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Why isn't Anyone Talking about Travis Childers?
Last night, Travis Childers, the Democrat running to represent the first congressional district of Mississippi, defeated the Republican, Greg Davis, by eight points. As you may know, this was a very red district that George Bush had won in 2004 handily. The Republicans tried everything to bring Travis Childers down, they tried to tie him Senator Obama and Jeremiah Wright, that didn't work, they tried to tie him to Nancy Pelosi, that didn't work, how about sending Dick Cheney, Haley Barbour, and Mike Huckabee to rile up support? That didn't work.
The Republicans are going to need their "change you deserve" pills because this is a very bad year for them. There have been three special elections in Republican districts this year and the Democrats have won all three of them. In two of these districts, the Republicans tried to tie the Democratic candidates with Senator Obama and instead of turning off conservative white voters, they managed to increase black turnout and they lost the district. It's increasingly becoming obvious that Democrats in the fall will need high turnout from African American voters as well as young voters in order to defeat John McCain. The Democrats have tried the 50+1 route and have lost twice, it's time they tried a new strategy if they want to win. So, far it looks like Howard Dean is doing a bang up job and Democrats have reason to be confident this year.
Comments (35)
Recommended -- just for noticing that there *are* branches of government other than the Executive.
May 14, 2008 1:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
After 8 years of the executive asserting it is above oversight, I'm surprised anyone remembers there are two other branches. Except when it's time to complain about liberal judges legislating from the bench again.
May 14, 2008 4:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
THE APOSTATE PRESIDENCY
Obama's father was a Muslim.
According to Shari'a law the son is always considered a Muslim.
Obama studied the Muslim religion (at least) between '67-'71.
Obama's announcement that he is a "Christian" renders him a murtaad (apostate) to all Muslims.
According to Shari'a law no Muslim is to be prevented from assasinating a murtaad nor are they to be prosecuted for doing so.
So the question is. How is Obama expected to arrange unity with a religion that regards him as fair game? Who will protect him when he visits a Muslim country?
Lastly: Is he engaged in "pious fraud"? Similar to that of the 911 hijackers? A practice condoned by Shari'a law in which a Muslim renounces his religion in order to carry out an act of martyrdom?
May 15, 2008 11:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
Quick! Someone send a case of "Depends" to the RNC National Headquarters!
May 14, 2008 2:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think you have a good point. Childers and the other democrats who beat Republicans on their home turf should help inform our assessment of the state of the Republican party. What I've learned is that whenever Hillary or the pundits talk about who can or can't win in November, they overstate the strength that the Republicans will be able to muster to put John McCain in office.
They are not that powerhouse Republican majority they were 5 or 6 years ago.
And the psychology of this country is not what it was.
May 14, 2008 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
This goes to show that those who are still the victims of GOPaphobia are living in the past. This is not the GOP of 94. The failure of conservatism is now apperant to all. We should prepare to kick GOP but from the Great Lakes to the Gulf and from sea to shining sea.
May 14, 2008 3:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
So much for the Republican use of the Wright card on October. This was Mississippi. If they can't make work there, they can't make it work anywhere.
May 14, 2008 3:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Except West Virginia, right?
May 14, 2008 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, but Childers is socially conservative, so I take his victory with a grain of salt. But, it still feels good to whoop some GOP ass!
May 14, 2008 5:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
As for why no one is talking about him? His victory contradicts everything that every talking head has been blabbing for the past two months about the political consequences of being associated with Obama and Wright. This is major egg on their faces.
May 14, 2008 5:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
exactly
May 14, 2008 8:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
And apparently the RNCC still doesn't get it. See TPM front page -- they claim they're still going to tie Dem candidates to Obama and that former preacher. The idiots. On the other hand, that's great, Dems can win all the seats.
May 14, 2008 11:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
It's amazing - I keep thinking there must be some catch - if people are wising up that much in the deep south, why are they still like this in WV?
May 14, 2008 7:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
oops - tried to embed a youtube but no luck. Here's the URL:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-q4MDQ0cDI
Makes you proud to be an American ... not.
May 14, 2008 7:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jeremiah Wright may be a political liability in an absolute sense, but he's not George W. Bush.
Hillary isn't tied to Bush, but the GOP sure is.
May 15, 2008 10:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
You Reap what you Sow....The Repugs are in for a bloodbath in the fall. Note to the GOP: Please keep peddling Cheney around the country in support of your candidates. He works wonders
May 14, 2008 8:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
The GOP has 95% problem:
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/2008/05/the-95-white-party-and-the-dec.php
May 14, 2008 9:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Cheney's as deadly to his allies with his stump speech as he is with a scattergun...
I agree, they need to send Deadeye around to more of these campaigns, and shore up their base like he did in Mississippi.
May 15, 2008 9:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
I grew up in the Deep South and in my yute, was very active in Louisiana democratic party politics. This story is so HUGE I cannot get my mind around it. Yankees have no concept how huge it is.
Why aren't people talking about it?
Haven't you noticed? What is the media talking about?
Hillary's in the middle another of her dramas or she was until Edwards took care of her - this time
Meanwhile Democrats natter about Hillary for VP
Good God
May 14, 2008 10:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Republican politicos are talking about it
Take that to the bank.
Take Hillary away
May 14, 2008 10:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Agreed. It's time to move on people. End the Hillary hate - start the McCain mashing.
May 14, 2008 10:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
She's not going quietly, nor are her supporters -- especially her supporters. HuffPo had a post on the NARAL endorsement of Obama and a link to the comments section on the NARAL Web site, so I took a cruise -- at a snail's pace, there are so many people on the site I'm amazed it hasn't crashed yet! And oh, the comments from Clinton supporters! Oh. My. God. They are so furious, there's no word in the language to describe it. More than 2200 comments when I went, all venomous.
Then I figured I'd check how hillaryis44 folks were taking the day's news. Uh, they're planning to be in Denver enmasse.
This unity thing isn't going to be easy.
May 14, 2008 11:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
They will have recovered by Denver. Nothing breeds converts like success. Obama will be way ahead of McCain by then and all this talk of his weakness and Clintons strength will have evaporated. Only her most sexist supporters will remain.
May 15, 2008 9:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
DEPENDS JOKE:
How do you know if a person is over the age of seventy? Depends. Okay, it's awful. But this is the kind of joke I share with my friends, based on Freud's Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious. His point is that jokes puncture taboos, and there is no greater taboo that the self-righteous positions of the PC movement and it's targets.
May 14, 2008 10:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Like your joke.
May 14, 2008 11:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
LA is not all that solid red. There's a strong Democratic tradition there, and it has been trending GOP, but they've got a Dem Senator and had a Democratic governor, before Katrina wiped out her career.
May 14, 2008 11:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not as red as MS or AL but District 6 is pretty damned red.
I was raised in that District - it was 8 at the time - Gillis Long
May 15, 2008 11:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
who's this "Childers" guy again ???
seriously, what planet are you posting from, and why don't they have satalites there ???
chicken noodle network has been mentioning this
I got dialup innertubes and I got no lack of aiscussion bout the repuglitards' waterloo
and somebody asked what's wrong with West Virginia ???
inbreeding
May 15, 2008 2:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
I understand that it was the most important election of the night. They tried the twin Black Bogeymen of Obama and Wright. This is MISSISSIPPI.
It didn't work.
May 15, 2008 3:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
I think he's being ignored because he has such a disgusting moustache. Leave that kind of stache to John Waters.
May 15, 2008 10:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
That is a very interesting article in your link. I hadn't thought much about that rapidly changing demographic. That should really have the GOP scared. Interesting that the pundits aren't talking about this.
May 15, 2008 10:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
Note, this was supposed to be a reply to Yoda's link above to an article about the growning % of minorities in our population and the extremely low GOP membership of such groups.
May 15, 2008 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
One reason he won in MS was that the Democratic candidate ran to the right of the Republican. He trashed Al Gore as a hoaxer, is pro-gun, anti-gay rights, and anti-abortion. The Big Tent appears to be back in the Democratic Party. The question is -- will it work in today's political climate?
May 15, 2008 10:56 AM | Reply | Permalink
The original post has something exactly right: Howard Dean has done something very well - two things actually. 1st the 50 state strategy has been brilliant for all the obvious reasons of rebuilding the party and making the R's fight on their own turf for a change.
Bigger thing done right: and this is only partially Dean and partially the DCCC and partially state parties etc. We are running the right Democrats in the right places. I'm probably more left than pro-life/pro-gun Travis Chilers. But lets face it: a pro-life/pro-gun candidates was winning this race, period. I much prefer to have a pro-life/pro-gun Democrat than a pro-life/pro-gun Republican.
I don't need to agree with Childers on every issue (and frankly I'm a little tired of these being the only two defining issues to be a Democrat)
The Democratic party has done an excellent job in 06 and 08 of getting candidates who can actually win in the district they are running in. This is a big part of the 50 state strategy and should not be overlooked.
May 15, 2008 12:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
You're never going to have a fully homogenous party in a country this size. I've come to the conclusion that the GOP was never really comfortable as the majority party. They prefer to be the opposition. When they had both houses and the White House, they were fumbling for a coherent policy on a lot of domestic issues. Ted Kennedy has been around long enough to know how to work the parliamentary rules in the Senate to block legislation. However, so has Mitch McConnel so you can expect him to return the favor.
May 15, 2008 1:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
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