I am predicting gains of up to 25 seats in Congress for Democrats in Congress in the 2006 elections if the outrageous Delay orchestrated Texas Congressional Redistricting Scheme is reversed by the Supreme Court. The recent appointments of Roberts and Alito put that issue in doubt.
Before those court packing nominations were approved by the Senate, the Texas Scheme would almost certainly have been reversed. Senate Democrats failed to zero in on this issue during the Senate hearings of these nominees. The failure of the Alito filibuster effort will forever shame those Senate Democrats who scuttled the effort. They seriously undermined American Democracy by being essentially spineless. The few Senate Democrats who actually voted to approve the Alito nomination should all face active Democratic Primary opponents. They may have kept the unpopular, anti-democratic forces of Bush Republicanism in control of Congress.
Political events could still produce such large Democratic gains to make the Texas court case outcome less important. If Bush takes the United States to war with Iran before the 2006 elections, I predict Democratic gains in Congress will top 50 seats. Americans are tired of the seemingly endless war lust of Bush Republicanism.
Should gasoline price hit $3 per gallon again and stay there for more than a couple of weeks before the November elections, Republicans and those few elected Democrats who vote often for the Bush Agenda will suffer badly at the polls. Americans understand that the Republican Party sides with huge international corporations over American consumers at every opportunity. The oil industry, drug companies and credit card companies virtually own the Republican Party in the Bush era. This will certainly not change before the 2006 elections.
Any successful large-scale terrorist attack before November will certainly doom Republican chances for retaining power in either the House or Senate. Tough talk but incompetent execution on homeland security and terrorism has grown very old and annoying to American voters. The Bush Republicans are good at undermining American freedom in the name of security but are terrible at actually improving security.
The greatest assets Democrats have going for them in 2006 are the policies and record of Bush Republicans over the past 6 years. Never before in American history has corruption so dominated a major American political Party like it has the modern Republican Party. Never has greed and incompetence so dominated the actions, policies and record of a governing Party. Corruption, cronyism and cover-up are the keywords defining Bush Republicanism.
Only Democrats very closely tied to Bush Republican policies need to seriously worry about re-election. Almost all Republicans should be worried. Few swing seats will be taken by Republicans. Many formerly safe Republican seats will not be safe for Republicans in 2006. Democrats have great allies in Bush, Cheney, Frist, Delay and crew!
Written by Stephen Crockett and Al Lawrence (hosts of Democratic Talk Radio http://www.democratictalkradio.com ). Mail: P.O. Box 283, Earleville, Maryland 21919. Email: midsouthcm@aol.com . Phone: 443-907-2367.
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