As many of you know, I am a big believer in history repeating itself, that politics today is not much different that politics yesterday. The issues and names may be different, but the underlying dynamics are the same, meaning that the ultimate result can be predicted.
The question today is whether the 2006 elections will be a mirror of 1962 or 1966. In the later election Democrats suffered a major reverse as Republicans recovered from the debacle of 1966 by defeating a number of Democratic Congressmen and Senators. While the economy was strong, Democrats could not overcome the problem of Vietnam.
1962 should have also been a bad Democratic year as it came in the middle of a Democratic President's term. However, John F. Kennedy successfully used the Cuban Missile Crisis to rally the party and won a rare midterm election victory for the party in the White House. Republicans, expected to win, went down to defeat. The most famous example was Richard Nixon, whose bid for California Governor ended with his famous "you won't have Nixon to kick around anymore speech."
Will the President be able to use the North Korean situation to also rally public support?
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Comments (1)
You meant the debacle of 19... (Below threshold)1. Posted by The Exposer | October 13, 2006 6:48 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
You meant the debacle of 1964, not '66. The problem with using 1962 as an example doesn't mention the fact that that followed redistricting, and with Democrats in control of most of the legislatures, they were in a position to hold down any potential losses that might occur (similar to how the Dem redistrictors were able to mightily protect and add to their numbers in 1982 by eliminating the seats of a lot of the 1980 victors).
If anything, it's a lesson to remember that it is vitally important our state legislatures remain GOP, as it doesn't matter if we do well at the Congressional level, as legislative 'Rats can take us out when it comes time to redraw the lines.
1. Posted by The Exposer | October 13, 2006 6:48 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on October 13, 2006 06:48