Why are the Bush Leaguers so frightened at the prospect of losing Congress this fall? Congressional oversight and a return to the rule of law.
How worried are they? Enough to stoop to new political lows as they struggle to retain power.
The Republicans' fear of an informed electorate will be measured in direct proportion to their use of fear to mislead voters. To paraphrase FDR in his first Inaugural Address, "The only thing they have to use is fear itself -- nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror...."
Watch for these signs of panic in the coming weeks: - Congressional Republicans will do whatever it takes to pass or amend federal laws (the treatment of prisoners and unconvicted military detainees, warrantless wiretapping and secret databanking programs, etc.) tailored to make legal, retroactively, a multitude of questionable policies and activities that have been implemented, condoned or ignored by the Bush administration.
- They will stage contrived debates aimed at linking the occupation of Iraq to the so-called war on terror. They will claim that anyone supporting the troops and national security must support the president's entire political agenda. Anything less will be defined as patently unpatriotic, even traitorous. The "defeatest, cut-and-run" Democrats will be accused of paving the way for "another 9/11." The Bush gang has already blamed George I (1991 Iraq) and Ronald Reagan (1983 Lebanon) for sowing the seeds to 9/11. Can their 2006 political opponents expect better treatment?
- Terrorist alarums, aka Republican opportunism, will clang loudly and incessantly through election day.
As Republicans face the threat of losing one or both houses of Congress in 2006, fear guides not only their campaign strategy but also an urgent lawmaking agenda. Winning elections is no longer enough -- keeping top Republicans out of prison has become the new priority.
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Aug 12 Updates . . .
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2 comments:
While I am not too sure about losing the House, it is entirely possible that the Democrats could at least force a 50-50 split in the Senate. Five Republican incumbents are trailing their opponents at this point.
I've done a quick analysis on my blog.
Good analysis. I have some Tennessee contacts, so I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for Ford up there. If, as polls indicate today, the Senate could get to 50/50, Ford could provide the winning margin for Dems.
As for the House, districts are so gerrymandered these days it's difficult to defeat anyone, but the public seems to want fresh faces, so there's some hope there as well. Republicans have more "old faces" than Dems in Congress. :-)
Thanks for the visit, and I enjoyed your site.
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