Friday, May 16, 2008

Sauve Qui Peut

Mickey Kaus offers this hypothesis about voter behavior:

If McCain should win the presidency, isn't he likely to have reverse coattails? THe voters seem near-desperate to throw out the Republicans. If they vote for McCain in the end, it will almost certainly be simply because they have too many doubts about Obama. But they'll feel guilty about that, and will make sure to vote Democratic at the Congressional level in an attempt to compensate and satisfy the pent-up anti-GOP demand (which will be even more pent-up if a Republican succeeds President Bush). ... It's a theory, anyway.

Not a bad theory. But let me draw what may be a more immediately poitically useful corollary. Politico.com reported yesterday on the cannibalization of Republican campaign funds by the national presidential effort. 

Fundraising-challenged Senate Republicans have long relied on the Republican National Committee to bail out their candidates. This year, Arizona Sen. John McCain has already laid claim to all of the central committee’s cash to boost his financially strapped presidential campaign. There will be no help in the wings.

“This may prove to be one of the worst cycles for Republicans in modern history,” said Anthony Corrado, a nonpartisan campaign finance expert. “The landscape is against them, voter opinion is against them, and they don’t have major reasons for the party faithful to give, particularly given the prospects of Democratic gains in both the House and Senate.”

What's an embattled GOP congressional candidate to do? How about following the example of the head of the ticket - and look out for #1? 

Treat the presidential election as already lost - and campaign on a message to balance the crazy left-wing things a President Obama is sure to try.

05/16 06:33 AM