After last night's hulmiliating defeat in the MS-01 Congressional District, NRCC Chairman Tom Cole has put up the white flag and thrown every Republican candidate for Congress under the bus. His message to them is simply "you are on your own".
"We are disappointed in tonight’s election results. Though the NRCC, RNC and Mississippi Republicans made a major effort to retain this seat, we came up short.
"Tonight’s election highlights two significant challenges Republicans must overcome this November. First, Republicans must be prepared to campaign against Democrat challengers who are running as conservatives, even as they try to join a liberal Democrat majority. Though the Democrats’ task will be more difficult in a November election, the fact is they have pulled off two special election victories with this strategy, and it should be a concern to all Republicans.
"Second, the political environment is such that voters remain pessimistic about the direction of the country and the Republican Party in general. Therefore, Republicans must undertake bold efforts to define a forward looking agenda that offers the kind of positive change voters are looking for. This is something we can do in cooperation with our Presidential nominee, but time is short.
"I encourage all Republican candidates, whether incumbents or challengers, to take stock of their campaigns and position themselves for challenging campaigns this fall by building the financial resources and grassroots networks that offer them the opportunity and ability to communicate, energize and turn out voters this election."...
This whole statement is an admission by Cole that he does not now how House Republicans can win in November as a group, so each member better protect himself or herself. To his credit, Cole has been warning his members that they need to run as outsiders this fall, but beyond that general admonition, the Oklahoma Republican can't show them a path to victory. It's an extraordinary statement by the head of a national campaign committee, but it is not one that's going to inspire any warm feelings from his GOP colleagues.
It is still early in the election year, but this is about as close a meltdown as you can get, and a no-lose situation for House Democrats and the DCCC. We are going to gain seats, a lot of them. And if somehow John McCain is elected president, it will be seen as a weak victory with no coattails. If Obama wins, even the MSM will have to agree he has a mandate. That is one reason, I think, Hillary is still fighting so hard for the nomination. 2006 was not our perfect storm, it is 2008. We have the candidates, we have the money, we have a DCCC chair with Rahm's killer instinct and Howard Dean's 50-state strategy, a president with historic-low approval ratings and a nominee who campaign hard in every region. It's going to be a very blue November.