Vulnerable Democrats Fret About Clinton Ticket

[Pirate Smile]

Source: New York Times

MANHATTAN, Kan. — Nancy Boyda, a Democrat who ran for Congress in this district last year, owed her upset victory partly to the popularity of the Democratic woman at the top of the ticket: Kathleen Sebelius, who won the governor’s seat. Now, with a tough re-election race at hand in 2008, Ms. Boyda faces the prospect that her electoral fate could be tied to another woman: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Mrs. Clinton is a long way from winning the Democratic presidential nomination, and over the last few weeks has struggled to hang on to the air of inevitability that she has been cultivating all year. But the possibility that she will be the nominee is already generating concern among some Democrats in Republican-leaning states and Congressional districts, who fear that sharing the ticket with her could subject them to attack as too liberal and out of step with the values of their constituents.
And few incumbent Democrats face a greater challenge next year than Ms. Boyda, whose district delivered almost 60 percent of its votes to President Bush in 2004.

Ms. Boyda, 52, is a former Republican who represents the state capital, Topeka, and a surrounding expanse of prairie and pasture interspersed with conservative small towns, military posts and this college community, home to Kansas State University. It was by appealing to conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans that she was able to defeat Jim Ryun, a five-term congressman, by 51 percent to 47 percent last year.

This time both Mr. Ryun and another Republican, Lynn Jenkins, the state treasurer, are lined up to run against her. And while vulnerable Democrats like her are not likely to have an easy time even if Senator Barack Obama, John Edwards or any of the other Democratic presidential candidates wins the nomination, Republicans in Kansas say Mrs. Clinton’s presence on the ticket would unite their party in opposition to her and give dispirited conservatives a reason to get excited about the race.





Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/04/us/politics/04ballot.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

[paulk]

1. so now she's too liberal...

LOL

[bluestateguy]

2. Ah yes, the "even" Democrats...

Every time some MSM story trots out a Democrat to validate the republican position on an issue it's always people like Nancy Boyda who are "even" Democrats:

"Even some Democrats, like Nancy Boyda of Kansas, say that President Bush deserves credit..."

[skipos]

3. Funny she mentions Sebelius, who would make a good VP imo. nt

[Pirate Smile]

4. Sebelius is great.

[aquart]

5. Really? Kansas will unite behind Giuliani? Romney? Thompson?

They MIGHT get out of bed for Huckabee. I think the key phrase is "dispirited conservatives." The Republicans are blowing smoke, hoping desperately they don't ALL lose their jobs.

[MidwestTransplant]

8. Exactly. I would think that HRC and Roody would be about equally popular in KS

[johncoby2]

6. Gosh grow a paid and run on your own.....

[OHdem10]

7. I can accept some "excuses" for people not being excited over

Hillary.

I do not care who says these things --Clinton will hurt down ballot.

Really this makes me disgusted with the Party at times. Our Candidates
are our candidates. If this Boyda used to be a Republican, then
she is conservative enough to meet the requirements of her district.

These people in the states should have enough conviction (Party leaders)
are going to have to develop enough pride in their party that this
sort of conversation does not even come up.

I am sorry but many of these "Conservatives" appear to want to
appear Republican. Do not let the National Party come near us.

There was this same old same old regarding H. Dean for a while.

I am not usually defending HRC but this is a real bug a boo with me.

To be fair, Our Party is woefully lacking in contact with the States.
Howard Dean has worked hard on this. When the National Party only
shows up at fund raising time for an election--this does not leave
the best impression. Secondly, when our party is criticized the
Dems on the Hill need to be more proactive and fight back. Why
do they worry about the down ballot?? Because too many lies have
been permitted to stand.

[leftchick]

9. ah the irony

repukes are too stupid to see hillary shares their beliefs in foreign policy and economics. Clinton a Liberal??? :rofl:

She would be the same as rudy. dumb!

[FreeStateDemocrat]

10. With a Hillary coronation we will have a likely chance of losing both houses of Congress.

[paulk]

11. back that up or shut up

there is absolutely no polling that shows anything remotely like the scenario you paint.

The Democratic Party will gain seats in Congress next year no matter who our candidate is.

[Tempest]

12. The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

At least come up with some legitmate reason for not supporting Clinton.

Hillary has been the front runner the entire campaign and the Congressional polls show Democrats making huge gains, especially considering the number of swing districts there now are with all the Repug resignations.