re: #141 sliv_the_eli

I agree. The Dems would have to be absolute morons not to run their campaigns exactly along the lines you suggest. The only question will be whether anti-incumbent feeling is so strong that voters will vote for extremists so long as they get rid of the incumbents. If that is the case, then the mere fact the Dems have more incumbents could lead to Republican victory.

For those of us in the middle who are troubled by the choices that might be presented, it will come down to a choice of continued one-party rule — with its absence of any real checks on extremism — or having a Republican-controlled Congress that can at least be checked by President Obama’s ability to veto any stupidity that a right wing Congress can come up with. IMHO, the split between a Republican Congress and Democrat White House — and the check that each played on any extremist tendencies of the other — played a large role in this country’s relative prosperity during the 1990’s.

I don’t think that will work out this time around.

I have a suspicion that the operational theory the GOP is using is that by blocking everything, not cooperating, and making ideology the sole litmus test for the next two years they can then go into 2012 claiming that the Obama Administration was a total failure and therefore the GOP should be elected as the proper replacement. And that they will be successful in casting the Executive Branch as solely to blame.

The operational goal, of course, is simply to regain power. Party before country since at least 50% of the citizenry are obviously traitors at this point… (sarc)