GOP strategists worry incumbents aren't ready for a blue wave

[DonViejo]

Some House Republicans are 'fundamentally not prepared for how they're about to be attacked' in 2018.

By ELENA SCHNEIDER 11/15/2017 06:12 PM EST

Republican strategists are warning that some of the party’s veteran House incumbents aren’t adequately preparing for the 2018 election, putting the GOP majority at risk by their failure to recognize the dangerous conditions facing them.

Nearly three dozen Republicans were outraised by their Democratic challengers in the most recent fundraising quarter. Others, the strategists say, are failing to maintain high profiles in their districts or modernize their campaigns by using data analytics in what is shaping up as a stormy election cycle.

“There are certainly incumbent members out there who need to work harder and raise more money if they want to win,” said Corry Bliss, executive director of the Congressional Leadership Fund, the House GOP’s top super PAC. “They’re fundamentally not prepared for how they’re about to be attacked.”

After Democrats’ sweeping victories last week, Public Opinion Strategies, a Republican polling firm, wrote a pointed memo — titled “Surviving the 2018 Election” — addressing Republican incumbents. The firm counseled incumbents to start their reelection campaigns earlier than planned, to do early message testing and to begin planning their voter turnout operation now, as opposed to next fall.

more
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/15/midterms-republican-incumbents-blue-wave-244952

[htuttle]

1. What does the GOP have to 'run on' right now?

Seems like they've got nothing.

[lagomorph777]

5. Every day they're busting ass to make more shit to run away from.

It looks like they all want to retire en masse, when you look at what they're doing:

Stripping insurance away from tens of millions of people.
Raising taxes on the middle class.
Confirming a series of totally unqualified yahoos as judges and cabinet secretaries.

These people really have a political death wish.

[workinclasszero]

7. The tax bill they are going to ram through Congress

that most Americans hate.

Destroying what little health care millions of Americans have, gutting medicaid/medicare, knifing the middle class in the back for the MFing Koch bros and Mercers.

Yeah the grand old traitor party is getting set BIG TIME for the blue wave election of 2018!

[beachbum bob]

2. whats the message republicans going to run on?

defend trump? defend racist? defend bigots? Defend pedophiles? Send Dreamers packing? Take away more rights from women, minorities, families? Enrich the wealthy? Enrich corporations? Gut Medicare, medicaid social security? Take away healthcare?


so many WINNING messages right?

the blue wave will be massive....they know and we smell it...as long as we all get off our asses and vote

[Gothmog]

3. I am really hoping for a large blue wave election in 2018

[vi5]

4. Remember how we kept hearing about...

"the emerging Democratic majority" that was going to happen due to changing demographics? All of this feels a lot like that hollow prediction.

I'm just wary of any prediction like this because it enables Dems (both voters and the people in charge of running shit) to say "Oh, great. We just have to sit back and let things happen naturally and we'll win!". Whether that is changing demographics, dissatisfaction with Trump (or Bush before him when we were hearing the same stuff), the horrible GOP policies, waiting for their opponent to implode or say something stupid, or whatever.

Nobody anywhere.....voter, pundit, politician, or anyone on "our side" should take the position that they can just ride any wave.

[nycbos]

6. Don't get complacent.

Organize, Organize, Organize, Organize, Organize, Organize.


And then GOTV, GOTV, GOTV, GOTV, GOTV, GOTV, GOTV, GOTV, GOTV.