# Karl Rove & other Republicans see a "whupping " in store for the Dems. I just don't see it **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [June 26, 2010, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638 "2010-06-26T23:12:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/141 "2010-09-09T02:01:19Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Obama _is_, however, starting to **whoop up** the base, and the other dems are following his lead. šŸ˜• Is that a good thing or a bad thing? šŸ™‚ (Sorry, just never seen that phrase in that context before.) ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/142 "2010-09-09T04:08:46Z")
He is starting to talk boldly and throw red meat to the public. Heā€™s trying to create enthusiasm among the base. ---
**Author:** ![Hold\_Fast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/58f4c7/32.png) [@Hold\_Fast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hold_Fast)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2010, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/143 "2010-09-09T17:53:08Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Also ā€“ what do the Pubs have to **offer** this year, other than not being Dems? Heck, Iā€™ll take it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/144 "2010-09-10T03:11:23Z")
> [@Hold\_Fast](#): > > > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > > > Also ā€“ what do the Pubs have to **offer** this year, other than not being Dems? > > Heck, Iā€™ll take it anyway. After what Bush did? ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/145 "2010-09-10T17:26:46Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > After what Bush did? I think we need to avoid making Bushā€™s execrable performance some sort of gold standard which, so long as the Dems exceed it they are congratulated. You can do meaningfully better and still be running the country into terrible trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/146 "2010-09-10T23:42:01Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > > [@gonzomax](#): > > > > After what Bush did? > > I think we need to avoid making Bushā€™s execrable performance some sort of gold standard which, so long as the Dems exceed it they are congratulated. You can do meaningfully better and still be running the country into terrible trouble. I think he may mean that, if Republicans are reelected such that they take control of the government again, thereā€™s no reason to think they wonā€™t reestablish most/all of Bushā€™s policies and practices all over again. Thus the question becomes, do you really want that? Who really wants that? Iā€™m not as convinced as he is that such would be the case, but itā€™s a reasonable avenue of debate. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/147 "2010-09-11T01:18:06Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > if Republicans are reelected such that they take control of the government again, thereā€™s no reason to think they wonā€™t reestablish most/all of Bushā€™s policies and practices all over again. Could be. We have to seriously wonder why the Dems have been behaving in such a way as to make that seem possible. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2010, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/148 "2010-09-11T07:18:51Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > > [@John\_Mace](#): > > > > Iā€™ll jump on that as soon as finish finding a cite that the sky is blue. > > Donā€™t bother. [98.5% of incumbents](http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Politico%3A+Primary+night+yields+good+news+for+Obama%2C+Dems&articleId=cb90719d-5f57-49a6-b5e4-5fde67ce1cb7) have been renominated in the primaries, indicating voters only want to throw out incumbents that are not in their own party. Big surprise. That number has been thrown about for months now, but there are **still** 8 states and three territories that havenā€™t had primaries yet (Captain Amazing listed them [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12822640&postcount=2)) so itā€™s not an entirely meaningful statistic. Yet. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/149 "2010-09-12T00:48:29Z")
And if the incumbents lose in each and every race in all eight of those states, itā€™d still be an overwhelming majority who win nationwide. ---
**Author:** ![Mozart1220](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Mozart1220](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mozart1220)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/150 "2010-09-12T00:54:41Z")
Rove knows that many people vote not for the one they WANT to win but for the one they THINK will win. If the Republicans put it out that the Dems will definitely lose, people will vote for Republicans so they donā€™t ā€œwasteā€ their vote. Also, itā€™s easy in this ā€œinstantā€ society to convince people that Obama is a failure because he hasnā€™t solved all the worldā€™s problems overnight, as if that were even possible. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/151 "2010-09-12T01:00:31Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > We have to seriously wonder why the Dems have been behaving in such a way as to make that seem possible. What gets me is that all the blue dogs and placeholders in Republican districts have been deathly afraid of voting for anything the mainstream Dems want to push through, and theyā€™re going to lose anyway. Thatā€™s a fine epitaph for a political career: ā€œI spent two years in the House of Representatives, and can proudly say that I was a spineless coward for every minute of it!ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/152 "2010-09-21T15:22:45Z")
The main reason the Democrats will lose a LOT of seats this election is that in 2008, there was a record number of young voters that registered and voted. The majority of those voted Democrat. Those same voters are not expected to show up at the polls in 2010, primarily due to voter apathy. You add this phenomena to the growing discontent by moderate voters that voted Democrat in 2008, and there will be a huge swing in seats back to the Republicans. Besides we tend to have better policies that get put in place, IMHO, when the executive branch and the legislative branches are not controlled by the same party. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/153 "2010-09-21T19:08:58Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > Besides we tend to have better policies that get put in place, IMHO, when the executive branch and the legislative branches are not controlled by the same party. Horsehockey. In this political environment it would lead to lead to total gridlock. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/154 "2010-09-21T20:16:13Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > > [@Wilbo523](#): > > > > Besides we tend to have better policies that get put in place, IMHO, when the executive branch and the legislative branches are not controlled by the same party. > > Horsehockey. In this political environment it would lead to lead to total gridlock. Not really. Historically when we have had divided legislative and executive branches, more moderate legislation gets passed, as opposed to extreme legislation from either party. The production of the legislative bodies has not decreased during those timesā€¦so gridlock does not occurā€¦more compromise. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/155 "2010-09-21T21:06:59Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > > [@John\_DiFool](#): > > > > Horsehockey. In this political environment it would lead to lead to total gridlock. > > Not really. Historically when we have had divided legislative and executive branches, more moderate legislation gets passed, as opposed to extreme legislation from either party. The production of the legislative bodies has not decreased during those timesā€¦so gridlock does not occurā€¦more compromise. See the [federal government shutdown of 1995.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_government_shutdown_of_1995) ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2010, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/156 "2010-09-21T21:34:06Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > See the [federal government shutdown of 1995.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_government_shutdown_of_1995) If goverment were smaller, that wouldnā€™t be that big of a deal. šŸ˜› I still would rather see separate powers than have one single party control both branches of government. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/157 "2010-09-22T03:16:41Z")
So, how would a Republican-controlled congress pass any laws at all (much less good ones), when right now, we canā€™t even get them to _vote_ on any laws at all? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/158 "2010-09-22T04:48:32Z")
Go study how legislation gets passed into law and youā€™ll figure it out. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/159 "2010-09-22T05:02:35Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > See the [federal government shutdown of 1995.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_government_shutdown_of_1995) Actually, this brings up an interesting point: Iā€™ve read many who say that if the Republicans try to shut down the government again, itā€™ll be a repeat of '95. But had Newt not said what he did, could they have successfully blamed Clinton for it? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2010, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638/160 "2010-09-22T05:44:22Z")
> [@Wilbo523](#): > > The main reason the Democrats will lose a LOT of seats this election is that in 2008, there was a record number of young voters that registered and voted. Well thatā€™s one hypothesis. But during most midterms, the party holding the Presidency loses seats: the phrase is ā€œMidterm lossesā€. That occurs whether or not record numbers of young voters register and vote. The other factor is the economy: George Bush delivered us the worst recession since WWII and recovery in the job market isnā€™t really underway. So Iā€™d expect a trouncing in November. If the Democrats manage to hold either the House or Senate it will only be because the Tea Partiers have managed to nominate a motley collection of loons. Routine midterm losses, the economy and incumbency during Presidential years are the main determinants of elections. [Cite](http://fairmodel.econ.yale.edu/vote2008/index2.htm). All else is empty chatter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/karl-rove-other-republicans-see-a-whupping-in-store-for-the-dems-i-just-dont-see-it/544638.md?page=9)