'02 Redux?
ShareThe most common comparison made to the upcoming '06 midterms has been '94, when Republicans won 52 seats to take back the House. But could a more apt comparison now be made to '02?
In '02, the prevailing assumption heading into the midterms was that the Dems, as the opposition party often does, would pick up seats. And then, like now, there was a potent political issue over national security -- over the creation of the Homeland Security department. Before the midterms, Dems opposed the bill because they wanted protections for the union rights of homeland security employees.
The recent revelations that the Bush administration conducted eavesdropping without warrants bolstered the Dems' bluster. With the help of 4 GOPers, they are filibustering a long-term reauthorization of the Patriot Act. This may seem like smart short-term politicking, but could the GOPers portray the Dems as obstructing national security, if a reauthorization fails? Could national security trump domestic issues again in '06, and play in the GOP's favor?
Political strategists distinctly remember Saxby Chambliss' controversial ad that cycle, which pictured Osama Bin Laden alongside then-Sen. Max Cleland because he opposed the Homeland Security bill over its insufficient protection of worker rights. Many thought the ad would backfire, but the message resonated. If national security again plays a major role, the GOP might perform better than the gloomy predictions of present. [JOSH KRAUSHAAR]
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