By Robert Laurie ——Bio and Archives--January 31, 2014
American Politics, News | CFP Comments | Reader Friendly | Subscribe | Email Us
With Democrats' grasp on the Senate increasingly tenuous -- and the House all but beyond reach -- some top party donors and strategists are moving to do something in the midterm election as painful as it is coldblooded: Admit the House can't be won and go all in to save the Senate. Their calculation is uncomplicated. With only so much money to go around in an election year that is tilting the GOP's way, Democrats need to concentrate resources on preserving the chamber they have now. Losing the Senate, they know, could doom whatever hopes Barack Obama has of salvaging the final years of his presidency.
But with their party weighted down by an unpopular president and his even more unpopular health care law, many Democrats are worried about the election. And their anxiety is most pronounced about the Senate. One handicapper recently characterized the battle for that chamber -- Republicans need to net six seats to win control -- as a coin flip."Making up their 17-seat deficit in the House, on the other hand, looks like a nonstarter for Democrats; it would not be surprising, some pundits say, for Republicans to expand their House majority.So, with their hopes for the House all but dashed and their grip on the Senate becoming less and less secure every day, the Dems are moving into panic mode.
"There is no question that Democratic donors are shifting towards the Senate in 2014. They will continue to support Nancy, but everyone agrees that the emphasis is going to be on the Senate," said Joe Cotchett, a prominent San Francisco trial attorney and friend of Pelosi's who has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic Party candidates and causes. "When you see people like [longtime California Democratic Rep.] George Miller announcing that they are not running again, you know where the money will be going." "...[U]nless we have a George Washington Bridge fiasco in the House," he added, referring to the traffic scandal that has engulfed Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, "control is not going to change."If you're thinking this is all happening fairly early, you're right. Usually we start to hear these kinds of strategy rumblings in the beginning of May, as the parties start putting the pieces in place for the summertime push to Election Day. The fact that we're so far out, and Dems are already terrified, suggests that they must have some truly damning internal poll numbers. As we've discussed repeatedly, the ObamaCare fiasco is only going to get worse as 2014 proceeds. Democrats are admitting they have no fix whatsoever and the President - as both a matter of egoandagenda - can't back down. It's a perfect storm of incompetence and hubris that should give the GOP all the tools they need for a very successful midterm. ...but we've seen them throw away the advantage before.
Support Canada Free Press
View Comments
Robert Laurie’s column is distributed by HermanCain.com, which can be found at HermanCain.com
Be sure to “like” Robert Laurie over on Facebook and follow him on Twitter. You’ll be glad you did.