Today’s events remind me of something about election cycles.

And it’s a pretty straightforward insight: to wit, Nobody ever believes that what happened to the other guys last cycle can just as quickly happen to you this one.

Seriously, objectively speaking the Democrats are in a hell of a jam right now: the country hates Congress (including the Democratic members of it); the country is starting to seriously hate the President, too; and the post-2014 gubernatorial Democratic lineup is looking to be both weak, and sparse.  Traditional groups in their caucus are threatening to split off, the most reliable parts of their caucus are losing intensity… and their supposed frontrunner for 2016 is the candidate who is next in line.  Shoot, said candidate even lost a particularly hard-feelings primary battle in 2008 that had multiple allegations of poor sportsmanship and dirty tricks.  And is going to be old.

Does this sound familiar?  It should; those were the conditions that the GOP were operating under in 2005.  As I recall, it didn’t go well for us.  But it’ll be different this time! – cry the Democrats.

:pause:

Uh-huh.

Moe Lane

PS: I know that somebody is saying to the computer screen right now The GOP will screw this all up! …Folks, I say this with all respect and kindness: that attitude can come perilously close to one where you assume that you’re always going to lose so that you never have to think about what you’ll have to do if you win.

14 thoughts on “Today’s events remind me of something about election cycles.”

  1. For the Dems there is a saying, “The wolf is at the door and the wolf will have his day.” It’s an old saying.

  2. It really is looking like a cargo-cult replay of the Bush years, isn’t it?
    .
    Can we just move ON, already?

    1. Quoth the scorpion, “It’s their nature.”
      They’re going to get power, and then throw overboard anyone who wants to limit it.

    1. If you’re a fan of baseball, you’re a fan of the Cubs. If they ever won the World Series, it would become just another championship. It is in large part the pathos of the Cubbies’ plight that makes the World Series special.

      1. I’m a baseball fan, but I’m foremost a SF Giants fan. We finally beat our demons in 2010. We’ll leave the self-loathing to Cubs & Indians fans.

      2. Sorry, untrue. My wife is a White Sox fan and she so enjoyed laughing at the Cubs fans when the Sox won. The Cubs are not a baseball team, they are just live entertainment in a really large Beer Garden.

  3. Sure, I expect the GOP to commit suicide.
    But mostly, not until they get back into power, and can screw us over.
    .
    (That is, unless Christie gets the nomination. If that happens, all bets are off.)

  4. I, for one, would like to actually see the Gop “Blow it” before heading for the hills. Gun rights have never been better, thanks to the GOP, the Pro-life movement goes from success to success, thanks to the GOP, while the Democrats have to deal with the actually betrayals of Pornstar and Gosnell, the GOP glorious victory and success in the heart of Progressivism, Wisconsin, the amazing successes in the War on Terror (as opposed to the pathetic mess The One has made. Gee, maybe now you sad sacks will admit W knew what he was doing?), and reducing the Deficit while at War, something this country has never done before. Yep, so much fail….. What do you guys have, other then the Republicans using the “Let it Burn” tactic you guys love so much on Immigration? Are you so attached to Ted Kennedy’s vile racist quota system that you can’t see how good the Republicans have been doing, despite their meager numbers, despite the fact that the Permanent Government and the Press are firmly controlled by the Democrats? Does no one remember how a guy quoting the Communist Manifesto became a “Right Wing Militiaman”? Or how Senator Ted Stevens got politically assassinated by the “Justice” department, and how it worked because so many people in Alaska acted like Luke, and believed the worse?

    1. Medicare Part D? TARP? Steel subsidies? “When people are hurting, the government has to move?” (As just a few examples. There are dozens more.) Nope. Bush II was not good domestically.
      Nor, for that matter, did he decrease the deficit. The deficit grew every year he was in office.
      .
      The GOP isn’t responsible for gun rights or pro-life successes. Those are grassroots victories. A number of moderate Republicans signaled that they were perfectly willing to abandon their declared principles, until their constituents held their feet to the fire.
      .
      Is immigration law being enforced? Has the government even gotten around to building the border fence AS REQUIRED BY LAW? Isn’t the President still unilaterally waiving large portions of the existent law?
      Pull the other one, it’s got bells on. Enforcement first. Then, and only then, will we be willing to discuss anything further.
      .
      Ted Stevens was corrupt, and flagrantly so. The formal question was whether or not he broke the law, but the true scandal was what’s both legal and customary.
      Those I’m obliged to let have power over me do not enjoy the presumption of innocence. It good to occasionally defenestrate the less worthy office holders “pour encourager les autres”.

      1. Nor, for that matter, did he decrease the deficit. The deficit grew every year he was in office.

        This is mistaken. The deficit was going down for the middle four years of W’s presidency (the debt still kept going up of course), and had gotten down to $150B for FY2007. Then Democrats took over Congress and two years later the deficit topped $1T for the first time ever.

      2. First, Finrod is, of course, correct. Second, Medicare Part D? TARP? Steel Subsidies? Yes! All of your examples worked, and worked well. Medicare Part D came in under budget and lowered prices! http://americanactionforum.org/research/competition-and-the-medicare-part-d-program. TARP made a profit! http://abcnews.go.com/Business/government-makes-177-billion-profit-aig-bailout/story?id=17074275. The Steel tariffs lasted some two odd years, but got W the Trade act of 2002, and that gave him the power to increase free trade immensely! W was great domestically, far better on your issues then Reagan (Who did have the Soviet Union to deal with).

        The GOP is very much responsible for the gun rights and pro-life successes, all of which have happened in the Legislative branches, for years, despite the vary mercurial nature of the “grassroots”, which, alas, are so easily distracted (See : Porkbusters!). Particularly silly, given your “Doom! The Republicans are Doomed and always fail!” thesis……

        Of course immigration law is not being enforced. There is no way to police borders all long as we have, and the Democrats love having people in the country terrified that Republicans will be deporting them. Gives the Democrats and the INS/ICE nice cover for their vile actions, like lying about the law so that they can deport Americans! http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20131008/10261124794/. Maybe if you and your had watched the dangerous lawbreakers, as opposed to harmless ones who just want to be Americans, but can’t afford to pay the INS/ICE bribes, maybe the IRS wouldn’t have been so willing to corrupt our political process. Enforcement? Yes, against the “Watchmen”, and the corrupt system they have built. Then we can talk about what to do about Americans born in other countries…..

        Ted Stevens was corrupt? Funny you don’t have any links showing that. Funny that the “Justice” department had to fake a case against such a corrupt guy, and had to let a Pedophile go free to fake that case. http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/03/sen-ted-stevens-prosecutors-hid-evidence-report-concludes/. http://www.mainjustice.com/2012/02/03/botched-stevens-case-costs-taxpayers-1-8-million-in-legal-fees/. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2012/01/13/135869/justice-department-to-probe-prosecutors.html. So you want to let Pedophiles go free, if they will help us convict people who might have gotten their accounting wrong? Yeah, don’t know why Republicans aren’t following your route to power……..

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