Time Flies

Time goes, you say?  Ah no!
Alas, Time stays, we go.
~Henry Austin Dobson

While there will be much celebration among the GOP once the dust has settled tomorrow, take heed newly elected members: ignore the voices of the American people at your own peril.  The American people kicked, screamed, and pleaded with Obama and the Democrat leadership.  Their message was simple: focus on the economy, stop spending, and please do not socialize our health care system.  After dismissing that simple message, Democrats are readying themselves for the largest drubbing at the polls in decades.

The quotes below are to serve as a reminder on how fast things can change in two years. They are also there to show how giddy the left wing media is when it comes to either their prediction of heavy losses for Republicans or even the demise of the Republican Party itself.  Even Republicans got in on the bashing.  Not even two years ago, John McCain’s campaign manager described his party as extinct on the West Coast, nearly extinct in the Northeast and endangered in the Mountain West and Southwest.  In their defense, they didn’t know how badly the Democrats would ignore the American people.  Without further ado, here are the Democrats and the political punditry predicting heavy losses for Republicans in 2010 (Thanks to Brian Walsh at the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the aggregation of the majority of the quotes below):

Top Political Pundits Predicted Senate Democrats, Not Republicans, Would Pick-Up Seats in 2010

CNN: “The 111th Congress Has Just Barely Begun As Senate Republicans Brace For More Grueling Elections In 2010 That Threaten To Further Weaken The Party’s Influence In Congress.” (Alexander Mooney, “Senate Republicans Brace For Ominous 2010,” CNN, 1/12/09)

“Democrats Are Well-Positioned To Add To Their Numbers In The Senate In Next Year’s Elections.” (Stuart Rothenberg, Op-Ed, “2010 Senate Races: Another Tough Cycle For The Republicans,” Roll Call, 1/26/09)

“After Being Pummeled Two Cycles In A Row — Losing Six Seats In 2006 And What Looks Like Eight Seats In 2008 — Senate Republicans Face Another Challenging Cycle.  Even Though They Hold Just 41 Senate Seats, They Are Defending 19 Of The 36 Senate Seats That Will Be On The Ballot Next Year.” (Stuart Rothenberg, Op-Ed, “2010 Senate Races: Another Tough Cycle For The Republicans,” Roll Call, 1/26/09)

“It Is Not An Exaggeration To Say That The GOP Will Be Very Fortunate To Hold Its Own Or Pick Up A Seat Or Two.” (Larry J. Sabato, “Senate 2010: A Three-Peat For Democrats Or Comeback For The GOP?” Sabato’s Crystal Ball, www.centerforpolitics.org, Posted 2/26/09)

“Odds Are Very Substantial That Republicans Will Be Playing Senate Defense For Barack Obama’s Entire First Presidential Term.” (Larry J. Sabato, “Senate 2010: A Three-Peat For Democrats Or Comeback For The GOP?” Sabato’s Crystal Ball, www.centerforpolitics.org, Posted 2/26/09)

The Washington Post: “A Spate Of Retirement Announcements By Senate Republicans This Year Have Further Complicated Attempts By GOP Strategists To Begin Rebuilding A Party Devastated By Across-The-Board Losses In Recent Elections.” (Chris Cillizza, “For Senate GOP, 2010 Losses On Top Of The 2008 Losses,” The Washington Post, 1/13/09)

The Hill: “[T]he Landscape Is Grim For The GOP.” (Editorial, “Cornyn’s Tough Job,” The Hill, 1/16/09)

The Hill: “[T]he Senate GOP Will Be The Minority For Years To Come Because, As A Group, Republicans Have Lost Their Hunger For The Political Fight.” (Editorial, “Cornyn’s Tough Job,” The Hill, 1/16/09)

“[T]he Party Once Again Finds Itself With Few Standout Opportunities In The Senate.” “It’s been two election cycles since a Republican won a Democratic-held Senate seat.  And though the GOP’s prospects for reclaiming lost territory look promising in the House, the party once again finds itself with few standout opportunities in the Senate.  In fact, given retirements in swing states and embattled incumbents, the GOP will face a very real challenge in maintaining a large enough Senate contingent to achieve a filibuster.” (Reid Wilson and Aaron Blake, “Dems Have Chance At 60-Plus In Senate,” The Hill, 3/11/09)

Senate Democrats Were Very Optimistic About Their Chances In 2010

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ): “It Might Be Tempting To Think That 2010 Would Be A Tough Year For Democrats, But Even, I Think, A Cursory Look At The Map Shows You That The Fear Has Got To Be On The Other Side Of The Aisle.” (Aaron Blake, “Menendez Says GOP Should Be Afraid,” The Hill, 2/12/09)

After A Series Of GOP Retirements, Democrats “Started Talking About Blowing Past The Filibuster-Proof Number Of 60 After The 2010 Elections.” “But at first, Menendez’s terrain looked smooth, with 19 Republicans and only 15 Democrats scheduled to be up for reelection.  And the news got better for Menendez when several GOP senators, including Sens. Mel Martinez (Fla.), Kit Bond (Mo.) and George Voinovich (Ohio), announced they would not seek reelection.  Democrats started talking about blowing past the filibuster-proof number of 60 after the 2010 elections. But that talk has been tempered recently.”  (Editorial, “Menendez’s Early Trek,” The Hill, 3/17/09)

“Sen. Robert Menendez, The Democratic Senate Campaign Chief, Is Targeting Nine Republican-Held Senate Seats In 2010, Warning The GOP That Democrats Are Positioning Themselves For A Third Straight Election Where They Pick Up Seats.” (Alex Isenstadt, “Menendez Targets Nine GOP Seats,” Politico, 2/12/09)

The New York Times: Sen. Bob Menendez Pointed To Open Seats Vacated By Retiring Republicans As Seats The Democrats Would Have An Advantage In Winning.  “To hear Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey describe it, Democrats are going to sweep the table in the Senate races next year. . . .  One reason is that Republicans have to defend 19 seats, compared with just 17 for Democrats.  On top of that, Republicans are retiring from seats in five states: Ohio, Florida, Missouri, Kansas and New Hampshire.  As Mr. Menendez noted, that would be an advantage for Democrats in any year, since it’s much easier to win an open seat than unseat an incumbent, but it’s particularly significant this time around, in a political climate that, at least for the moment, seems to give big advantages to the Democrats.  ‘Four of those five states were carried by President Obama, and several by very significant margins,’ he said.” (Adam Nagourney, “A Leader in the Senate Sees Sunny Skies for Democrats,” The New York Times, 2/18/09)

Jeremy Stine hails from Lake Charles, LA.  He lives and works in Washington, DC and enjoys long walks on Holly Beach, Cameron Parish.  One can twit him on twitter here.

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