whole bunch out and get some people in who DON'T lose their 'moral compass' at the smell of money or power...
and that goes, in a way also for the Dems.

We've got a lot riding on them...they'd better not screw it up.

[Eurobabe]

14. Couldn't happen to a nastier set of cretins

eom

[The Wizard]

15. Aside from e-voting,

and that's a biggie, the Grope Our Pages Party hasn't got much going for itself. The entire party could use some products made by Fleet.
Note to McCain: Bush suspended Clinton's North Korea policy upon seizing power. Take your insane assertions about Clinton and today's situation and sell them with a cup of that Jim Jones Kool-Aid.

[Joe Bacon]

16. Old fart Broder shedding crocodile tears for his Nazi pals.

Let the King of the Presstitutes cry like Tammy Faye Baker for his Nazi Pals. GET OVER IT, BRODER!

[bunny planet]

17. who wants to bet McCave also has 'steam coming out of his ears'

because Chimpy and his corrupt Congress has cut into his chances of another Republican coup with their antics. Not that he's squeaky clean either, just that he's got to work overtime being an ass and convincing the remaining Republicans he's a 'maverick.' Oopsy, shouldn't have hitched your star to these creeps John.

[warrens]

22. That fireworks show last night

Is probably going to become a real visual marker of how badly the war is going. Some guy with a $200 mortar blew up half our ammunition. A pretty good model for how this war is going.

[Mari333]

23. It's about time.n/m

[stop the bleeding]

31. tell that to the voting machines

anyone who believes that we will win in Novis smoking the dank.

The Rethugs could have a 10% approval rating and when 87% of the vote and the media the whores that they are will not even question it -

sorry to be a downer but you are talking to a Florida voter from 2000 and 2004

our votes DO NOT COUNT

[Flatpicker]

32. Election

I hope to see a change this November. I know how I'm voting, but I'm a blue stater and we're really not relevant.
Damn shame that it's sex that motivates the public.

I'll take the results, but I wish it was about this
disasterous war in Iraq.
NK's nukes that should have been dealt with before.
Taking care of our people by bringing home jobs.
Rewarding innovation and creativity in the US.
Fixing the short-term mentality in the US stock market.
The fact that GWB is a completely useless leader and has made us a joke.

Those are the issues I would like to see this election hang on.

[twaddler01]

33. And may the polls keep sinking the GOP...

we can only hope!

[olshak]

34. What should be getting the Dems support...

...Is the loss of our rights as Americans.

How is it that only MCNBC finds this important enough to report?

- The loss of Habeus Corpus
- The legalization of torture
- Bush's ability to declare even citizens "enemy combatants"
- Bush giving himself and his administration blanket immunity for all war crimes dating back to 9/11/01.

Disgusting.

[slackmaster]

35. There couldn't be any witches in that house

[twaddler01]

36. BUT BUT BUT, Georgie predicts they will win

...its sad that you cant even trust the votes anymore :( :( :(