Whether Paul Hackett wins or not on Tuesday (and I'm sure as hell hoping he will), his race is revealing: if we think big and aim high, there's no telling where we can be competitive. I know that we have to "prioritize" our objectives and go for the most vulnerable Republicans while defending our shaky territory. But something big is coming in 2006--a full scale electoral revolt against the Republicans. Allow me to elaborate.
On issue after issue in the last year, the Republicans have managed to alienate the voters--their handling of the Iraq situation, gas prices, Rove, Schiavo, Social Security, you name it. There's a lot of serious buyer's remorse out there about Bush as well. (Note the tepid 42% approval rating for Dubya in the last AP poll.) This is our GOLDEN opportunity--a chance to knock the GOP on its damned ass. They've overreached badly, and we can make them pay. But first, there are several SACRED principles we must embrace:
- There must be 435 Democratic candidates for the House in November 2006. NO UNCONTESTED SEATS. I don't give a damn how secure the Republican in the area is--we FIGHT.
- There are Republican seats in New York, New England, and in other Blue territories just WAITING to be flushed out.
- The AFL/CIO has just fired off a mass mailing in my district ripping the supposedly "safe" Jerry Weller. They've got the gonads to fight. We need to guts it up, too. As I've said before there may be 3 or 4 GOP seats we can snag just in Illinois.
- Texas-22 (DeLay's district) proves we can--and should-- fight anywhere.
- This is a "sixth year" election, usually an opportunity for the out party (although '98 was unusual--we won that one, remember?)
- The public's view of the Republican run Congress is ROCK BOTTOM. We need to be fearless--get in their faces and force them to defend EVERY Republican seat in the United States.
- We almost unseated Bush last year by bringing together an historic coalition of Democratic and independent progressive groups. It can be done again--only earlier, stronger, and better.
75 seats. Yes, you read right, 75 new Democratic seats. Even if we only achieve one-third of that, we kick Hastert out of the Speaker's chair and put Nancy Pelosi in. (Hell, maybe we'll vote Hastert out of Congress altogether.)
Some will say, "Well, Bush could withdraw from Iraq by November of '06." Really? Without making Americans left behind in Iraq as he withdraws even more vulnerable? Without inviting an acceleration of the gathering civil war? Without looking like he's losing? I don't think so. He's stuck--and so are our brave men and women, thanks to his lying and incompetence.
Think BIG. We've got the party leadership (Dean), we've got the issues, we've got the worst President since James Buchanan, and we've got the mojo. No more small plans! No more timid projects! In 2006 WE GO FOR IT ALL.