Are Democrats too confident about 2008 race?

[eagler]

Source: Yahoo News

LOWELL, Massachusetts (Reuters) - Mary Burns has the kind of Democratic pedigree that dominates Massachusetts politics. Her family and friends vote Democratic, and she lives in a district that has not elected a Republican in 35 years.

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But on October 17, she joined other disgruntled Democrats, voting for a Republican in a special congressional election.

Her candidate, Jim Ogonowski, who campaigned as an anti-immigration crusader, lost to Democrat Niki Tsongas by only 45 percent to 51 percent, a much closer margin than expected in a district Democrats saw as safely theirs.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071024/pl_nm/usa_politics_democrats_dc

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My view is that Dems are increasingly viewed as weak and ineffective. They have failed to vigorously act on such matters as the Fairness Doctrine, which is essential for getting their message out, and black box voting which renders the entire democratic system suspect and hence useless.

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. See this discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3640480

[RiverStone]

2. When John Q. Public has trouble...

..telling the difference between the red and the blue, we have a problem. Sadly and very frustratingly - all the complicit and enabling behavior (see the last war funding vote of 92-3) actually provides more blurring of the lines.

My fear is that in the Dems attempt to pander to the middle or the right, that they have marginalized many folks left of center. Reason to be concerned for sure and in particular if Hillary is the nominee.

The good news is we still have time to hammer through oversight hearings (see Henry Waxman) and voting reform. Yet the biggest thing we need to do is stand up to BushCo and quit writing him blank checks for his damn war based on lies. We must show some muscle on The Hill - something that separates the Dems from the pukes in an OBVIOUS way!

[gasperc]

3. your reading too much into this particular race

she was a weak campaigner and should have won by 10 points. Also, the GOP did message test in this district and tried to make it a bell weather race. It is also the most conservative district in Mass.

That being said, we'll still crush, I'm mean crush Flethcher in KY and may win the senate and the house in the VA elections. Propects for Democrats look good.

but in terms of the presidential race, I would say, yes, some are over confident about it. In the end, I think the GOP will see their chances in the house or Senate as hopeless and run a campaign to hold the White House as a firewall against Democratic "excesses". Which is why not trying to stop the war back in May, and continuing the mistake to this day has been a spectacular blunder for our Democratic leadership. Is there enough time to turn that ship around?

[NovaNardis]

4. Democrats need to stop being petrified of their own shadow

Is the 2008 election? Lord knows it is. But we got ourselves in to this mess by being scared of electoral outcomes. We, as a party, need to stop caring about the polls. We know our message is strong and that we are supported. We know the country yearns for leadership, and that we are in a prime position to provide it. So DO something instead of being so afraid!

[Fluffdaddy]

5. who's too confident ? I'm scared to death about 2008

[...of J.Temperance]

6. Huh?

"Her candidate, Jim Ogonowski, who campaigned as an anti-immigration crusader, lost to Democrat Niki Tsongas by only 45 percent to 51 percent, a much closer margin than expected in a district Democrats saw as safely theirs."


How is 51% to 45% a "much closer margin than expected"?

That's a win by 6%, that's a pretty comfortable win in my humble opinion....of COURSE IF the Republican would have beaten the Democrat 51% to 45% the mediawhores would have been trumpeting it as a "landslide"

Yeah, the Fairness Doctrine DOES need to be reintroduced.

Ignore ALL of these bullshit articles, they're designed purely by hacks to dampen our spirit, don't listen to them, we're doing fine....sure we MUSTN'T be complacent about 2008, but all the signs are, we're in really good shape for 2008.