Congressman Conyers: DeLay and the Tidal Wave

[cal04]

News arrived today that the former House Majority Leader, disgraced into retirement by his certain defeat, is now being compelled back into the race. It appears that his devilish machinations to remove himself from the ballot while giving the Texas GOP a chance to appoint his successor to the seat was a bit too ambitious even for Mr. DeLay. Today a federal court judge in Texas ruled that DeLay could not escape being on the ballot. One wonders if DeLay will continue to try to escape serving his constituents who have been without representation in Congress ever since the one-time-Hammer scurried off and left the Hill.

Something else caught my eye today, though.
(I)ndicators are now suggesting that Republicans are headed for their most serious midterm losses in decades.
This is from Larry Sabato, of the University of Virginia, one of the most respected election prognosticators.

This is all very encouraging. What is going to make the difference, though, is turnout on election day. Mostly, stories such as these will discourage Republican supporters from going to the polls. But if we are going to win back the House, we are going to have to do more than just hope the other guys don't vote. We are going to have to embark on a comprehensive get-out-the-vote program nationwide. If you have not yet volunteered to help with election day activities, or phone banking in the months leading up to the election, contact you local party to see what you can do to help. It's going to take a full effort from everyone for us to win back the House. I hope I can count on you for your support.

http://www.conyersblog.us/
The 2006 Midterms: Guilt by Association?
Trends show an impact on contests across the nation
http://www.centerforpolitics.org/crystalball/article.php?id=DNW2006080301

[Mayberry Machiavelli]

1. Has anyone actually polled in this district to see if DeLay would win?

[Golden Raisin]

5. I've thought the same thing too.

Might this whole thing backfire and be a huge embarassment for Democrats? John Ashcroft was defeated (narrowly) by his DEAD opponent, former Governor Carnahan, in a Missouri Senatorial race. These kind of things can happen. Delay comes from an archtypical red state and presumably a gerry-mandered, lop-sided district. It sure wouldn't surprise me if his former constituents voted for him as long as his name was conveniently on the ballot.

[Atman]

2. I'm still trying to figure out how they'll explain the election theft.

This had better be one hell of a good story!

[bananarepublican]

6. This is my biggest worry too. Would you change horses during WWIII?

How about another big false flag operation - say a suitcase nuke going off in Boston - bingo! Patriot Act provisions suspend further elections until the (bogus) "War On Terror" (WOT..tf?) is won.

In other words, some pretext could be found to stop the elections from happening.

P.S. Maybe Cheney will arrange for a purple ink shortage!

[marmar]

3. You just know that John Conyers is salivating to be Judiciary Chair...

So he can start kicking ass from Capitol Hill to Pennsylvania Avenue. :kick:

[longship]

4. GOTV has been extremely problematic in the past.

What happens is that you end up getting many people to the polls who will vote for the other guy. Even targetting specific Democratic precincts can work against us.

However, this year it might just work. The electorate is so soured on the ChimpCo regime and the Repugs in general that GOTV is likely to universally help Democrats get elected.

I participated in a GOTV program in Wichita, KS in 1994. At that point, the House banking scandal was reverberating through Congress along with Gingrich's Contract On America. The electorate was soured against the Democrats. Our analysis showed that GOTV actually hurt us by bringing more opposition voters to the polls. Of course, that year there was a 54 seat sweep for the Repugs which we have yet to overcome.

Something similar is going to happen this year. We need to use GOTV heavily this year. If the Repugs try GOTV, it will hurt them. But GOTV by itself can't do it.

A huge sweep is certainly possible this year, but up to now, I do not see the Democratic Party doing anything like the Republicans did in 1994. I fear that the Democrats are going to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory yet again.

The Democratic Party and all the Democratic Congress critters need to be screeching at the top of their lungs the same basic message. If that happens we could easily take over the Congress.

[mom cat]

7. Kick for Conyers!

:kick: