Democrats Bunkering Down, Leaving Some Members to the Wolves and the Cold

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Democrats Plan Political Triage to Retain House

WASHINGTON — As Democrats brace for a November wave that threatens their control of the House, party leaders are preparing a brutal triage of their own members in hopes of saving enough seats to keep a slim grip on the majority.

In the next two weeks, Democratic leaders will review new polls and other data that show whether vulnerable incumbents have a path to victory. If not, the party is poised to redirect money to concentrate on trying to protect up to two dozen lawmakers who appear to be in the strongest position to fend off their challengers.

“We are going to have to win these races one by one,” said Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, conceding that the party would ultimately cut loose members who had not gained ground.

With the midterm campaign entering its final two months, Democrats acknowledged that several races could quickly move out of their reach, including re-election bids by Representatives Betsy Markey of Colorado, Tom Perriello of Virginia, Mary Jo Kilroy of Ohio and Frank Kratovil Jr. of Maryland, whose districts were among the 55 Democrats won from Republicans in the last two election cycles.

Representatives John M. Spratt Jr. of South Carolina, chairman of the Budget Committee, and Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota, who is seeking a 10th term, are among the senior Democrats who have appeared to gain little ground in the summer months in the toxic political environment. A sputtering economy and discontent with Washington have created a high sense of voter unease that has also put control of the Senate in question.

The sharp messages underscore the decreasing array of options facing Democrats as they try to overcome the party’s declining standing. It is an open question whether voters will find the back-and-forth exchanges persuasive or whether some have reached the point where they are no longer listening to Democratic messages.

While Democrats have all but given up hope that the political or economic climate will improve substantially before the election, they are not conceding control of the House. Several party leaders and strategists privately acknowledge that about 20 seats are already probably lost, but they believe they can build a fire wall around seats in the Northeast and in other pockets across the country where Republicans have nominated untested candidates.

The battle is boiling down to a question of mathematics and difficult decisions for Democrats. By the best-case Democratic calculation, party strategists believe that Republicans must beat about 35 sitting Democrats if the parties split 16 highly competitive open seats and Democrats win four of five Republican seats they see as within their reach in Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois and Louisiana.

But Democrats dismissed any suggestion that all was lost.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/05/us/politics/05dems.html?_r=3&ref=todayspaper&pagewanted=all

Edited September 5, 2010 by ##########

[Danno 1,228]

The old saying comes to mind....

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Two years ago, I was certain the Left would have an eight year run, how did it all crumble in 18 months?

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

The old saying comes to mind....

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Two years ago, I was certain the Left would have an eight year run, how did it all crumble in 18 months?

They got their way, and America vomited.