RICHMOND, Va. - How could this happen in a state as reliably Republican as
Virginia? A Democrat who objects to capital punishment, had a clear record
of backing gun control and even boasted of supporting a $1.4 billion tax
increase beat a conservative Republican by six percentage points Tuesday.

This is a state where Republicans dominate the congressional delegation and
the Legislature - a state that has not voted for a Democrat for president
since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. ...

As Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine's victory over former Virginia Attorney General Jerry
Kilgore became apparent Tuesday night, GOP conservatives were shocked into
silence. Men and women wept and children huddled in prayer circles, eyes
closed and heads bowed, as Kilgore's victory party became a wake.

Funny - Kilgore had been enjoying a slight lead until President Bush landed
to endorse him ....

Look at this:

" Among other findings, the poll indicates that voters no longer prefer
Republicans to Democrats on handling taxes, cutting government spending,
dealing with immigration and directing foreign policy."

Hasn't Bush cut government spending?

Hasn't Bush stemmed the tide of illegals?

Hasn't Bush lead a clear and consistent foriegn policy?

NO! NO! and NO!!!!!

The Republicans spend like PIGS!!!

They are worse than Democrats!!!
_______________________________________

GOP strengths take a hit in mid-term election
By JOHN HARWOOD, The Wall Street Journal

Republicans, wincing from losses in two governors' races this week and
President Bush's current political weakness, face a broader problem as well:
Some of the party's most potent traditional advantages appear to be eroding.
Amid their failure Tuesday to take back governor's seats in either Virginia
or New Jersey, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll shows that
Republicans have lost the upper hand on a series of issues they've counted
on to preserve their congressional majorities in 2006.
Among other findings, the poll indicates that voters no longer prefer
Republicans to Democrats on handling taxes, cutting government spending,
dealing with immigration and directing foreign policy.
Meanwhile, Democrats have restored their historic edge on subjects such as
education and Social Security, on which Mr. Bush has sought to make inroads
among targeted constituencies.
Broadly, the telephone survey of 1,003 adults, which was conducted from
Nov. 4 to Nov. 7, finds that Americans want Democrats to take control of
Congress in next year's election, by a margin of 48% to 37%. The 11-point
gap is the widest enjoyed by either party on that question since the poll
began asking it in 1994.
For the first time since the Republican congressional landslide that year,
a majority of respondents say it's time to replace their member of Congress.
The poll has a margin for error of 3.1 percentage points.
"There's a kind of pall in terms of the American mood," says Republican
pollster Bill McInturff, who conducts the Journal/NBC poll with Democratic
counterpart Peter Hart. "It's a very unhappy electorate that's going to be
very unstable....for a Republican majority."
The findings hardly guarantee that Democrats will be able to ride popular
disaffection back to power on Capitol Hill, however. The current Republican
slump comes a full year before midterm elections, leaving President Bush and
his party ample time to recover, and the Journal/NBC poll shows Republicans
retaining some core strengths that have buoyed Mr. Bush during his
presidency. Americans favor his party by 21 percentage points on maintaining
a strong defense, by 17 percentage points on promoting strong moral values
and by nine percentage points on handling the war on terrorism.
While Democrats are benefiting from discontent against Republicans,
moreover, they still lack either a singular national voice or a clearly
defined agenda for voters to seize on. Only half of respondents credit
Democrats with having a vision for the future, while 60% say Republicans
have one.
To address that problem, Democrats privately are planning an equivalent of
the Republicans' onetime "Contract With America," which in 1994 gave the
party an affirmative national agenda to complement popular discontent with
President Clinton. The Democrats plan to center their version, to be
unveiled next year, on issues such as education, fiscal discipline and
energy independence.
Even in their improved position, Democrats will have limited numbers of
targets. Because congressional boundary lines place most lawmakers in
districts clearly favoring one party or the other, fewer than 10% of House
seats held by Republicans currently are considered at risk. Most Senate
Republican incumbents facing re-election next year remain favored to win.
Republicans currently hold a 231-203 edge over Democrats in the House, with
one seat vacant. In the Senate, their advantage is 55-45. Of 33 Senate seats
up for grabs next year, 15 are held by Republicans.
Top prospects for Democratic gains in the Senate are in Pennsylvania, where
Republican incumbent Rick Santorum trails his Democratic challenger;
Tennessee, where Majority Leader Bill Frist is retiring; Ohio, where
incumbent Mike DeWine is seeking a third term; and Rhode Island, where
moderate incumbent Lincoln Chafee faces a conservative challenge in his
party's primary.
Even given the obstacles, the latest poll suggests that Democrats have a
greater opportunity for 2006 gains than either party imagined when Mr. Bush
began his second term in January. The party's wins in Tuesday's
gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey--the only two governor's
races this year--have underscored the party's growing optimism, and
accelerated the intra-Republican debate over what to do about it.
Mr. Bush's year-long struggles are a major reason for the altered political
landscape, the poll shows. His overall approval rating has fallen to
38%--higher than the low points of predecessors Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter
and George H.W. Bush, but the lowest of his five-year presidency. Six in 10
American disapprove of Mr. Bush's handling of the economy, foreign policy
and Iraq.
The failed Supreme Court nomination of Harriet Miers appears to have
deepened skepticism about the quality of Mr. Bush's appointments, which
swelled in late summer after the Federal Emergency Management Agency's
much-criticized response to Hurricane Katrina. Some 45% of Americans now
rate Mr. Bush poorly for "appointing qualified people," while just 26% give
him strong marks. Those represent declines since September despite the
well-received replacement nomination of Judge Samuel Alito, whom 51% call
"qualified to be a Supreme Court justice," compared with just 6% who don't.
The Central Intelligence Agency-leak case, in which Vice President Cheney's
former top aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby is now under criminal indictment,
also appears to have taken a toll. Eight in 10 respondents call the case "a
serious matter and say that others in the administration aside from Mr.
Libby "may have acted illegally." The public views Mr. Cheney negatively by
a 49%-to-27% margin.
A big challenge for Mr. Bush's party going forward may be identifying an
appealing policy agenda that can unite the Republican political base.
Following the failure of the White House push to overhaul Social Security,
Americans now prefer Democrats to Republicans on that issue by 22 percentage
points--a greater margin than Democrats enjoyed a year ago.
Republican strategists hope to make 2006 headway by touting tax
simplification, spending discipline and an overhaul of immigration laws.
Amid fat budget deficits, however, the poll shows that Democrats have opened
up a 10 percentage point edge on handling taxes--traditionally a Republican
strong suit. Americans also favor Mr. Bush's opposition by double-digit
margins on cutting the deficit and controlling spending.
The poll also found that on immigration, an internally divisive issue for
both parties, Americans prefer Democrats by 25% to 19%; half of respondents
gave neither party the edge.
The role the issue played in the Virginia campaign underscores the
challenge facing Republicans next year in reconciling differences between
the White House, Senate moderates and House conservatives. Republican
candidate Jerry Kilgore assailed Democratic candidate Tim Kaine for backing
public benefits for illegal immigrants and their children, to no avail.
"Obviously it didn't hurt Kaine," noted Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee of
Arkansas, who chairs the National Governors Association and has taken a
softer line on the issue.
The poll signals the potential for further internal splits over high energy
prices. Americans prefer Democrats to Republicans by a whopping 28
percentage points on the issue, and nearly six in 10 say Congress should
enact a price cap on gasoline at the pump.
Congressional Republicans have nodded to such sentiments by jawboning oil
companies, including at a Senate hearing yesterday. But such rhetoric has
already drawn grumbling from pro-business Republicans--which would be
certain to grow louder if lawmakers take legislative steps that interfere
with market forces.
Iraq represents another source of division. While 63% of Republicans say
the U.S. should maintain current troop levels there, 30% say it's time to
reduce them, joining 63% of independents and 68% of Democrats.
Some Republicans signaled that they regarded Tuesday's election results as
a reflection of Mr. Bush's weakened standing. Conservative Arizona Rep. Rep.
J.D. Hayworth said in an MSNBC interview that he preferred Mr. Bush not
campaign for him "at this time."
"That's fine," responded Republican National Committee Chairman Ken
Mehlman. He shrugged off Tuesday's defeats as a "a relatively status quo
election" that kept two governorships in Democratic hands.
In New Jersey, Gov.-elect Jon Corzine was always favored in a state that
has trended Democratic lately; in Virginia, Mr. Kaine benefited from the
popularity of outgoing Democratic incumbent Mark Warner. Democrats,
meanwhile, hailed the outcome in both states, as well as the defeats of
California ballot initiatives favored by Republican Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger, as a sign the political tide has turned their way.
Gov. Huckabee of Arkansas, a potential 2008 presidential candidate, said
party leaders have time to rally behind Mr. Bush and a common policy agenda
centered on support for empowering individual Americans to succeed.
"I'm not one that's ready to push the panic button yet," Mr. Huckabee said.

In article ,
Vito wrote:
RICHMOND, Va. - How could this happen in a state as reliably Republican as
Virginia? A Democrat who objects to capital punishment, had a clear record
of backing gun control and even boasted of supporting a $1.4 billion tax
increase beat a conservative Republican by six percentage points Tuesday.

This is a state where Republicans dominate the congressional delegation and
the Legislature - a state that has not voted for a Democrat for president
since Lyndon Johnson in 1964. ...

As Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine's victory over former Virginia Attorney General Jerry
Kilgore became apparent Tuesday night, GOP conservatives were shocked into
silence. Men and women wept and children huddled in prayer circles, eyes
closed and heads bowed, as Kilgore's victory party became a wake.

Funny - Kilgore had been enjoying a slight lead until President Bush landed
to endorse him ....


Maybe Bush should consider joining Cheney in his undisclosed location
for the duration of his presidency.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com