Flashback to 1998

Posted on 01/20/2010 at 2:32 pm by Bob Cesca

Benen rewinds to the Republicans in 1998:

* In 1998, voters were unimpressed, to put it mildly, with the Republican crusade against Bill Clinton. In the midterms, voters sent a message — in a historical rarity, the party that controlled the White House gained congressional seats in the sixth year of a presidency.

House Republicans responded by impeaching the president anyway. In fact, they did so quickly, before newly-elected lawmakers could take office.

Two years later, they won the White House, too.

But the Democrats might just crumble. Because of Scott Brown.

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  • m4rk0

    Nice to see Obama throwing in the towel already.Yes We Can? LOL

  • roxsteady

    It’s pathetic how some of the Dems are responding. Bayh thinks the party should move to the right? Somone should ask this tool why the Dems won so big in 2008 if the country preferred to go right. Jim Webb seems to think we should wait until Brown is seated before voting on healthcare. Was he kicked in the head by a mule? and Barney Frank seem to be throwing in the towel. I don’t understand how Dems can look at what happened yesterday and not see that it’s their inability to act that is costing them their base. If they would just get rid of the filibuster and pass progressive legislation, they’d have no problems getting re elected.

  • roxsteady

    I just read on TPM that the President also thinks we should wait for Brown to be seated before voting on healthcare. Why? We already know how he’ll vote. I’m getting the feeling that the Dems are going to get their asses kicked in November and I’m having a hard time rooting for them.

  • Marathoner

    This is the problem with such a big “Big Tent” party – perhaps it spans the ideological spectrum a little too wide. It becomes like herding cats, which is why the Health Care is yet to be completed.

  • roxsteady

    The big tent wouldn’t be such a problem if these conservadems were made to understand that there are certain party principals that are non negotiable. I don’t understand why those people didn’t just join the Republican party? They seem to have all of the principals that the conservadems favor. It seems to me that they want to be part of the Democratic party because of it’s size but, they are not being forced to pull their weight. They’re basically political freeloaders!

  • Marathoner

    A lot of these guys were moderate Republicans drafted to take advantage of the electoral opportunities in 2006 and 2008. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s akin to making a deal with the Devil, but the same principle would seem to apply.

  • jdsne

    It would be a political disaster to jam through the health care bill before Brown is seated. It would reek of dirty politics.

  • http://radicalsahm.blogspot.com/ Radical SAHM

    Bill Clinton lied under oath about sexy times. Seems to be Obama is clean as a whistle. In any event, all Obama has to do is believe in something and sell it. Even if he fails, he will get credit for the fight. What is politically possible needs to go out the window (along with Rahm) and be replaced with what is right. People aren’t mad that he isn’t winning, they are mad that he isn’t trying.

  • keithalso

    OK, you’re right. Thank you for talking me down Bob.

  • http://extremeliberal.wordpress.com/ Jim in Michigan

    I can’t believe what Barney Frank said last night about health care.

  • Allonfla

    @Radical: he is not giving the appearance of trying. That’s why people keep calling for candidate Obama who had the time and the energy to go around the country every day. Don’t judge what’s going on behind closed doors based on what you see in the media. He is trying and anyone on TV saying otherwise should go say it to his face.

  • http://radicalsahm.blogspot.com/ Radical SAHM

    here’s a letter from a senate staffer that is going around:”The worst is that I can’t help but feel like the main emotion people in the caucus are feeling is relief at this turn of events. Now they have a ready excuse for not getting anything done. While I always thought we had the better ideas but the weaker messaging, it feels like somewhere along the line Members internalized a belief that we actually have weaker ideas. They’re afraid to actually implement them and face the judgment of the voters. That’s the scariest dynamic and what makes me think this will all come crashing down around us in November.I believe President Clinton provided some crucial insight when he said, “people would rather be with someone who is strong and wrong than weak and right.” It’s not that people are uninterested in who’s right or wrong, it’s that people will only follow leaders who seem to actually believe in what they are doing. Democrats have missed this essential fact.”the whole letter here: http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/01/relieved.php#more?ref=fpblg@Allonfla: He absolutely, 100% has to start LOOKING like he’s trying very hard.

  • Raphael Kearns

    Here is Jon Stewart’s opening on Monday night:http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-january-18-2010/mass-backwardsIf this doesn’t hit the nail on the head nothing does.I think the “silver lining” in the Brown victory is that now Joe Lieberman has lost whatever power he thought he possessed. It is time for Harry Reid to kick him and those “conservadems” to the curb.

  • Sprocket

    Why don’t the Democrats do this? Why is Obama saying to ‘wait for Scott Brown to be seated before we can further discuss healthcare reform’? Honestly, I don’t know: perhaps the party has lost its brain along with its spine.