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RNC Adds Nelson To 'Flip-Flop' Campaign
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE)
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Even though it's cold outside, flip-flops are back in season.
As Evan reported earlier this week, the RNC is exploiting tensions within the Democratic party to compare wavering senators with Sen. John Kerry, using his "I voted for it before I voted against it" video.
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) is the next target.
Mike Steele:
"Ben Nelson has taken part in the classic Potomac two-step of telling his constituents one thing in Nebraska and doing another thing back in Washington, D.C. Ben Nelson's double-speak has not gone unnoticed by voters in Nebraska and now it looks like Nelson may take this double-speak on health care reform one step further by voting for government-run health care before voting against it. Politicians cannot have it both ways - just ask John Kerry. Nebraskans can spot a phony politician when they see one and they know that any vote to move the Democrats' health care bill forward is a vote for a government-run health care experiment."
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
November 12, 2009 2:30 PM
This really could backfire on these tools. One can hope, anyway.
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Overreach THIS!
November 12, 2009 2:33 PM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
I think much more than hope is required. My view.
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Overreach THIS!
November 12, 2009 2:31 PM
The Republicans smell blood and are arranging a big push with big money now to kill health care.
No health care, no victory for Obama, no results for his Administration, he is a do nothing and an incompetent (and shhh! a colored!), so they take back the House and ruin his Presidency.
Hope somebody is going to be ready for this. It is not going to be a small effort that is required.
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
November 12, 2009 2:49 PM in reply to Overreach THIS!
The Republican blood detector has not exactly been serving them well these last few years. They smelled blood in August. They thought they had Obama on the ropes with the Brittany Spears ad. Karl Rove had the math.
Truth is, they're going to try to muster up one more spasm of stupid and crazy because they know they'll pay no political cost whatsoever for doing so regardless of whether it works.
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mans_best_friend
November 12, 2009 3:11 PM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
I'm not so sure the political cost is zero. The big difference-maker in the recent elections is the large shift in independent voters toward the Dems. That's in no small measure a rejection of the Republican brand and all it entails. You can fool all of the people some of the time...
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The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
November 12, 2009 3:22 PM in reply to mans_best_friend
Overstated for effect. They're assuming they won't pay a price with the voters they're counting on, wingnuts and the segment of the indies who pretty much completely check out between election. The same types who flipped Congress in '94 for them. Given that the Republicans grasp on reality is always tenuous and perpetually backward looking, who knows if that faith is well-founded?
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mans_best_friend
November 12, 2009 4:01 PM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
They won't pay a price with their core voters, but that core is shrinking. It's now down to 20%. It's as if none of these clowns has ever studied political science. To win you need to appeal to voters in the middle. You don't win by appealing to an ever narrowing base.
Their typical antics mostly turned off independent voters in the last elections, and if anything, they've gotten more shrill. They crave the spotlight and then proceed to act like idiots when they get it. That's not going to win them any votes. As the gap between reality and Republican rhetoric widens, they just alienate a larger and larger share of the independent voters. They clearly have no ideas of their own and their only purpose is to obstruct. Indies aren't impressed by tea parties. They want the government to address problems, and they'll vote for candidates who offer solutions.
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Overreach THIS!
November 12, 2009 7:30 PM in reply to The Commenter Formerly Known as NCSteve
Good time not to get cocky is my view, it being a close vote.
They played that ludicrous flip-flopper meme like a violin against Kerry. Everyone was repeating it as though it had some independent meaning! Comedians were yucking it up that Bush may have failings but Kerry's supposed flip flops were a stitch as well, so what was the real difference anyway, hardy-har-har.
I was amazed in NY 23 (Watertown Times readers) as to how many nitwits cited progagandized crap like "not bankrupting our grandchildren" as though this were based in fact. Conclusion: They got their message out in August. And Dems are down steeply in one Gallup Poll, as these fellas recount: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/#33867698 No snarks please, just discussing. If there are one or of these fellas that somebody doesn't like, that doesn't mean that they and Gallup are wrong.
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Walter Mitty
November 12, 2009 3:09 PM
The difference is that Republicans won't vote for Nelson, or Landrieu, or Lincoln, or Bayh whether they filibuster the bill or not. On the otherhand Democrats will stay away in droves if they filibuster. I can't understand how these Senators can't seem to realize that. REPUBLICANS WILL NEVER SUPPORT YOU and furthermore THEY'LL STILL RUN AGAINST YOU.
And voting voting for cloture and then voting against the bill are not the same thing. Wasn't the GOP cry "Up or down vote" during the end of the Bush years? Voting for cloture is respecting the majority vote in the Senate.
When will the Dems hit back on this ridiculousness.
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Overreach THIS!
November 12, 2009 3:28 PM in reply to Walter Mitty
"Hit back!"
Now that has sounds like an intriguing strategy to this observer.
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