Krugman: Death of the Machine (GOP Machine)

[RamboLiberal]

“There are two things that are important in politics. The first is money, and I can’t remember what the second one is.” So declared Mark Hanna, the great Gilded Age political boss.

Karl Rove has often described Hanna as his role model. And predictions that Mr. Rove and his disciples would succeed in creating a permanent Republican majority — I have a whole bookshelf of volumes with titles like “One Party Nation” and “Building Red America” — depended crucially on the assumption that the G.O.P. would have vastly more money than its opponents. It might even, some thought, match the 10-to-1 advantage Hanna gave William McKinley when he ran against William Jennings Bryan.

Oops. According to data collected by the Center for Responsive Politics, in the current election cycle every one of the top 10 industries making political donations is giving more money to Democrats. Even industries that have in the past been overwhelmingly Republican, like insurance and pharmaceuticals, are now splitting their donations more or less evenly. Oil and gas is the only major industry that the G.O.P. can still call its own.

The sudden burst of corporate affection for Democrats is good news for the party’s campaign committees, but not necessarily good news for progressives. Before I get to the down side, however, let’s talk about why business seems to be giving up on the G.O.P.

To some extent it’s a matter of cold political calculation. Polls, plus a wave of G.O.P. retirements, suggest that next year the Democrats will expand their majority in the House, which is already bigger than anything the Republicans ever had during their 12-year reign. Of the 34 Senate seats up for election, 22 are held by Republicans, and major Democratic gains seem all but inevitable.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/19/opinion/19krugman.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. Three things: jr didn't "finish the job" in Iraq, didn't move on abortion

or gay marriage, tried to fuck with Mr & Mrs Arkansas retiree's Social Security. It was a trifeca you might say.

[XemaSab]

5. You forgot the Mexicans

I see a quadrifecta here.

[eppur_se_muova]

11. "trifeca" -- having fun with Latin roots, are we? ;^) nt

:D

[KittyWampus]

2. So Hillary's sucking at Monsato's teat. What a pathetic excuse for a Democratic candidate

Sorry, her willingness to put her own political fortune above all else is sickening.

[Frances]

4. I think you would be more effective if you used the same

way of expressing yourself that Krugman did.

The bottom line may be the same, but I think you would be more persuasive if you used more objective language.

[Froward69]

10. Great post!

I get demonized when I speak out about such subjects.:woohoo: :applause: :woohoo:

[leveymg]

3. So, now we get the Democorporats rather than the CorpoRepublicans

This changes everything.

[Didereaux]

17. Here's the currency it should be,,,,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/12461951@N03/



.................

[Blackhatjack]

6. Krugman is right on the money ... it is a question of what kind of Democratic President we get

IT is going to be mighty disappointing for Progressive Democrats if the next Democratic President elected in Nov 2008 has more in common with the corporate supporters that filled her/his warchest than the people who have suffered so much under the Bush Administration.

[KoKo]

12. A very interesting article posted on DU this a.m. about Dem "Strange" Connections

and what's going on behind the scenes.

Here's the link...the reporting was partly funded by the Nation Institute. A real eye-opener...

http://www.realnews.org/stories/2007-10-16_hillary.html

[Blackhatjack]

13. KoKo01 That Article is Stunning and Deserves Its Own Thread....

It answers a lot of questions, and it raises even more serious questions.

Simply Stunning. Thanks for the link.

[KoKo]

14. It's over in Editorials...hopefully some can pick out the many strings in that one....

and post about the "connections."

[KoKo]

15. ...

[KoKo]

16. ...

[DemReadingDU]

7. morning kick

[midlife_mo_Jo]

8. I enjoyed his interview with Amy Goodman

If anyone missed it, you can still get it on the web. I think it was Wednesday of this week.

[Buck Turgidson]

9. From Bartcop