Kaine: GOP in Worse Shape than Dems

By: Daniel Carty
Topics: Campaign 2010

Democrats' chances of holding on to a congressional super-majority following the 2010 midterm elections have taken a hit in the last month, but their party's chairman thinks it will be the Republicans left scrambling in the fall.

"There's a huge, corrosive civil war within the Republican party that I think will continue to be a factor that will work in our favor in 2010," Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, who also presides over the Democratic National Committee, told CBS' "The Early Show"

On Wednesday, surprise retirement announcements came from two longstanding Democratic Senators, Connecticut's Chris Dodd and North Dakota's Byron Dorgan – a development that threatens the Democrats' chances of maintaining 60-40 filibuster-proof majority over Republicans. (The Democrats actually control 58 seats, with two independents caucusing with them).

And last month, the party suffered a defection to the GOP by freshman Alabama Rep. Parker Griffith.

But aside from the recent buzz about potential Democratic losses, Republicans face the real problem, according to Kaine. In the Senate, two Democrats will retire but six Republicans will join them. In the House, GOP retirements outpace Democrats 14 to 10.

"Retirements are really on the other side," Kaine said.

There are also hotly contested primaries in some Republican districts that may hurt party unity.

Kaine also said two of the biggest challenges during President Barack Obama's first year in office – the economy and health care - should become assets for Democrats at the polls.

"I think the president is about to achieve a victory with the passage of a comprehensive health reform bill that has eluded every Democratic president since Harry Truman and that will create a real tail wind for the president and the party when that happens…"

"And the economy does have to prove, but what we've seen is a president who came into office when the economy was in free fall, losing 800,000 jobs a month [and] $10 trillion in wealth destroyed in 2008. The president, by bold action with the recovery, has stopped that. We're starting to see some positive signs. … We've got more work to do, but I think the passage of historic health care and continued improvement in the economy will surprise some people in November in terms of how Democrats do."

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by Cattzen January 7, 2010 12:24 PM EST

The Democratic Party does not essentially hold a valid super majority. Republicans posing as Democrats have enabled themselves to hold seats from conservative areas. The 2010 election should see this played out where the GOP will pick up seats that should've been rightfully conservative but, were infiltrated by Democratic Imposters in light of the National Republican Meltdown due to their detrimental policies and corrupt manner of governing.

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by jimbom121 January 7, 2010 2:47 PM EST: Aren't these the Republicans that have been kicked out of the party because they aren't pure enough?


by johndevinejr January 7, 2010 12:17 PM EST: Currently the two most prominent republican potential candidates for President in 2012 are Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck. With these two intellectual powerhouses, and the tremendous support of tens of hundreds of teabaggers I can't see how they could miss!

Their campaign events will look just like WWF Wrestling, with nearly as much dignity.

Palin / Beck 2012!; Reply to this comment


by johndevinejr January 7, 2010 12:11 PM EST: by Mortar_29 January 7, 2010 11:31 AM EST
Just want a party that is interested in defending the Constitution and obeying the law. Is that too much to ask for?

Mortar,

Aren't you a member of the group that supported Bush & Cheney, the two worst violators of the Constitution in history. They even made Nixon look like a statesman.

The republican party went so far as to claim that supporting torture in violation of the Constitution was PATRIOTIC!

What a gang of half wits.; Reply to this comment


by ducdebrabant January 7, 2010 11:56 AM EST: Yeah, it kills me that the media is buying all this sky-is-falling, Black Tuesday malarkey about the Democrats, when six, count 'em, six Republican Senators are heading for the hills, when the Democrats are flush with money and the Republicans' fundraising is anemic, and when the President's approval is rising again. As soon as the health reform bill is passed and Medicare is not defunded, seniors are not ordered before death panels, and none of the other scary threats Republicans made come true, I think the American people will know what party deserves more of their scorn. If health care reform were really going to backfire so badly on the Democrats, Republicans wouldn't have lied their ***** off and tried to scream down every public meeting to defeat it. They'd have let it sail through.; Reply to this comment

by obwan222 January 7, 2010 11:49 AM EST

"They dont have to have an alternative to vote "for"...they just need someone to vote for in order to vote against Obama."

Actually, that's not true. People don't generally go to the polls just to vote against someone. There has to be someone on the ballot they can vote for as an alternative - or they just won't vote. And another thing - the point I made about elections being local - Obama is not on the ballot in any state in 2010. What will matter is WHO is running locally - because all elections are local. Even when Dems are out-of-favor they still get elected overwhelming in districts that have Dems that relate to the electorate - and the same with Reps that win even when the national party ebbs and flows.

"Afterall, that is how Obama got in there. Not on his own merits, but a vote against Bush and the GOP."

Being against the administration is not enough, you have to have some qualities that people want to vote for on your own. Lots of candidates over the years have run on a platform of change, but they didn't win because the voters didn't think that was enough.

McCain DID offer someone to vote for - he was experienced, smart and, for a while, principled. And McCain used to be the anti-Bush candidate. But when he began to sell out and became a Bush-clone people lost their desire to vote for him - he didn't offer an alternative anymore. The people that might have elected McCain if he had shown how he would do things different from Bush either voted for Obama or stayed home. Those that voted for McCain because he was McCain wasn't enough to win.

But again, this next election is not going to hinge on who is President, but who is running locally.

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by Mortar_29 January 7, 2010 11:51 AM EST: For his base, McCain offered nothing to vote for. Conservatives stayed home in record numbers, because there was no one ot vote for.

by timmeh60 January 7, 2010 11:47 AM EST

Kaine's Insane! Keep thinking it Kaine and you're in for a repeat of 1994!

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by Henri_Rochard January 7, 2010 12:09 PM EST: 1994-2001 were A-1 for America. Economy was great, Federal budget balanced, welfare reform enacted, etc. On the minus side, two-faced Repubs decided to slam Clinton while dipping into their own private honey-pots.

2001-2006 were the Tom DeLay and Karl Rove years. Still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Monstrous deficits and political chicanery abounded.

I got sick of that and voted for Dems in 2008.

Now the Dems are the enemy of the U.S. I'll vote for the Repubs in 2008 just because Obama and the Dems are extreme left-wing radicals.

But if the Repubs turn into the Tom DeLay, holy-rollers types, then I'll go back to voting for the Dems.

Could we maybe just get some ADULTS in office and not just sleazy THIEVES from either party ???

by antoniof123 January 7, 2010 11:12 AM EST

I work in an industry that is a leading indicator and I will tell you this much we are coming out of the great recession and in 2 to 3 months the numbers will turn around. Then as they say it will work for the American people.

What gets me is why our government in 2006 when this recession really started didn't tell us?

If they would have said we are heading towards a recession we could have done things differently and avoided this mess but as always paranoia sets in with politics.

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by Mortar_29 January 7, 2010 11:19 AM EST: Good luck with that. Here's the problem. If the government had just left everything alone and not gone on a spending spree, we would probably already be out of the recession. In American history, recessions have been short lived when the government did little...and long lived when the government decided to get involved in a large way. There is a connection.

But, the other foot has yet to drop. Just as the American people (not the government) start inching our way out of the recession, inflation will slam everything back down because inflation is the natural result of massive government spending.

So, standby. It is about to get worse.

by obwan222 January 7, 2010 10:55 AM EST

"The Obama backlash will be politically diverse, comprised of more than the unorganized Repubs."

Even if there are those that are dispirited with Obama, they have to have an alternative to vote for. If the Reps stay disorganized than the disaffected will stay home. Also, elections are local. National trends may have some affect but mostly people vote for local leaders. The Reps have had a hard time coming up with any leadership.

"Kaine has that pompous, arrogant, feminine, elitist, emasculated, metrosexual look about him. Like he just stepped out of 2-hour visit to a restroom stall in Boston's main train station."

Ah,yes, bigotry and prejudice - what so many people use to decide who to vote for. But you forget it was a Republican that perfected the bathroom two-step. And the male intern canoodle.

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by Mortar_29 January 7, 2010 11:12 AM EST: They dont have to have an alternative to vote "for"...they just need someone to vote for in order to vote against Obama.

Afterall, that is how Obama got in there. Not on his own merits, but a vote against Bush and the GOP.


by CPJ44 January 7, 2010 11:54 AM EST: Well said! Obama won! Hillary would have won! Any name on the Democratic ticket would have won in 2008 as the independents wanted Bush (republicans) out.

Now, the independents by a 2-1 margin want the Democrats out.

If health care passes, it will be the doom for the Democrats. Can you image paying the extra taxes and cutting medicare but the benefits don't kick in for another 3 years.

So whomever wins the Republican nomination will do well!

by mccowanphil January 7, 2010 10:53 AM EST

With little luck we might get some new political parties going that will be more responsible to the people ranther than to the Party. I hope they both deteriorate so we can get a fresh start and get the hacks out of Washingtom. Maybe the new parties can make term limits work

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by Mortar_29 January 7, 2010 11:31 AM EST: Just want a party that is interested in defending the Constitution and obeying the law. Is that too much to ask for?


by Brokennews January 7, 2010 10:46 AM EST: Politics aside, the guy looks like Dr. Smith from Lost in Space.
Creepy smile! Like he's looking at a group of little boys and asking them if they want some wine and Tylenol PM.; Reply to this comment