The Coming Ugliness

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The next six or seven months promise an electoral cycle as base and cut-throat as anything we've seen in our lifetimes. Serious consequences for many powerful individuals and powerful interest groups will attend a turnover of the House or Senate and it is on this possibility that the ugliness will be generated. If you thought things were bad already, just wait.

As the prospect of a turnover of either House has become increasingly possible, so too has the prospect of real investigations of this administration's operations and deeds. Have you noticed the increasing use by reporters, pundits and politicians of the term "subpoena power"? And if you don't think that prospect is scaring the bejesus out of this administration and many of its supporters, then you haven't been paying attention. The Fitzgerald investigation is the single case where a deep and through investigation (with legal teeth) of this administration's deeds has been carried out by a non-aligned agency. And from that, Libby and others at the very top of the administration may well face many years in jail on the simple, and almost trivial (compared to all else) matters of obstruction and perjury. How much red meat might be hidden away by this purposefully secretive administration is suggested by Carl Berstein.

From E.J. Dionne this morning...

Quote:

Here's the real meaning of the White House shake-up and the redefinition of Karl Rove's role in the Bush presidency: The administration's one and only domestic priority in 2006 is hanging on to control of Congress.

That, in turn, means that all the spin about Rove's power being diminished is simply wrong. Yes, Rove is giving up some policy responsibilities to concentrate on politics, but guess what: The possibility of President Bush's winning enactment of any major new policy initiative this year is zero. Rove is simply moving to where all the action will, of necessity, be.

As one outside adviser to the administration said, the danger of a Democratic takeover of at least one house of Congress looms large and would carry huge penalties for Bush. The administration fears "investigations of everything" by congressional committees, this adviser said, and the "possibility of a forced withdrawal from Iraq" through legislative action.

But it is not merely the principals within the administration who are unsettled by the prospect of such investigations. The broadly understood goal of the RNC and, more generally, of the new conservative movement figures (think Bill Bennett or Bill Kristol or Grover Norquist etc) and of the corporate sphere and the radical evangelical movement had been a functional dominance of American politics for the next few decades. That goal, which looked so possible (if not nearly a certainty) two years ago, could now face a reversal of gigantic proportion.

As I said, if you thought things were ugly before, just keep watching.

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Exactly what I was thinking when I found out that Karl Rove was being "demoted" to helping with the '06 elections. Yeah, sure. Everything he touched in this last cycle turned to dust for Bush, so people think this is a demotion. He's going to do what he has always done. PLAY DIRTY! We better be ready for any and all dirt clods including some smelly ones coming our way. The re-engagement of the Swift Boats coming back via Karl.

If I was a Republican, I would not be so assured that the people will fall for the filth this time.

Hi Blatham, good to see you back!

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The first person that Rove is being seen alot with is Sen "Sanatarium" of Pa.. Heres gonna be the test case of the admins coattails

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They are sure to pull out all the stops. I expect character assassination and other skullduggery to be the order of the day. I hope there are enough Democrats up to the task.

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Mark

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I don't know about you all, but to me political ugliness can be completely delicious! I hope the Dems come out swinging and I know the Republicans aren't going to just take it lying down.

It looks to be a good fight. I can't wait!

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Its Shean Thornton v Squire Trehearn all over again.

Marquis o Queensbury at all times

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I was thinking a while back that the Fitzgerald investigation was taking too long, but the closer it gets to November, the better off Americans will be. We should be hearing a whole lot of explosions that will destroy most republicans in high places. My mouth salivates just thinking about it.

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ARE YOU SURE YORE NOT JUST SUFFERING FROM RABBIS CI?

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A possibility since I spent two weeks in South America. LOL

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I got back from Argentina about a week after you left I think. Mine was work, yours was fun?

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Always for fun, fm.

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Edgar Said

They are sure to pull out all the stops. I expect character assassination and other skullduggery to be the order of the day. I hope there are enough Democrats up to the task.

Edgar,

At this point, I have lost faith in the Democratic Party to do anything but blow the opportunity. They just don't have what it takes anymore. They keep feeling that being "Republican Light" can win elections. I've spent way too much time and money trying to change that, but I just don't think it's gonna happen!

Anon

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Anon-Voter wrote:

Edgar,

At this point, I have lost faith in the Democratic Party to do anything but blow the opportunity. They just don't have what it takes anymore. They keep feeling that being "Republican Light" can win elections. I've spent way too much time and money trying to change that, but I just don't think it's gonna happen!

Anon

I am in a more optimistic mood (for a change). I see a couple of hopeful things happening.

First the issue of a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants is a very bad issue for the Republicans (whether it is a good issue for the Dems is up to them, but they are moving in the right direction).

This has already become a major issue in the Arizona Kyl-Pederson race. Kyl is an anti-immigration Republican. Pederson is challenging him with immigration reform as a key issue.

Of course. Tom Tancredo is a Democrats dream. He has a clearly extremist position on Immigration (i.e. throw out mothers and children and militarize the border). Better yet he has vowed to run against the Republican nominee in 2008 if this nominee doesn't support Tancredo's views. Not only is he great to run against, he has threatened to split the GOP!

Then there are popular ideas that help the Democrats that are growing in the public mind.

One meme that is gaining in popularity (which I happen to love) is "Republicans hate Latinos". A simple message but powerful and ironically it is the same kind of slogan that the Republicans have been using so much against Democrats in the past couple of decades. The "Republican curruption" thread is another theme that has now ripened in the popular mind.

But enough about the Republicans (although this is a "political ugliness thread"

I have been saying for a long time that the Democrats need to come up with programs on their own. I think they are making progress and I have been convinced that their current problems are not atypical for a party out of power.

The Democrats on immigration are positioning themselves as the party with a reasonable solution (i.e. the McCain-Kennedy compromise). In my opinion they are doing this well. They are also getting the "fighting dems" to run (i.e. Iraq veterans who are running for Congress). The Dems have also been getting good traction on stopping terrorism by backing sensible strong proposals. Polls now have Dems equal to the Republicans on national security issues.

The Democrats are starting to do the right things, and many of the races for November will be won on real issues.

But of course it doesn't hurt that the Republicans are getting increasingly loud and extreme as we get near the elections.

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Bernie mark

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The repubicans have been extreme for the past six years, and the dems have been unextreme for the past six years. I don't think there's a dem party in existence any more, but in name only.

The Coming Ugliness

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