Pro-Life Democrat Wins Mississippi Special Election
Democrats picked up a northern Mississippi House seat in one of the most conservative-minded districts in the country Tuesday night -- an upset that will reverberate painfully through a House Republican caucus already reeling from losses in special elections in conservative Illinois and Louisiana districts. Prentiss County Chancery Clerk Travis Childers, a pro-life Democrat, defeated Republican Greg Davis, 54 to 46 percent.
The Republican Party spent nearly $2 million associating Childers with Senator Barack Obama. The result was that Childers picked up votes, rising from 49% of the vote in the first round to 54% yesterday. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) recorded automated calls urging voters to support Davis.
Until yesterday, Republicans had been convinced that association with Barack Obama was a negative for Democratic candidates. When this strategy was tried and failed in a heavily Republican Louisiana congressional district, the GOP dismissed its failure as due to local factors and pushed ahead in Mississippi, pulling every old Republican trick short of saying that if you vote Democratic, Senator Obama will marry your daughter.
The victory marks the Democrats’ third straight special election pickup in three months. It will be a serious blow to the Republican Party’s already-flagging morale and will surely prompt a new round of finger-pointing among the already fractured GOP caucus. A GOP House leadership aide said in Politico magazine last week that “if we don’t win in Mississippi, I think you are going to see a lot of people running around here looking for windows to jump out of.” Another GOP operative spoke today on the aftermath of the Mississippi defeat that "The next couple of days are not going to be pretty" in the Republican caucus.
The special election was held to fill the seat of former Rep. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who was appointed to serve out the remainder of Sen. Trent Lott’s term last December. Wicker had never faced a competitive race since first elected in 1994, and the district gave President Bush 62 percent of the vote in 2004.
Democrats picked up a northern Mississippi House seat in one of the most conservative-minded districts in the country Tuesday night -- an upset that will reverberate painfully through a House Republican caucus already reeling from losses in special elections in conservative Illinois and Louisiana districts. Prentiss County Chancery Clerk Travis Childers, a pro-life Democrat, defeated Republican Greg Davis, 54 to 46 percent.
The Republican Party spent nearly $2 million associating Childers with Senator Barack Obama. The result was that Childers picked up votes, rising from 49% of the vote in the first round to 54% yesterday. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) recorded automated calls urging voters to support Davis.
Until yesterday, Republicans had been convinced that association with Barack Obama was a negative for Democratic candidates. When this strategy was tried and failed in a heavily Republican Louisiana congressional district, the GOP dismissed its failure as due to local factors and pushed ahead in Mississippi, pulling every old Republican trick short of saying that if you vote Democratic, Senator Obama will marry your daughter.
The victory marks the Democrats’ third straight special election pickup in three months. It will be a serious blow to the Republican Party’s already-flagging morale and will surely prompt a new round of finger-pointing among the already fractured GOP caucus. A GOP House leadership aide said in Politico magazine last week that “if we don’t win in Mississippi, I think you are going to see a lot of people running around here looking for windows to jump out of.” Another GOP operative spoke today on the aftermath of the Mississippi defeat that "The next couple of days are not going to be pretty" in the Republican caucus.
The special election was held to fill the seat of former Rep. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who was appointed to serve out the remainder of Sen. Trent Lott’s term last December. Wicker had never faced a competitive race since first elected in 1994, and the district gave President Bush 62 percent of the vote in 2004.
6 comments:
Further indication, if any more were needed, that the Republicans are scheduled to get their clocks cleaned in November.
The more Pro-Life Democrats there are, the greater the chance that we may see real progress on abortion. Especially true because their approach is bound to be more comprehensive than the Right Wing's, which is something like, "Outlaw abortion, and then use coercion to prevent abortions. Period."
Actually, Matt, I have long suspected the right wing wants to outlaw abortion but really isn't interested in fighting lax enforcement. They have repeatedly shown signs of simply wanting to be able to say as a society we condemn this. If illegal abortions continue at the same rate as when they were legal, "it's not my responsibility if someone breaks the law" (in the words of one very strong anti-abortion activist).
Oh, I think they'd enforce a ban - The Dobson wing of the party will agitate to mandate more and more draconian punishment for abortion providers - the Right is not really opposed to government power per se: they love the functions of government that have to do with coercion and guys with rifles.
"...draconian punishment...."
Oh no, oh no, horror of horrors.
I am so glad that the Dems don't use draconian punishments!!!!
Alright Matt, tell me what draconian punishments are going to be given to "abortion providers."
BTW I like that term "abortion providers." If makes it sound as though they are doctors who are merely providing medical service rather than a murderer who rips a child limb from limb while still in the womb.
Of course that's not draconian now is it? It's merely barbarous.
KATHERINE SAID: If illegal abortions continue at the same rate as when they were legal, "it's not my responsibility if someone breaks the law" (in the words of one very strong anti-abortion activist).
RUSTLER REPLIES: Oh I suppose making abortion legal stops abortions? Let's make murder legal and that will take it off your conscience. OK?
You people have quite a way of twisting things. Katherine, if you tell you child that he is not to hit the neighbor child with a baseball bat, then take precautions to prevent him from doing so, and he does it anyway, are you responsible for it or is he?
But if you tell him it's OK to hit the neighbor child with a baseball bat who's fault is it now?
A couple of questions for you Matt. What kind of punishment is appropriate for a doctor who rips a child limb from limb in his murder of that child?
How about a partial birth abortion where the baby is ready to be born and is forced to be born backwards in order to suck its brains out while its body is outside the womb?
Maybe it's too bad your and Katherine's mothers didn't elect to have you two partially birth aborted?
How is it that the most horrible of crimes that Dems, liberals, socialists, and Marxists commit are not "draconian?"
Now let's hear something other that "the trolls are attacking, the trolls are attacking!!!"
Matt, in your mind, is the tossing of Israelis into ovens by Arabs a draconian idea or is it a Democrat idea?
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