Republicans See Storm Clouds Gathering

[babylonsister]

Republicans See Storm Clouds Gathering

By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, March 16, 2008; Page A05


While all eyes were on the presidential campaign and the demise of New York Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer (D) last week, Republicans on Capitol Hill were suffering a run of bad news that could hold dire implications for the campaign season.

It started with the loss last weekend of the seat held for two decades by former House speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). It got worse when Republicans lost potentially strong challengers to Democratic senators in South Dakota and New Jersey, and failed to field anyone to oppose the reelection bid of Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.).

The latest blow came with the revelation that the former treasurer of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) had allegedly diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars -- and possibly as much as $1 million -- from the organization's depleted coffers to his own bank accounts.

If Republicans needed any more evidence of how difficult this fall may be, the past week had it all, analysts said. The Illinois race demonstrated new levels of disaffection, the party's efforts to go on offense elsewhere were thwarted by recruiting failures, and the NRCC scandal will divert campaign resources and could frighten off badly needed contributors, they said.

"It's no mystery," said Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.). "You have a very unhappy electorate, which is no surprise, with oil at $108 a barrel, stocks down a few thousand points, a war in Iraq with no end in sight and a president who is still very, very unpopular. He's just killed the Republican brand."

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/15/AR2008031502047.html

[acmavm]

1. And that death is long overdue.

[Mike Nelson]

2. The Republicans will come back...

with the worst hate and fear imaginable.

[ingac70]

3. I hope he has "killed" the Repub party...

to the point that there is no resurrection of it in the rest of my lifetime.

[Eurobabe]

4. Storm clouds? I'd say Category 5+ hurricane, a giant tsunami and a F5 tornado

Perfect storm brewing to kick the Republicans sorry asses out of DC!!

[malaise]

5. Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

and I'm lovin it. :popcorn:

[Joe Chi Minh]

16. Accordng to at least one UK Sunday paper, CNN's headquarters have already ben hit by a tornado!!!!

I'll see if I can dig it up. Where better to start than CNN-CIA?

[dweller]

6. so, the banks and the FBI are investigating

"the former treasurer of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) had allegedly diverted hundreds of thousands of dollars -- and possibly as much as $1 million -- from the organization's depleted coffers to his own bank accounts"

right?

anyone?

dp

[bluerum]

7. first I have heard of it. Links here:

NRCC Scandal
New Details Emerge,,,
NRCC Scandal Gets Worse

Why is this not front page news? Instead we have the constant drumbeat of petty inflammatory rhetoric on racism and sexism.

Here is a real crime, with incredibly damning implications for republican fund raising machines. A key employee for a commission dedicated to increasing republican presence in government apparently bilking said organization of hundreds of thousands of dollars with a fairly elaborate scheme.


MSM is silent on this.

Spitzers timing sucks.

[babylonsister]

9. Yep; here's the back story...

http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19387437&BRD=2288&PAG=461&dept_id=475626&rfi=6

[bluerum]

11. They sure use the "a few bad apples" argument a lot.

[XanaDUer]

8. To quote Nelson from The Simpson

HA HA!

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. Bush killed the Republican party.

And possibly America too.

[peacetalksforall]

12. Perhaps trite, but indicative - anyone hear Ben Stein on CBS Sunday Morning

talking about the Spitzer take down. That guy is so Republican-vile for me that I always run off to fix tea when he comes on. Today I heard him and I was amazed - he is not with the forces that took Spitzer down. He didn't sound like the Republican tart of yesteryear. He's only a comedian-commentator or whatever, but he seems to be holding the curtain open and a lot of people saw him - unless they were making tea.

[ingac70]

15. What did Stein have to say? n/t

[peacetalksforall]

22. So sorry I can't outline it - the impression I got is that he thought it

was targeted and contrasted it with the commonality of using prostitutes. I've been trying to write it up, but it was too subtle. I told myself - he gets it - and I had hypocrisy and suspicious targeting in mind. When I try to write it, it's all my words and interpretation - can't remember enough that is more representative - perhaps someone else can help out. It's been a couple of hours and I've been reading other stuff - the implicating of the Mossad. I didn't follow much of it during the week, catching up - don't want to mix what I've read since listening to him.

[dweller]

30. as i recall

he was opining on the duly elected officials being taken down by a small coterie of banks/FBI machinations. Hundred of thousands of NY'ers voted for Spitzer, and now they have a gov. they didn't vote for. Implications as to what this may mean to other elected officials committing crimes that are considered minor crimes to the public at large.

my words and interpretation
dp

[peacetalksforall]

31. Perfect - I think I was too stunned when I heard it coming from him.

What you say it a good account.

[eShirl]

19. wikipedia says he was a speechwriter and lawyer for Nixon and later Ford

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Stein

Other trivia bits: He and Carl Bernstein were in the same class/year in high school; later he and Hillary Clinton were classmates at Yale Law School.

[lonestarnot]

13. Yet all I am hearing this a.m. on MSM McDrain leads. WTF?

[roseBudd]

14. LOL the money quote: a president ... very, very unpopular. He's just killed the Republic brand

[sellitman]

17. "But we have Diebold"

Said one repiggy.

[grytpype]

18. hahahahaha!!!

[Breeze54]

20. They "just see storm clouds" now?!!?

They are slower and denser than I first thought! :rofl:

[gratuitous]

23. Let freedom rain, baby!

The sooner these crooks are gone from the corridors of power, the sooner we can begin fixing what they've broken.

[Hamlette]

21. he didn't kill it, he showed it for what it was

I don't feel sorry for any republican, they all went along with him, they didn't do anything to stop the war, war profiteering, torture, out of control spending, Brownie, invasion of privacy, presidential theft of powers, signing statements etc etc etc

[wiggs]

24. That's why, over the last month, you've started to hear that GWB is not

really a republican. He's a liberal man of faith in the guise of a republican.

[babylonsister]

25. Liberal? Oye. I hadn't heard that. Hard to defend that, I'd think. nt

[annabanana]

26. Their party has been hollowed out the same way that the Country's

been hollowed out. And by the same people.

[lpbk2713]

27. The RW Radio Hatemongers are still singing the 'Clinton's Fault' chorus.

It shows how really desperate they are. People are starting to see the truth for themselves.

[sampsonblk]

28. Nope. Moderate and conservative Dems will keep the GOP brand alive.

Very unfortunate, but very true.

[sendero]

29. "storm clouds gathering?"...

... that's the understatement of the century. They are in the middle of a tornado, they are going OUT ON THEIR ASSES come November, and only the most seriously delusional among them hasn't figured that out.

[eppur_se_muova]

32. "Looks like rough sailing ahead, Cap'n ..."

NO $#!%