Republican Fail

Surge of Obama Voters Wipe Out the G.O.P. in Rural Missisippi Congressional Race–What This May Mean for the Fall Campaign

The RNC spent over a million dollars in an effort to retain the seat. Vice President Cheney and Governor Harley Barbour campaigned for the Republican. Robocalls were made by John McCain and by the President.

And, of course, Mississippi voters were reminded, then reminded again, that the Democrats were about to nominate a Black Man and that Travis Childers would be supporting that Black Man’s agenda. Willie Horton redux, the usual appeal to racial division that had served the Southern GOP well since 1964.

But this time, it didn’t work.

Instead, there was a record high turnout of African-American voters who voted Democratic. Not because Travis Childers was supportive of their community’s agenda. He wasn’t: Childers is a conservative “blue dog” Democrat. But the connection between Democrat Obama and Democrat Childers was accepted by the Black community in Mississippi.

At the same time, it was rejected by enough white voters that – when combined with a weak turnout among dispirited Republican rank and file “base” who are “angry” at the President and find McCain uninspiring – to produce the upset.

What does that leave in the GOP’s arsenal? Well, the tried and true Voter Suppression, one would have to assume. Let’s face it, Republicans – you have eight years of the worst president in our history on your back. And you sucked up to the man every step of the way. True, people aren’t too crazy about the Congress right now, but the main beef is that they haven’t managed to beat back George Bush. Even without Bush, your talking points are dated and meaningless in the midst of our current fiscal and foreign policy disasters. You are stale toast at this particular moment in time.