Keep in mind where the real battle's going to be fought in 2012.

[backscatter712]

The GOP already knows this, because all the "serious people" who want to be President are sitting out in 2012 and waiting for 2016. They've already seen their internal polling, and know that it would take a major miracle for them to beat Obama.

So they're pushing their resources elsewhere. Specifically, at the Senate. They want the Senate badly, and we need to be fighting tooth and nail to make sure they don't get it.

We should also be pushing to take back the House. The GOP shot themselves in the foot bigtime with the Ryan budget and the gutting of Medicare, so the wind's at our backs. But we need to make sure we're fighting very hard for the Senate. Because so many more Democratic seats are up for election than Republican seats, that's where Rove and his goons are focusing.

The way they're thinking, if they get big enough majorities in the House and Senate, they can try impeaching Obama, and force him to waste his second term fighting impeachment, while being completely unable to move when it comes to lawmaking. They probably will only be able to wound Medicare now, but if they get the Senate, they'll kill Medicare, deliberately torpedo the economy, and Jeb Bush will waiting, ready to sail into the White House.

[Ineeda]

1. This has been exactly my take on it, too. n/t

[Andy823]

2. Yes I agree

They pretty much know they don't stand a chance in 2012 of taking back the WH, and since they really have no plans on how to fix the economy, create jobs, or anything else for that matter, I don't think they really care to much about the WH right now.

I do agree we need to be working our asses of to take back the house, and even get a few more seats in the senate! If the republicans keep on doing what they are doing now, proving they work for the rich and the corporations, we have a good chance of doing this. This idea the right has about doing all the damage they can to the country starting with the states is simply insane. The only ones who will benefit are the corporations that will take over all the sectors that were once off limits to them. We not only need to take back the U.S. congress, but also take back the state governments as well!

We can't get think it will be a cake walk, we have to keep on putting out the information about what it really is republicans are doing to this country, and how they want to privatize everything for their corporate masters!

[daggahead]

3. I even heard this on one of the conservative radio talk shows ...

They may not be interested at all in winning the Presidency ...

They can destroy America from within the Senate & House, also at the state level.

[1awake]

4. As an exrepublican,

I see no greater threat to our country than the republican party and all their underlings.

[jwirr]

5. Keeping the Senate, gaining the House are vital to 2012. If we fail

in that then we will not win the future because the rethugs will continue to hold the world hostage while their handlers privatize everything for the almighty buck. Assuming that President Obama is not on the side of Friedman's Chicago University free market ideas.

IMO getting rid of corporatism is the single most important issue of our day.

[gkhouston]

6. The GOP has "serious candidates"? Where? n/t

[LoZoccolo]

7. This is good advice, K&R.

:kick:

[starroute]

8. The states also matter -- both governors and legislatures

It's a tall order, but it's where the GOP has been putting its energy for several election cycles now.

When I saw that Haley Barbour had taken over running the Republican Governors Association in 2009, I knew it spelled trouble -- but I thought they were aiming for 2012. I didn't realize how many of the Rust Belt states would be vulnerable in 2010.

Here's Wikipedia on the 2012 gubernatorial elections: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_gubernatorial_elections,_2012

The GOP pretty much has a lock on Utah, North Dakota, and possibly Indiana, and the Democrats on Delaware, Vermont, and possibly New Hampshire.

It's the ones in the middle that are going to be hardest fought: Washington State, Missouri, West Virginia, Montana, and North Carolina.

I think we need to be getting up to speed right now on the issues, the likely candidates, and the potential strategies. Do the Democrats even have a coherent strategy for places like Montana and Missouri? These are the places where the GOP is going to be focusing its attention, so we need to be aware of them as well.