Felix Allen's Defeat Will Reverberate In '08

[ruggerson]

I know many of us are still happily stunned by Jim Webb's victory on Nov. 7. This was, in many ways, the sweetest victory, and the one which put us over the top and gave us control of the Senate.

But, now that the dust has settled a bit, we can look at the '08 landscape and see just what profound implications this has for the presidential cycle.

George Allen was, hands down, the Republican base's developing consensus candidate. The one who stood a chance to beat McCain and Giuliani and the one who many thought would inherit what they always refer to as the "Reagan mantle" of "optimistic" conservatism.

George Allen was the bright shining star of far rightwing conservative Republican politics. Most of the conservative punditry and think tanks had already quietly lined up behind him. He truly was the anointed prince.

And now, all of it lies in smoking ruin.

The only national alternative they have to McCain or Giuliani is Mitt Romney, who suffers from terminal political opportunism and will be seen as a convictionless flip flopper as more and more Americans get to know him.

The Republican punditocracy is grieving over this turn of events. They do not have a viable replacement for George Felix Allen.

He was their great white hope.

And we just destroyed him. And in so doing, made the road to the White House much easier for the Democratic candidate in '08.

Elections really do have consequences, don't they? :)

[More Than A Feeling]

1. It's Willard Romney

;)

[benddem]

2. yes

we must call him by his correct name.

[Virginia Dare]

3. Santorum too...

he was one of the "rising stars" in the GOP.

I'm really as shocked as anybody about the turn of events over the past year. A happy turn of events it has been.

[Old and In the Way]

4. Bush has sucked all of the political oxygen from the Party.

You got Republican Congressmen, like McCain, who are perceived as ineffectual rubber stampers. Romney and Guiliana won't cut it with the Fundies. Their best hope was Felix...and he couldn't win his own state. The corporate media can puff up all of these guys and it won't matter....no one will be biting for another Republican in the Executive Branch in 2008. They'll be too busy trying to dampen the Senate rout that'll be happening.....I think we could see Democrats in control of all 3 branches. Then we'll see serious progress on an agenda to benefit all of America.