REPUBLICAN ELECTION PROSPECTS CRUMBLING ALL OVER AMERICA

Republican Party poster girl, Mean Jean Schmidt

You know, we spend so much time trying to keep up with Republican incumbents retiring and resigning (upstate New York rubber stamp James Walsh was the latest, just today), that we often forget to remind everyone that the GOP is having an even worse time finding plausible candidates to run. Everyone with half a brain knows 2006, in retrospect, will look like Paradise compared to what's in store for Republicans in November. So the smartish ones are passing on expensive and time-consuming campaigns, leaving bottom trawlers and born losers as all the Republicans can put up for countless congressional races around the country.

On top of that, a number of Republican incumbents burdened with the taint of corruption, extremism, rubber stamp incompetence, and other well-known GOP characteristics, are looking at primary challenges, a very rare occurrence in the top-down Republican Party. Mean Jean Schmidt would like to defend her indefensible record against an onslaught from well-respected Democrat Vic Wulsin. Instead she is battling other Republicans talking about her many shortcomings.

The withdrawal of one of Mean Jean's Republican opponents, nasty far right kook Phil Heimlich, will actually make life even more difficult for Schmidt since her many detractors will all be able to unite behind a far stronger candidate than the hugely disliked Heimlich, former state Rep. Tom Brinkman.

Brinkman's campaign put out a statement after Heimlich's withdrawal saying the race is now "radically altered," giving Brinkman-- who entered the race only six weeks ago-- a chance for "more volunteers, more money and more attention - in short, all of the things a campaign needs to win."

In 2006 Schmidt was also challenged in a bloody primary barely winning renomination against former Rep. Bob McEwen, 48-43%.

Meanwhile, wonderers are wondering who will be the next Republican member of Congress to resign or announce retirement. Bill Young (R-FL) is always a possibility but now that John Shadegg (R-AZ) has tacitly admitted his guilt to money laundering charges by giving back the money, he may start thinking about honoring his pledge to not seek re-election after 6 terms.


UPDATE: REPUBLICAN PROSPECTS HAVE BEEN FALLING EVEN MORE DRASTICALLY THAN THE STOCK MARKET-- ACCORDING TO THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

What a pessimistic perspective about GOP chances in 2008 from their very own paper of record!

Amid a weakened economy and market turmoil, President Bush's stock has fallen again as he prepares to deliver his final State of the Union address next week, underscoring the burden he could pose for his party's presidential nominee in the race to November's election.

As for his would-be successors, the remaining Republicans candidates have dropped further behind in hypothetical match-ups against potential Democratic standard-bearers Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The exception is Arizona Sen. John McCain, who has revived his still-fragile candidacy and takes the lead in Republicans' contest for the first time in the poll.

And even McCain-- who has stopped mentioning global warming in order to please the right wing fanatics who control his party-- loses to Hillary, although more narrowly than the other pygmies.