[linskyjack]

GOP's current position mirrors Democrats' spot in 1993

By Steven Thomma, Knight Ridder Newspapers Thu May 19, 5:26 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Republicans are starting to find themselves in the same kind of political environment that Democrats faced in the summer of 1993 - the year before the Democrats lost control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years.

Reverse the party labels and the circumstances are strikingly similar.

Now, as then with the other party, Republicans' ethics are under assault. Their opposition denounces their vicelike control as "arrogant." Their ambitious agenda risks overreach and public backlash. Their popularity is sinking. A unified opposition party is holding off until closer to the next election before offering its own agenda - thus withholding any good target for counterattack.

There's one major difference. Both parties have redrawn House of Representatives district boundaries to make their members safer. That makes it much more difficult than in 1994 to sweep the ruling party out of power in a single wave of voter anger. Also, Republicans have more than a year to improve their standing, plenty of time in politics.

Still, Republicans have cause for concern, and Democrats for optimism.

"The mood we have now is not the mood we had then, but it is developing in that direction," said Stuart Rothenberg, an independent political analyst and the publisher of the Rothenberg Political Report. "Possible gridlock on Capitol Hill. Questions about ethics or abuse of power. Fatigue about incumbent president. All that could lead to an anti-politics, anti-Washington mood not favorable to the incumbent party."

Many Americans already are in a down-on-Washington mood. Three polls show support for Congress dropping, with some measures rivaling lows of 1993-94.

An NBC-Wall Street Journal survey last week showed 33 percent public approval of how Congress is doing its job, while 51 percent disapproved. That was near the 32 percent approval-56 percent disapproval rating of May 1994, six months before Democrats lost control of Congress.

Perhaps more telling is the weak support that Americans give their own members of Congress. A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that only 49 percent of Americans approved of their own representatives, while 23 percent disapproved. That's comparable with 1993.

"A 49 percent approval rating is not exactly a stunning endorsement for members of Congress, who typically have extraordinarily high re-election rates," said Andy Kohut, the director of the nonpartisan Pew center.

Neither party is scoring well with the public, but Republicans fare worse, largely because they're in charge. What's behind this? Violence in
Iraq, high gas prices, economic anxiety.
President Bush's approval ratings also are near all-time lows, but Republicans in Congress have extra burdens.

First is the ethics cloud hanging over House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas. He's accused of taking foreign trips financed by lobbyists or foreign interests, and last year he was rebuked three times for other ethics violations.

House Democrats are using DeLay's troubles to bludgeon his party, which is ironic given his nickname: the Hammer. Democrats are raising money for their "Hammer the Hammer Fund," $82,000 so far. They charge that DeLay's actions aren't isolated, but rather illustrative of a corrupt party. They're trying hard to find ethically clean candidates to challenge Republican incumbents.

While DeLay's everyone-does-it defense has led to revelations that other members, including Democrats, have taken lobbyist-financed trips, even that worries some Republicans, who fear it could bring the entire House under a cloud, much as the 1991 House bank scandal tarred members for years.

Also, Republicans are sharply limiting the Democrats' role in decision-making. Last week they began moving to strip Senate Democrats of their ability to block judicial nominees. Earlier, they excluded Democrats from House-Senate negotiations on an energy bill and all but two Democrats from bargaining over a major Medicare overhaul. Such sessions traditionally have been bipartisan.

"Abuse of power," said a group of Democrats protesting outside the Senate last week. "Put an end to DeLay's House of Scandal," said a House Democratic Web site.

Compare those slogans with Republican vows in 1994 "to restore accountability to Congress" and "end its cycle of scandal and disgrace."

Today's Republican agenda also adds risks.

Bush's proposal to overhaul
Social Security has cost his party and him support, much as
President Clinton's plan to overhaul health care did in 1993-94. The Republican attempt to intercede in the case of
Terri Schiavo, a brain-damaged Florida woman whose husband wanted to remove her life support, proved popular with the party's base but prompted a broader backlash, much as Democratic efforts to let gays serve openly in the military did in 1993.

Finally, Democrats refuse to lay out an alternative agenda until they get closer to the 2006 elections. Republicans in 1994 didn't unveil their "Contract With America" until September, late enough to avoid months of counterattacks from Democrats but early enough to capture voters' attention.

"We want them to focus on the Republicans now," said Mike Erlandson, a congressional aide and the chairman of Minnesota's Democratic Party.

DeLay said Republicans had little to worry about.

"The American people have no idea what we're passing. And we have plenty of time to show them what we're passing," he said. "Polls mean nothing."

He added that the Democrats' strategy will fail: "They have no agenda, they have no ideas, they have no leadership. If that's how they think they're going to take back the majority, they're going to be sadly disappointed the day after the election in 2006."

For more on the Pew poll, go to www.people-press.org.

For the Republican perspective, go to www.majorityleader.gov or www.nrcc.org.

For the Democratic perspective, www.dccc.org.

The NBC-Wall Street Journal poll of 1,005 adults was conducted May 12-16 and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points. The Pew Research Center poll of 1,502 adults was conducted May 11-15 and has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

[LANMaster]

HA! In your dreams, Lefty.

[linskyjack]

Righty, I'm telling you, you need to put a muzzle on your most extreme lunatics. The times are a changing!

[Mulderator]

Originally Posted by linskyjack

The times are a changing!

That's what Wet Chicken kept sqauking about--you too--before we thumped your arses again last November!

[linskyjack]

Mulder the past is the past---the future ain't looking bright for you guys. The 1000 Year Reich aint happening!

[Mulderator]

Originally Posted by linskyjack

Mulder the past is the past---the future ain't looking bright for you guys. The 1000 Year Reich aint happening!

I guess is helps ease your pain to have a dream, heh?

[linskyjack]

Hey, you are the one that should feel the pain of the utter failure of your right wing soulmates. The worst thing to ever happen to the Republican party was to get control of the White House and Congress---Who the hell are they going to blame for their utter failure on most fronts? Thats why there will be a fillibuster compromise---there are a handful of moderates, really decent legislators in the Republican party who really want it to survive and want to take it back from the fanatics like Delay and Frist.

[LANMaster]

LMAO! Oh, please keep up with the rhetoric, Linsky.
Tell your leader, Howard Dean, to PLEASE keep doing just what he's doing.

..... and watch as the '06 elections create a Republican super majority in the Senate, and a landslide victory against Hillary in '08.

[Mulderator]

Originally Posted by linskyjack

Hey, you are the one that should feel the pain of the utter failure of your right wing soulmates. The worst thing to ever happen to the Republican party was to get control of the White House and Congress---Who the hell are they going to blame for their utter failure on most fronts? Thats why there will be a fillibuster compromise---there are a handful of moderates, really decent legislators in the Republican party who really want it to survive and want to take it back from the fanatics like Delay and Frist.

As opppossed to the moderates in your party like Kennedy and Boxer and KKK Byrd!

Linky--you are out of touch with mainstream America. You think the things that are important to you are important to the average American--its the same problem the Democratic party has. The attacks on America, on the troops, on God, on protections for children, the pandering to the UN, the wilingness to subvert American sovereignty, the degradation of moral values, the support for fringe kook causes, support for wackos like Michael Moore and Chamberlain, sympathizing with Muslims over Christians, the assault on Christmas, and the list goes on an on. You Democrats really don't get it--Americans care much more about that stuff than whether the fillibuster rule is changed. The times are changin alright--people are getting sick and tired of leftist wackos like yourself interfering in everyone's lives to the point where people can't live the way they want to live.

That being said, I don't expect much change either way in 2006--probably a few more house seats--maybe another Senate seat for the Republicans--much bigger gains will come in 2008.

And you know what bothers you the most, Linsky--you know Mulder is always right and your always wrong whenever it comes to this stuff. Enjoy it out there in the cold with your face pressing up against the glass!

[Ciberblade]

The problem with the trend indications is that in '93 the Democratic party had already been loosing seats...just not enough to lose the majority. Where currently, the Republicans have been gaining seats. The '06 elections will be the telling tale for me...because many do not participate unlike the Presidential elections. I believe I will wait until then so I do not bias my opinion.

[linskyjack]

Originally Posted by Mulder

As opppossed to the moderates in your party like Kennedy and Boxer and KKK Byrd!

Linky--you are out of touch with mainstream America. You think the things that are important to you are important to the average American--its the same problem the Democratic party has. The attacks on America, on the troops, on God, on protections for children, the pandering to the UN, the wilingness to subvert American sovereignty, the degradation of moral values, the support for fringe kook causes, support for wackos like Michael Moore and Chamberlain, sympathizing with Muslims over Christians, the assault on Christmas, and the list goes on an on. You Democrats really don't get it--Americans care much more about that stuff than whether the fillibuster rule is changed. The times are changin alright--people are getting sick and tired of leftist wackos like yourself interfering in everyone's lives to the point where people can't live the way they want to live.

That being said, I don't expect much change either way in 2006--probably a few more house seats--maybe another Senate seat for the Republicans--much bigger gains will come in 2008.

And you know what bothers you the most, Linsky--you know Mulder is always right and your always wrong whenever it comes to this stuff. Enjoy it out there in the cold with your face pressing up against the glass!

The assault on Xmas is a very serious matter---Did Santa Claus get hurt?

[iltos]

Originally Posted by Mulder

The times are changin alright--people are getting sick and tired of leftist wackos like yourself interfering in everyone's lives to the point where people can't live the way they want to live.

i of course, will not buy into the leftist wacko rhetoric spewed forth by our beloved moderator.....being a proud member of the tin hat club .....(that's the little know but extremely potent club seen from time to time around these parts.....if you have a peace symbol burned into your lawn, then you're on our list )

but the times do seem to be changing...indicative, perhaps, of the fact that the great experiment has run into that roadblock that has been in everybody's way since the beginning.....call it fear of the dark if your a psychologist, or fear of community if you've a spritual bend, or fear of the other if your politically minded.....whatever it is, it speaks loudest to our humanity and focuses only on those parts of us we'd just as soon not look at too closely.....

in the words of billy pilgrim...."and so it goes"

[linskyjack]

I call it the basic common sense of the American people and the vigilance of many citizens. I sincerely believe that for the first time since the attempted lynching of Clinton, the moderates are beating the right wing at their own game. I think that the big lie has been exposed--starting with Iraq---and moving on to SS, so-called Judicial Activism etc. I think that the moderates have done an excellent job of focusing on issues rather then the typical right wing crap about religion etc. Its nice to see that moderates are fighting back and exposing the myths of the radical right wing of the Republican party. The other nice thing is that you are finally hearing the voices of Republican senators like Collins, Snowe, Spector, Hegel, McCain etc--who really are very decent people who want to bring this country back to the center. Thats a very good sign. I do hope that they win their party back. By the way, short of something very unexpected, and in the spirit of moderation, I will vote for either Giuliani, McCain if they are nominated---The only democrat I would vote for at this point is Evan Bayh but he wont be nominated.

[Wino]

2006 elections will tell the tale.............if more moderate repubs. get elected in primaries, ousting the far righters.......good chance they will hold sway over congress..............if radicals continue to dominate, then good chance the Dems will pick up seats. Just my humble opinion of course.

[LANMaster]

Originally Posted by Wino

2006 elections will tell the tale.............if more moderate repubs. get elected in primaries, ousting the far righters.......good chance they will hold sway over congress..............if radicals continue to dominate, then good chance the Dems will pick up seats. Just my humble opinion of course.

I don't disagree with you on this. But the sam3e goes for the Democrats. If they put forth far left candidates, then they are guaranteeing failure.

A moderate Democrat has a chance of beating a moderate Republican, IMO.
But when the candidates are both "far" in their respected catagories, I think the left always loses.

America is sick of the idiocy of the Democrat's weak knees when it comes to crime and justice. They are also sick of the Michael Moore types that surround the party. Even the Democratic party leader is a far left whacko.
Howard Dean is the poster child for a Communist America, IMO, and because he holds the position that he does, I see continued Republican victories in the future.