Diary of a Mad Voter: Joan McCarter

The Craig Reaction: The Big Picture

By Joan McCarter, 10-09-07

The Republicans are increasingly running scared, and how they’re reacting to the Craig scandal provides a window into just how desperate they’re feeling right now. The upshot of which is that Dems need to strike now, while the opposition is weak, unpopular, and frightened. Which means now is the time for our Congressional leadership to be taking a strong stance on the issues that matter most, particularly the war in Iraq and FISA.

Looking specifically at the Craig story, here’s what Governor Butch Otter’s recently told Newsweek:

With Craig staying in the Senate until he resigns, will Idaho have a significant Republican primary on its hands? I don’t think so. With just a few exceptions my question was always, “If you don’t get the appointment, would you run?” For the most part they said, “No, I would not run.” So that was a qualifier. If they said no, that immediately disqualified them. I wanted that 15 months of seniority. The more I see what’s going on in Congress, the more important that is. We’ve now got five Republicans [retiring or resigning], and I guess there’s a few more that may make a statement, from what [Senate Minority Leader] Mitch McConnell’s told me. So there’s more changes to be made there. Plus the fact that there are twice as many Republicans that are up for re-election as there are Democrats. So there’s going to be some significant change. Somebody with 15 months of seniority prior to January 1, 2009, that could be huge.

The whole story is much more significant than just the potential of five Republican retirements from the Senate, because what this is indicating is the very palpable and growing fear in the GOP leadership of what’s coming in 2008. How do I know that? Just a month ago Otter was talking about filling the remainder of Craig’s term with someone who would serve just as a placeholder.

Otter said if he were to, for example, appoint Risch to the post, then he’d be “making the decision for the Republican Party” before next year’s primary election, giving “a leg up” to his chosen appointee.

So a month ago Otter didn’t want to give anyone an unfair advantage to the seat in next year’s election, and now all of the sudden he’s desperate to get someone in who could run as an incumbent. What changed in the interim? That Newsweek interview tells us--it was a conversation with Mitch McConnell the changed his mind, a conversation in which McConnell told him just how bleak they’re feeling. That they are worried enough to fear losing a seat in Idaho--in freakin’ Idaho!--means that they realize just how weak they are.

And they’re right to be worried. Here’s what just one of Idaho’s editorial board had to say about Craig’s decision to remain in office:

Yet the senator has accomplished one thing: He’s single-handedly made next year’s Democratic nominee for his Idaho Senate seat a viable candidate.

That sentiment is being expressed throughout the state. It’s very good news for Larry LaRocco and it could be even better news for Congressional Dems if they will heed it. With Bush’s SCHIP veto, the Blackwater debacle, and the never-ending horrible news out of Iraq, (not to mention pathetically anemic fundraising by the GOP) the opposition is incredibly weakened--the Craig reaction just confirms it.

Now is the time for Democratic leadership, including presidential frontrunners and Senators Clinton and Obama to really lead. It’s the time for all Democrats in office to recognize that by holding together in a strong coalition opposing Bush, they have the opportunity to extend the electoral gains we made in 2006 into a truly realigning election in 2008--one that changes the face of American politics for at least the next decade.

That means Fighting. Back. Now. No more caving to the administration on FISA. No more Blue Dog Dems voting against healthcare for children. But most importantly: No more funding for Iraq without withdrawal deadlines.

That’s what we can learn from Idaho.

Editor’s note: Joan McCarter’s weekly blogs are part of a new feature on NewWest.Net/Politics called “Diary of a Mad Voter,” a group blog, published in partnership with the Denver Post’s Politics West intended give a glimpse into the hearts and minds of several independent-minded voters and thinkers in the Rocky Mountain West in the ‘08 election cycle. Check back this week at www.newwest.net/madvoter.

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