When one party runs everything--and so, so badly--their candidates and apologists and enablers deserve defeat at the polls. That's the penalty for being in charge and screwing everything up.
Next Tuesday, less than 150 hours from now, there are 2 gubernatorial elections in Virginia & New Jersey, mayoral races in New York & St. Paul, and big initiative battles in California & Ohio.
Since this is an off-off-year election, turnout is extra important.
The Republicans are counting on very low turnout, with their well-funded election GOTV machinery pushing less popular candidates and ballot initiatives over the top. And the fact that Bush & Cheney & Rove are distracted does not necessarily mean that Ken Mehlman is distracted.
On the Dem side, for reasons that remain obscure, our big donors decided after John Kerry lost to dismantle our GOTV and voter contact operations, while focusing more on think tanks.
Let me be clear--I am not against think tanks. I think we do need to compete with Heritage & Cato & Bradley & Scaife. I definitely believe we need some strong new long-term ideas.
But I am very much against dismantling all of our voter contact operations, and then not replacing them with something better.
So turnout next Tuesday is absolutely key.
As Warren Beatty has been saying on the radio in California, defending the nurses & teachers & firefighters against Arnold's power grab, "if you don't show, you didn't vote no".
If you live in any of these places, go vote. Kaine is able. Corzine is fine. Freddy is ready. Just say no to Arnold.
If nothing else, go vote against Bush. Show the world he's a millstone around the neck of GOP candidates. Seriously. For us to make gains next year, we need the Republican party discipline to break down even more, to splinter--and the quickest way to do that (besides White House aides ratting out each other to prosecutors!) is to vote down all Bush proxies next Tuesday.
If you don't live in VA, NJ, NYC or St. Paul, OH or CA, then email or call all your friends who do. Tell them they need to go vote in your place, and tell them why. Tell them to email or call their own networks, and make the same case.
It's important.
The leadership of the Republican Party is on the ropes.
And we can give them another hard blow next Tuesday.