The LA Times headline says: GOP candidates fear Iraq war fallout but if you know anything about politics and actually read the piece, what Republicans have to fear most right now is falling down, or away from a principled position on Iraq. So, who are these candidates?
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is one, were she any weaker on Iraq, she'd have to change parties. And this should make any back-sliding Republicans feel good about themselves:
Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, an umbrella group for antiwar forces, has organized a 10-week campaign called Iraq Summer to ramp up pressure, sending 100 organizers to 15 states targeting 40 Republican senators and House members. Last week, it circulated fliers portraying the amendment to carry out the Iraq Study Group recommendations as "toothless" — illustrated with photos of Collins and other Republicans with their front teeth blacked out.
That's right, during the very summer that we were still in process of ramping up the surge, immediately after these same politicians gave their blessing to Col. Petraeus and voted for the money to support loyal Americans to go off to fight and possibly die in Iraq, the Blame America First crowd was busy executing a strategy to pull the rug out from under them before many were even in country. Are these the types of individuals elected Republicans surrender to, instead of standing up and pointing out what they are?
Smith in Oregon had better be a lesson for DC Republicans:
In Oregon, another swing state, Smith may have cut his political losses when he became one of the first Republicans to denounce the president's Iraq policy after the 2006 election.
But Adam Davis, an independent pollster in Oregon, said the turnaround was hurting Smith with the Republican base, even while it would "help him a lot with the independents." A recent poll by Davis found that Smith's approval rating in Oregon was 46%, down from 48% in October.
That's right, it hurt him, just as McCain was hurt at the National level when he deserted the base on immigration and is now looking at the end of his Presidential ambitions as a result. If sitting Republicans become surrender monkeys because the far-Left anti-war contingent of the Democrat Party, none of whom would ever vote Republican in the first place, turn up the heat, they may as well change their party affiliation now and join the party that appears to enjoy running scared - the Democrats. Because the Republican base will no longer support them with money, or with votes.
If they want to win in 2008, there is a very simple formula, as just as it is contagious, winning is a result of momentum. If Republicans want to win next year, they had better dedicate themselves to victory now - in Iraq while it is still very possible. If they become defeatists, defeated is precisely what they will be come 08.
And if they don't get that, then they should get the hell out now, as the base has had it with some of these unprincipled, spineless wimps more worried about their Congressional pensions and pay raises than they are worried about the direction and defense of this country.
Damned if they do, damned if they don't:
If the sitting GOP candidates hop into bed with the Dhimmicrats... and the people (GOP base) neither support nor vote nor fund them... won't that essentially hand over the contested office to the Dhimmicrat party?
Posted by: seekeronos | Tuesday, July 17, 2007 at 10:25 AM