The roots of the GOP’s defeat in 2006 and 2008 started in 1994.
We sent a class of Congresspeople to Washington.
They arrived in Washington – and then they went Washington.
They turned into creatures of the Beltway.
They did it because we allowed them to. We allowed them to become creatures of expedience; we let them believe it was more important to be liked by the New York Times and to get into the WaPo’s soirees than it was to stick to the principles that had gotten them elected.
We elected them – and then we trusted them.
We can not make that mistake again.
We,the people, must keep breathing down their necks. We must be the voices they hear at night; “don’t mistake this mandate for a blank check. You owe us.“
And we need to keep it up. We must not stop. We must keep showing the energy we showed this past 18 months, we started rallying in our millions, oblivious to our idiot “elite’s” ridicule. We put them in office; we must not be afraid to take them back out.
Like the Spartans, we must tell our newly-minted conservative legislators, in Saint Paul and in DC, “come back with your shields, or on them”. Death or glory. Politics is about compromise – but make the Dems pay.
That’s why we gave you the mandate.
If you squander this mandate you’ll have me and a few million more like me to answer to.
Here’s your mandate. Don’t screw it up.
Mitch, you’re analysis of “going Washington” is right on the mark.
I doubt breathing down their necks will work very long.
Term limits are more effective. You may recall that promises of term limits were a big part of the 1994 sea-change, but that momentum died off and many of those who promised to self-direct their own term limits never did it.
Why term limits? Because it prevents the tick from burrowing too deeply into the body and it produces fresh candidates who haven’t yet gone Washington.
“Your” analysis is also on the mark.
This is the challenge. It’s not enough to oust an Oberstar — you have to keep a Cravaack from becoming an Oberstar.
Congratulations on those races where the candidates you supported did well, Mitch. What a long night, and some of those will be longer days with recounts on the close races.
I think this is going to set the stage for a big turnover again in 2012….but we’ll see! That’s what keeps things interesting.
So….is today one of those where you need extra caffeine, and toothpicks for your eyelids?
It sounds like there will be no surrender by MNGOP this time. Sutton is loaded for bear! Could we dare hope that Ritchie got the message? They have acknowledged in writing that there were issues with the voting system.
On another note, in the event that Mad Mark does win, we can be secure in the knowledge that with GOP control of both State Houses, he will be paralyzed from implementing any of his 1970’s economic policies. The first think that they need to do is to fix our election rules!
The scary part – when Mad Mark has his break down after the first State crisis, we will have another idiot, Solon, with no experience at anything in charge of the state
Have a hair of the dog DG…I’m sure there’s a swallow of gin left in at least one of those empty bottles around there somewhere.
Now with the GOP legislature doing the upcoming apportionment we stand a reasonable chance of breaking up the CD4 & CD5 districts into something workable.
Oh, the sweet, sweet irony.
I bet that idiot Dayton is still mumbling “What do you mean the GOP took control of both houses? WTF am I supposed to do now? Someone get Pogemiller on the phone. He’ll know what I should do.
What? A recount? Can we control that? Get me Ritchie. Maybe I can get out of this.”
I completely agree with Tony. I would GLADLY give up Cravaack, Paulsen, Kline AND Bachmann in 2012 if I knew we could have 12 year combined term limits in BOTH federal houses of congress (2 senate, 3 house/1 senate, or 6 house).
K-talk, 11:30 PM. Sue Jeffers talking about if Emmer was the strongest candidate, what his campaign could have done differently to have prevented a Dayton win. I was up since 6 AM so decided to put The Patriot back on and sit in my big chair. Fell immediatly asleep. Work up at 1 AM and hear one Mitch Berg talking about something different. Something about the race more-or-less tied. Something about Hennipen county correcting a HUGE error. Listened in until past 2 AM.
Now I need to find out what happened in Wisc congressional races.
Chuck: Mark Ritchie somehow managed to count 866K votes in Hennepin County with only 706K registered voters, or something like that.
Sorry, 886K, not 866K. There was a 180K overcount.
Whether or not there is a big turnover in 2012 depends on the economy. If the GOP can take credit for a plan that is seen to be working, they will win again and Obama will be a one-term president.
Obama’s party lost because the independents turned against it. Going on TV and crowing about the wonderful reforms you have made doesn’t get you many votes if unemployment is pushing 10% with no return to better times in sight.