BZ to Pelosi and Reid

You have to hand it to them. They have been performing an outstanding example of political rope-a-dope over the last 18 months or so since the 2006 election.

Some may not give them credit, may brush it off as some accident - but though I may not agree with them politically, I won't underestimate them. They did not get to where they are by being dim or poor politicians. No, they are doing quite well.

There is some gambling play in politics. You can't win every hand, and you will make mistakes - but if you keep the odds in your favor over the house, then in the end you win. To really get things done in our system of government - to really wield power - you need to have the Legislative and the Executive Branch - along with a desire to use that power to pursue your agenda.

What they have done is to, within the best of their ability, is to keep their agenda in check - to tread water until the Bush tide fully retreats. They do not want to remind the American public what Democrat power will mean. Why, they know, should we push much of our agenda when we know it will be vetoed? If they can wait for a Democrat in power - then they can, like the IJN, run wild for two years or so.

Of course, the key is to get the Executive Branch. They have a better than 50/50 chance, but I don't want to focus on that right now. I want to give credit where credit is due. Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) and Senator Reid (D-NV) have managed to keep the Democrat wave moving. Look at the IN, MS, and LA Congressional wins for the Dems. Look at the fact that in spite of Congress having a lower approval rating than the President, they have managed to keep the stink off the Democrats. The public disgust is still aimed at the Republicans, even though they lost power in '06. They ran solid right to center-right candidates in Republican districts and won. They are trading ideological purity for a chance for more power.

That trade is something that the Republicans are doing at the Executive Level for this election by going with McCain - really their only chance this year, so they got that right. The Senate will be another bloodbath, a reason of both just plain bad numbers (timing of Rep. retirements, seats needing defense, & open seats), Bush weariness, backlash, and a Republican base that is not fully buying into the "trade." House of Representatives not much better.

Yep, the Republican money men are letting the perfect be the enemy of the good, and aren't supporting McCain that much, we have seen that in the tight-fisted Bush supporters - and McCain isn't helping all that much, but he knows the mood of the country better than the rest of the Party - though more and more are starting to clue in as they see the "Left of Hillary" nature of Obama. We'll see.

Six months is a very long time in politics, but it looks from here that the Republicans will need more pruning before they can grow back. The American public needs a reminder of what the Democrats in power will look like. They have forgotten.

That will be the fun part. If the Dems get the White House, once the afterglow wears off there will be a lot of "Whoa! I didn't vote for that!!!" going on as the pent-up desires since '06 marry up with a Democrat signing pen in the White House. If McCain winds up winning, the Democrats will go batshi'ite because they had another election "stolen." Then, if he is smart, McCain will be able to focus the bile, invective, and anger he directed at the Bushies and their allies since 2000 towards the Dems in Congress as they go after taxes, guns, immigration and the kitchen sink in their flailing.

That would be fun to watch.

As for the Republicans in Congress - hey, sucks to be you, but you made this bed when you squandered your power in corruption, scandal, and lack of discipline. Look at what Pelosi and Reid have done right, and learn. You may have run out of time this cycle - but new leaders might help; won't hurt.

---

UPDATE: Via Allah, I think we have a nice view of the NRCC after the MS-01 loss.