Paul Krugman, The New York Times, October 19, 2007
Karl Rove has often described Hanna as his role model. And predictions that Mr. Rove and his disciples would succeed in creating a permanent Republican majority — I have a whole bookshelf of volumes with titles like “One Party Nation” and “Building Red America” — depended crucially on the assumption that the G.O.P. would have vastly more money than its opponents. It might even, some thought, match the 10-to-1 advantage Hanna gave William McKinley when he ran against William Jennings Bryan.
Oops. According to data collected by the Center for Responsive Politics, in the current election cycle every one of the top 10 industries making political donations is giving more money to Democrats. Even industries that have in the past been overwhelmingly Republican, like insurance and pharmaceuticals, are now splitting their donations more or less evenly. Oil and gas is the only major industry that the G.O.P. can still call its own.
The sudden burst of corporate affection for Democrats is good news for the party’s campaign committees, but not necessarily good news for progressives. Before I get to the down side, however, let’s talk about why business seems to be giving up on the G.O.P.
To some extent it’s a matter of cold political calculation. Polls, plus a wave of G.O.P. retirements, suggest that next year the Democrats will expand their majority in the House, which is already bigger than anything the Republicans ever had during their 12-year reign. Of the 34 Senate seats up for election, 22 are held by Republicans, and major Democratic gains seem all but inevitable.
Add to this the weakness of the Republican presidential field, and it’s not surprising that lobbyists are casting in their lot with the likely winners. But that’s not the whole story.
The question facing the Dems now is;where to next?
Hopefully not down the same road which put the
Conservatives into trouble.
It’s refreshing to hear that the CEO’s are aghast at the policies of the Norquist Neo-Cons
as are We.
After the Media was bought out under Reagan so many years ago and with constant cheerleading for the right and derision for the left that it has even ceased to be relevant
in the eyes of those who depend on it the most
for a fair face to consumers.
The shame is that with a stranglehold on the judicial branch and executive priveledge uncontested that the bastards who perpetrated the biggest flim-flam job in history will laugh all the way to the bank instead of being frogmarched away to the land of orange jumpsuits.
Heres hoping that all the money they have stolen from the mouths of countless hungry and sickly children brings them Torah style trouble and despair!
Mozzletov!
Comment by Rainlander — October 19, 2007 @ 6:14 pm