White House Preparing for Democratic Takeover?

by Jonathan Singer, Sun Jul 23, 2006 at 07:56:54 PM EDT

How optimistic should the Netroots be heading into November's midterm elections? Perhaps we should take a cue from the Bush White House, which according to Time's Mike Allen is making preparations for the possibility that the Democrats will capture one or both chambers of Congress.

As for Bush himself, he is curtailing his traditional August working vacation at the ranch so that he can barnstorm before the midterm elections. Their outlook thus far seems so ominous for the G.O.P. that one presidential adviser wants Bush to beef up his counsel's office for the tangle of investigations that a Democrat-controlled House might pursue.

With President Bush's approval rating clearly stuck in the gutter and the Democrats maintaining a robust generic congressional ballot lead, it's no wonder that the White House has serious concerns about the potential for the Dems to win back the House or the Senate -- or both. And given the President's consistent use of extrajuridical techniques to achieve his radical agenda -- techniques that even establishment institutions like the American Bar Association are voicing opposition to -- it should come as no surprise that the first reaction of the White House to the possibility that Republicans will lose one or both chambers of Cognress is to ramp up their legal defense team,

Tags: George W. Bush, House 2006, Senate 2006, white house (all tags)

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Re: White House Preparing for Democratic Takeover?

If the vacation is getting cut short, this is indeed serious. Seize the day!

Seriously, remember when Katrina hit New Orleans. Bush was on vacation, playing the guitar...

by IrishAlum 2006-07-23 09:53PM | 0 recs

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You bet your sweet ass

We're going to have investigations when we take back one or both of the chambers in Nov.

by Pitin 2006-07-23 10:53PM | 0 recs

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Re: You bet your sweet ass

Unless the Incumbency Party decides it's more important for the country to "come together." As if.

Imagine Nelson Rockefeller or Dianne Feinstein or Jane Harman calling for investigations. Me neither. Despite, I might add, the urging of Reid and Pelosi. There's a reason there've been mutterings of Harman losing her seat on the Intelligence Committee

This to me is the most important aspect of the CT Senate race. If by a miracle Lamont were to take out Lieberman, the Incumbency Party might be too frightened to let things slide. As it is, they've got a warning shot.

by Taylor26 2006-07-24 03:10AM | 0 recs

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Re: White House Preparing for Democratic Takeover?

That's just great. He won't cut short the August vacation when terrorist threats or natural disaster loom. But maybe loose ground in congress, and the president comes running.

Ironically, being seen with the president may not be helpful in the close races, so perhaps this is good news in a way.

by lutton 2006-07-24 03:43AM | 0 recs

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Re: White House Preparing for Democratic Takeover?

I hope this is true. My nightmare is that the Republicans simply won't allow the power to slip away, that they will find extra-legal methods -- martial law, postponed elections, something -- to steal the game.

by xebecs 2006-07-24 04:41AM | 0 recs

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Re: White House Preparing for Democratic Takeover?

I'm in this camp. Convenient terrorist attack on Larry Silvertsein property (Sears Tower), overseas attacks conveniently traced to Iran, Diebold Diebold Diebold, and a bunch of Dems standing around saying, "Gosh, nobody could have anticipated that they'd be this diabolical AGAIN..."

by Village Jenius 2006-07-24 10:20AM | 0 recs

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Re: White House Preparing for Democratic Takeover?

Can you say Shredding Party? Or Hard Drive Formatting Party to bring the phrase up to date!

by TimO 2006-07-24 05:20AM | 0 recs

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Or...

...Bush has polling suggesting that voters think that an investigatory onslaught by a (still hypothetical) Dem Congressional majority would be

a pointless raking over of old matters;
a display of vindictiveness against the regime as proxy for the American people who'd declined to give them Congressional majorities for 12 years; or
a typical distraction from the real problems of the nation coming from an elite obsessed with inside baseball and its own amour-propre.

I can't remember seeing polling on a Dem-controlled 110th and systematic investigations of past activities of the regime. But, if there was a marked reluctance, on the part of Dem as well as GOP voters, I wouldn't be surprised.

Plus - how do Dem leaders think they can best prepare a case for 2008?

No one likes a Javert...

by skeptic06 2006-07-24 05:27AM | 0 recs