What If You Want To Vote Them All Out?

(CBS)  This commentary was written by CBSNews.com's Dick Meyer.

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A truism of election strategy for the past 25 or so years has been that the smartest thing Republicans do is run against Democrats.

Much of the brilliance attributed to wizards with names like Atwater, Gingrich and Rove may be more properly accrued to the shortcomings of just about every Democrat not named William Jefferson Clinton. It don't take no geniuses to whup Democrats.

In 2006, Democrats are hoping that running against a sitting Republican president named George Walker Bush in every single race will be enough to take over the House and maybe the Senate. They are counting on something Republicans used to count on: a divided, disoriented and unattractive enemy.

Many polls point in that direction now. I'm skeptical. And I'm skeptical that even a change of control on one or both chambers of Congress would change control of the nation's direction.

It this moment, Democratic optimism is understandable. In the past two presidential elections, the Democrats seemed to believe that their populist masses would somehow recognize the fine nobility of the limousine liberals they nominated and the crassness of George Bush the Younger. It didn't work out that way.

But 2006 is a midterm election, and the Democrats aren't encumbered by a national punching bag. The Republicans are, though — they're shackled to an unpopular president, one who many candidates don't even care to be photographed with.

This year, the Democrats have no illusions that voters will affirmatively embrace their chosen national leaders — Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Howard Dean. This is a sign of reality-based strategy, something the Republicans haven't had to contend with in a while. They don't seem to have any illusions that they have a message or a platform or a "vision thing" that people affirmatively vote for. That is realistic, though pathetic.

The Democratic architecture this year appears to be built on three pragmatic pillars: Democrats hate President Bush and are highly motivated to vote against any Republican they can get their chads on; a lot of conservatives are disenchanted with the administration, for varied reasons, and won't bother to get to the polls; independents will primarily cast votes against, not for, and George Bush is the guy to vote against.

So why aren't the political meteorologists confidently predicting that Hurricane Democrat will pick up the House and Senate?

Three reasons: Joe Lieberman, Lincoln Chafee and tactics. I'd add one more: the bankruptcy of the two-party system.

Many believe that Joe Lieberman's primary loss demonstrates that even in times of plenty, Democrats are apt to resort to cannibalism. If the great invisible hand guiding Democratic voters was the desire to oust Bush, the most prudent action for Connecticut Democrats would have been to nominate Lieberman, a moderate who would have clobbered the scrawny GOP unknown.

Instead, the voters rejected Lieberman for fine but impractical reasons, knowing full well that their choice, Ned Lamont, could easily go on to lose against Joe Lieberman, Independent. This is the type of fratricide Republicans count on. It has happened in other Democratic House primaries.

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[ademeyer]

Jane, I disagree with you. I think Kerry lost the election because people didn't want to change leaders during a time of war. And I do remember the Vietnm War. I remember most men did what they could to avoid going. (See Cheney, Bush and Clinton.) And It's a fact Kerry reached into the water and pulled out a man while under fire. "Swift Boating" is now synonymous with aggression by deceit. Republicans used embittered Veterans to smear Kerry's service. Its very sad for all concerned. It doesn't change the fact Kerry saved a man's life. Where is the "intestional fortutude" in belittling that?

[loneduck4]

The major reason I would vote to ensure control of the House or Senate changes hands is to give Bush a harder time since can't stand the direction he is taking us. He needs challenged more on the issues instead of a House or Senate that push everything through he wants. (Except the recent issue.)

[bornoffire]

The real reason nothing will change. GET OVER IT! Find it on the web for the whole article.

A Princeton University computer science professor added new fuel Wednesday to claims that electronic voting machines used across much of the country are vulnerable to hacking that could alter vote totals or disable machines.

In a paper posted on the university's Web site, Edward Felten and two graduate students described how they had tested a Diebold AccuVote-TS machine they obtained, found ways to quickly upload malicious programs and even developed a computer virus able to spread such programs between machines.

[carlylaine]

zerocp

You got it on illegal immigration.

[ronniehm]

"For the Democrats to win the Senate, Democratic voters will have to hold their noses and vote for candidates they don't much care for. In Tennessee, for example, voters who have never elected a black to statewide office will have to vote for Harold Ford Jr."

Wow. Imagine Rush Limbaugh had said that.

[timandsu]

Shame on you for saying Tennesseeans will be forced to vote for a black man if we are to elect a Democratic senator. Harold Ford Jr. is intelligent, well-spoken, dynamic and from a powerful Memphis family. He is running a close race against former Chattanooga mayor Bob Corker. You insult all of us in Tennessee by assuming we won't vote for him simply because he is black. We may be southern, but we're not stupid, nor are most of us a bunch of racists.

[ronniehm]

Looks like the white flags are coming out early this election. We're already getting the excuses for losing.

[sd4david]

Wow, talk about bad analysis. I can think of 3 big reasons it was bad.1) Chafee is in a BLUE state, and if he lost the primary, the Republican Party said they were not going to fund the candidate, because he was too conservative to be elected. So the ONLY chance Rhode Island was going to have a Republican senator was if Chafee won the primary. Lieberman is also in a BLUE state. If Lieberman wins as an independent, he will caucus as a Dem. If Lamont wins, there will be a Dem that represents the values of the Democratic party better, and who doesn't backstab his Democratic colleagues. Either way, the seat technically stays Democratic, 2) Conneticuts primary was only for registerred Democrats. Rhode Island's, I believe was for any party affiliation, or at the very least Republican and Independents. I'll bet you if it was for just republican's, Chafee would have lost his primary also. 3) BOTH incumbents, Lieberman and Chafee, had the vast majority of their party's dollars and vocal support behind them. The voters, however, felt differently.

[peaceforusa]

Stand up and re-take America. It is ours. The Government works for the people and we have the right to decide who works for us and who don't. The voters of America need to take a stand and let your voices be heard. We will no longer tolerate having America broken down by people in the ACLU...these are evil people. We can no longer support candidates who are in the pockets of special interest groups who do not fight for, and believe in America and Freedom. These freedoms are being taken away and we must stand up to be heard and counted. This is the time to get back to American values and rid the USA of the infestation of those that demoralize it. Illegal Aliens, ACLU, Affirmative Action, all need to be dealt with and only we can do it. Harsher prison sentences for child killers/rapists/molesters and criminals overall. We need to fight or this government and these special interest groups will bring America to its knees and weaken us for others like the Muslims to take over. Get with it America...this is reality..Think about what is going to be left for your kids and grandkids if we allow all this insaneness to continue. If they don't want we want then vote them out. It is your constitutional right!

[zerohcp]

My vote is going to candidates that will uphold our laws by keeping illegals out of our country. It's time to do the right thing and keep Mexico from importing their poverty and sucking our schools & health system dry! I am so tired of political correctness! It's time for term limits in the House and Senate to protect us from professional politicians who do not have the backbone to stand up and do the right things for us the American Citizens!