Democrats enter the midterms in a precarious position. Inheriting an economy in crisis, they prevented the complete collapse and have done much to improve it, but it’s likely be another year or more before those accomplishments reflect as real improvements on Main Street. In the meantime, Republicans are obstructing progress toward cleaning up the mess they caused at every opportunity. Sadly, blaming Bush and the only successful Republican program, No Millionaire Left Behind, however accurate, will not resonate with voters two years later. But Bush is still very much a factor in these elections, because the only policies that Republicans are offering are the same disastrous policies Bush implemented. We all know what happened. Who wants to return to that?
When money talks, the Republican Party listens.
Senate Republicans made sure this fall’s elections will be drenched in corporate money. By threatening a filibuster, the minority party blocked a Democratic plan to require disclosures of business and labor contributions in campaigns.
The measure was a direct response to a disastrous Supreme Court decision in January that ended a century-old ban on companies dipping into the treasuries to make campaign contributions. Get ready for a high-spending mud fight this fall as business groups exploit the ruling and take advantage of low polling numbers for Democrats.
The proposed law, known as the Disclose Act, passed the House narrowly last month. In the more conservative Senate, it was always an uphill fight, because every major bill needs a 60-vote margin to cut off endless filibuster debate. On this issue, Democrats needed at least one extra vote from the GOP side, which couldn’t be found.
The upshot is a political landscape with few restraints on lobbyists and special interests, the very groups Republicans claim to repudiate in insider Washington. The proposal would have obliged major contributors to appear in disclaimers in ads, much the way candidates do in criticizing opponents… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <San Francisco Chronicle>
Every single Republican voted against allowing debate on this bill, except Ensign. Every single Democrat votes for opening debate on it.
Republicans have thus declared that they support giant corporations’ ability flood our elections with advertising. Republicans have thus supported allowing giant corporations, like Halliburton, to threaten lawmakers with a flood of negative advertising unless they appropriate funds for the corporations’ government contracts. Republicans have thus supported extending these benefits to foreign corporations. When candidates advertise, they have to declare who they are, but Republicans have this supported allowing giant corporations to do all this in secret.
Lawrence O’donnell and Eugene Robinson discusses how Republicans have not changed a thing since Bush.
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Robinson did say that nobody would be running for anything. That’s not true. Democrats have lots of achievements, plus they have several jobs bills they passed in the House, but the GOP filibustered in the Senate.
Chris Hayes also discussed how GOP policies are 100% Wall Street, 0% Main Street.
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Republicans have no plans except to return to failed Bush policies.
However, if we present this in terms of what they will so, how might the public respond?
As congressional Republicans double down on President Bush’s failed economic policies, a new National Journal/Pew Research poll finds that Americans believe President Obama’s “policies offer a better chance at improving the economy over the policies of his predecessor.” Interestingly, more Democrats favor Obama’s policies than Republicans favor Bush’s, while independents overwhelming side with Obama. Overall, despite continued tough economic times, 46 percent of Americans say Obama’s policies will do more to improve the economy, compared to just 29 percent who say the same of Bush’s…
Inserted from <Think Progress>
Of course Republicans will do everything to distract us with lies and pseudo-issues, but we must heep hammering hope the point:
A vote for any Republican is a vote for GW Bush!
4 Responses to “Campaign Strategy 2010”
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Sure we can take up that Mantra and perhaps that and MSNBC will be enough. Still they have a Giant Machine at work. We must find a way to reach the Masses. We could probably rule out help with Fox Jr,(CNN). MSM is wussified. It’s something to be pondered.
Tim, the way we made the Iraq war an issue is that so many lefty bloggers were posting the truth that the MSM, excluding Fox, had to start acknowledging it. That has been repeated several times over.
They need to bring the Disclose Act (thank you, Alan Grayson) up for a vote again and again, until it passes. Runs some commercials about how the Repubs are refusing to disclose their corporate and lobbyist dollars and say that the Dems will disclose. Talk about it everyday on talk shows and the daily Sunday shows until we shame the Repubs on the NO votes.
Lawrence O’Donnell was right on every single point he hit,including Coburn, Barton and Rubio (yeah, raising taxes on the middle class but keep tax cuts for the rich – that’ll go over well). Remind the people of all the obstruction that they gave the Dems on EVERTHING. Eugene Robinson I disagree with that ‘no one is running on anything’ – no, the Repubs are running as the party of NO and McConell said that yesterday. The tea party will split the Repubs (hopefully) as they see them as pyschos and people that belong in a nut house. Chris Hayes was right on target too.
Lisa, that’s exaxtly what they need to do. And we need to push them until they do.