Bilbray’s Narrow Victory Over Busby
by RonChusidThe race for California 50 is likely to be spun in many different ways by people who want to make a point. Republicans will correctly claim a victory, while Democrats can show that Republicans are now forced to spend resources in even formerly safe districts to win. Here’s one way of spinning the election I did not antcipate. At MyDD, Matt Stoller claims that Busby lost because she was hiding from progressives and the left.
Check out Busby’s campaign site. While her web site might not totally represent the way she campaigned, this hardly looks like someone who is moving to the right or avoiding liberal ideas. It is also doubtful that a move further to the left would have been helpful in such a strong Republican district.
What it takes to win is often different from what we may want. Despite all the talk in 2004 of mobilizing the bases, ultimately elections are won in the middle, not by the extremes. This year that is a good thing as voters are increasingly aware that the GOP is controlled by extremists.
Filed under: Elections, Politics | Get Permalink or trackback |
Buzby did well in a heavily controlled Repub district. I don’t know if redistricting was a factor or not.
I hope close but no cigar is not our mantra this year.
Most battles are won and lost on the margins. Many decisive victories (Midway, Battle of Leyte Gulf) could just as easily have been defeats.
Dems need to analyze why they lost and figure out how to do better.
Sorry…to me even a close loss is still a loss. It means a win was possible so figure out how to get a win.
Whoa! Ed Schultz was really on a diatribe at how the Democratics didn’t vote (the turn out was low) and how she was underfunded by half compared to the repubs and that we just let this extremely visible and important race go due to a lack of leadership and organization.
I agree that somehow we MUST figure out how we can win.
I mean this was that Duke Cunningham’s district so it is a concern if our idea of “culture of corruption” is not working.
I am glad Tester in Montana did well though that was just the primary. He’ll be up against Burns in the general.
Janet ,I can tell you folks on my side were pulling out all the stops.If Busby would have won,it would have hurt us bad.The MSM would not let us forget the loss.
Darth,
The idea is to force Repubs to defend everywhere; something they haven’t had to do.
It sounds like Dems sat this one out in terms of turnout and financial support.
The big question is why and how do we do better.
The Repubs burned a ton of money on this spot; which shows they are not going to roll over.
As a former Repub, they have money and discipline in elections. Once they get into office that discipline becomes marketplace politics.
In November the vast majority of districts like this are going to go Republican. The question is whether around 15 can be won. We’re sure not expecting Democrats to pick up any where near 100% of the traditionally safe Republican districts. As things stand now, Democrats have to pick up about half of the districts considered to be in play.
The chances of doing this are greater if Republicans are forced to put resources into districts once considered safe.
battlebob why were you a Republican?….As for the 50th I really think that gaffe about not needing papers to vote prevented her from winning……Ron the Reps have the money.Republicans will have to give their base a reason to go vote….Fear is a biggie.:)
One thing I accept about being a Republican/conservative is that I/We are the minority.Most people are operationally liberal.Which means we have to run to the polls.Yall have the luxury of numbers and can win anytime.Its just getting your folks to the polls that’s the problem.
Darth,
The short version…
I was a Dem from birth (Dad a life-long tTeamster) until I had enough of Jimmy Carter. Was in Space Program and Carter was a great person; just not a good Pres.(my opinion)
Went with Reagan and held my nose with the greed is good crowd. But I couldn’t deal with Mondale, Dukakis and Clinton. I actively participated in the McCain campaign but was really angered with Bush over South Carolina. It was the slimiest, most disgusting event until the smearvet campaign against Kerry.
I am very active in social and religious affairs and the narrow view of Repub rightousness is something I am totally against. We are in this life together and it is my job to join others in their journey. Budgets are moral documents and to give tax breaks to those that need them just because they are rich is wrong. I am well versed in business practices and the Repub trickle down; the so-called supply-side economics is a flat lie. People make money which is good but most of the population is denied the chance. Good tax policy return wealth to those that need it and rewards investment in this country; not investment in overseas.
It is wrong to ruin the environment. Environment and economics can exist side-by-side but it takes vision and hard work. Repubs stop the conversation by saying it will cost jobs. That is wrong. Jobs can be created and lives saved and improved.
I was a child of the 60’s and know of young women who died having back-alley abortions because they were poor. Wealthier kids went to clinics off shore. Their parents would cry how abortions kill babies while their own kids had them. To go back to this era is wrong; to not offer women choices is wrong. I agree with Jim Wallis that strengthening families and reducing the pressures makes for better families. Kids do better in a stable family environment. But they often don’t have a choice. So if Repubs want to scream moral values then it is a moral necessity to have prenatal care for poor mothers. It is a moral necessity to provide medical insurance to all children. It is a moral necessity to talk to kids about responsibility and how they own their own bodies.
It is a moral necessity to care for our planet for those that follow; not treat it as a piece of toilet paper.
It is a moral necessity to stop giving tax incentives to move jobs off shore.
It is a moral necessity to only wage war when we must; not when your supporters want it.
I know many gay and lesbian families and did a lot of social work for a church congregation made up of G&Ls. I don’t see what the fear is. How can two people who love each other be a problem? I know some who had children and the kids grow up in an environment totally surrounded by love. Why is this bad? I don’t get it! Get the church out of it and make it a civil union so these folks can have the rights they deserve.
The immigration issue will not be solved by forcing 12,000,000 people to leave; some who are citizens (kids born in this country). It will be solved by going after those who hire illegal folks; controlling the flow; and working with Mexico to reform their own country. Anything else is noise.
Darth,
I read about the 50th campaign and each side looks for any gaffe from the other. With immigration being the current flash-point issue, her saying papers were not necessary was a huge mistake; and easily used by the Repubs.
The question is low Dem turnout.
Kerry got about every vote he could (ignoring fraud).
If it wren’t for the kids, I would be more of a hardliner about those who are here illegally.
But they have kids born here who are US citizens. Itis impossible to ship all illegal folks out.
The only thing to do is control the supply, limit the demand and curb the desire.
Thanks battlebob.I don’t know where to begin,but I will say that McCain really should switch.I don’t hate him,but he has been on the wrong side of too many fights.Immigration,this country is addicted to slave labor:( Abortion?I don’t care what people do to themselves,but the unborn should be protected.War?Should be short and brutal for our enemies……..Well bob I’ll hit the other issues later…..Nite!Getting sleepy.
battlebob Says:
June 7th, 2006 at 7:48 pm
We need agreement votes like some of the other blogs.
Actually, I think smileys would be better. You could choose a laughing smiley, etc.
This deserves a smiley jumping up and cheering.
Thanks Bob
Darth,
Now tell us why you are a Republican because the curent crowd of Repubs are not conservative.
It is not the party of Barry Goldwater or for that matter even Ronald Reagan. The leadership of the Repub party is a bunch of moral midgets.
They are fiscally irresponsible by creating huge debt for the gain of a few. The next generations will foot the bill.
Barry Goldwater must be turning over in his grave over what this crowd has done.
Did Bush lie to go to war with Iraq? It was obvious from the beginning it was a priority. He used a minority opinion or rather he cherry-picked the data. If a business leader does this and it blows up in his face like Iraq did; he would be fired on the spot.
I had folks working for me that did this and blamed the minority reporter. They were gone immediately.
Goldwater was in favor of escalating VN. This is the primary reason Johnson went with the big build-up. He had to out war-hawk the war-hawks like Goldwater.
Ugh..
thanks but how do you do the face things?
Bob
Darth,
When you get back. Why do you insist on interfering with a woman’s decision over whether she can emotionally, mentally, physically, and financially commit to a minimum of 19 years of child rearing? Why does this not only unborn, but far from surviving entity, usurp the decision of the citizen mother to choose when she exercises her reproductive capacity?
As a premed student, I took embryology. Describing an embryo as the “unborn” is just stretching the image beyond reality. Nor is it really the point. Life should certainly be protected. There are too many lives wasted already. Conception is unbelievable easy for some of us.
Why do we have to be sentenced with a 19 year commitment for a misconception?
And please, adoption is worse than abortion for some of us. I managed not to ever face that problem. I also learned that no matter how prepared, ready and committed you are; you will be tested to the max within the first few months. And many times after.
Do you support access to RU and the morning after pill so women don’t have to go through this experience?
http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=3188
Do you support better sex and sexuality education programs to help kids learn the facts and the realities of one of the most powerful human drives? The consequences of ‘giving in’ to the raging hormones when you aren’t ready for the results?
Or do you honestly think that teaching sex education encourages kids to go try it? It’s the only subject we worry about that. We teach them algebra without any concern that they might go experiment with calculus…
Bob,
If you click on the HTML & SMILIES Tables link, just above the comment box, you will get a pop up with the options.
But you still have to do a separate post to respond to an earlier one.
I don’t know that it would be possible to program the support smilies to be added in a spot under the original comment. It just struck me as a fun way to say, good job, great laugh etc with out taking the time and space to post a comment.
Besides, if you are scrolling through the comments and see one with lots of clapping smilies…
I go with what Walis says; the goal is to make abortions unnessary. This must be the end-point.
To get there, realize most of the abortions are being done on the poor. So if Repubs really care about the unborn then work to create an environment for women that encourages or allows them to keep the child.
This is a very compicated task with all the forces involved that are a part of the decision.
Issues such as poverty – especially in inner cities; lack of medical care especially for prenatal and children. The Repubs talk about strengthing the family but they don’t mean it. It takes a committment to improving economic and living conditions. It takes inner-city job programs. It takes improving inner-city schools.
Why inner-cities? Because that is where the poor; especially poor immegrants gather. Areas that are doing well economically show a smaller abortion rate (I can’t find the link but this site had it).
So if you really care about kids and mothers do more then just say no to abortions. Like most problems it has many facets and is very complex. It is much too difficult for this current group of Repubs to deal with. Social issues like abortion and international issues like Iraq will be dumped on President Kerry in 2009 because this crowd of Repubs doesn’t have a clue what to do.
Why is #12 still in moderation?
Good night all.
I will take my face-less carcass to bed.
battlebob Says:
June 7th, 2006 at 8:53 pm
words like blow up, fired possibly.
And how long it takes for someone who can get in there to check for posts that are in the mod cue.
Start writing posts, then you can get in and get them out right away.
One more thing before bed time..
Guess who one of the founders of Planned Parenthood was?
Barry Goldwater.
Barry Goldwater = the REAL G
P
Got to agree with Battle bob on the Busby loss. Close doesn’t cut it anymore.
Where was the DC dems and why didn’t they back her if pelosi wants to talk about corruption why didn’t she and her team invest in this district?
The dems can’t exactly call the rethugs on corruption if Jefferson is still hanging around and reid doesn’t seem to think there is anything wrong with the senate dem leader taking free boxing tickets.
Now that we have gay marriage off the slate flag burning is next.
As for folks waking up to the GOP fear tactics don’t count on it. They knew what kind of divisive hyena’s the bushies were in 04 and they still voted for them anyway.
Dems better claim their own issues: port security, climate change, fiscal responsibility, homeland security, shrinking middle class, disaster preparedness, energy independence.
Ding-Dong Zarquai is dead. At least Bush got that right!
Anybody rememmber bin Laden?
Or is he Osama bin Forgotten?
Not getting this cretin is almost grounds for impeachment alone. It is not that BushInc didn’t get him. It is because he isn’t considered important enough.
Bin Laden? That’s the guy Bush let get away at Tora Bora.
oh yeh..Our troops had him cornered and BushInc decided to have the locals finish him off; who promply let him go.
This allowed ObL to continue making campaign videos for Bush.
Gotta hand it to the Repubs who think the one who murdered 3,000 of us is a better asset alive then dead.
Bush- didn’t get a damn thing right. American soliders were the one who got it right and killed the evil bastard.
Give credit where it’s due not the cowboy wannabe drunk sitting or should we say sloshing around 1600 Penn. AVe.
Pen,
Bush did one thing right. He didn’t “out-source” this the way he “out-sourced” the attack on bin Laden at Tora Bora.
Ron- if the Iran plans were going along smoother the bum would have out-sourced this to.
After all nobody mentions zarqawi or osama any more in this administration. No it was the soilders not giving up.