"You're Fired!" - Revenge of the Independents

From last Friday: Online NewsHour | November 3, 2006 | PBS

MARK SHIELDS [on Dean's 50-state strategy]: ...I agree with David, there is a national tide, but you have to have some sort of a structure to take advantage of it.

JIM LEHRER: To capitalize on it?

MARK SHIELDS: To capitalize on it. And the other argument that was made was -- and this was the wise men -- that, look, I don't care if you had a Category 4 storm and a big sweep. Because these are computer-drawn congressional districts, there will never be a switch of more than 10, 12, 15. We're going to see that repudiated.

And finally what we're going to see repudiated on Tuesday, I believe, is the theory of Karl Rove. Karl Rove believed that, with a permanent Republican majority, which he thought was in the offing, you could govern the nation only with Republican legislation, written by Republican leaders, passed by Republican followers, and just be totally disdainful...

JIM LEHRER: And signed by a Republican president.

MARK SHIELDS: ... Republican president -- and be totally contemptuous of the minority legislators in the same institution with you. This election will be the revenge of the independent and the moderates; it really will.

JIM LEHRER: Wow.

DAVID BROOKS: That I completely agree with.

JIM LEHRER: You do?

DAVID BROOKS: That I completely agree with. If you look around the country, if you look at the ads that are really damaging, it's when Republicans are called rubber-stamps, party-regulars. People hunger for independence.

It seems we will actually have multiple branches of government again. W00t.   Politics--Elections   0 comment(s)   Add a comment...