BP's Oil Havoc Will Benefit the Democrats in November.

[David Zephyr]

Even the dumbest American in this country, even most of the truly insane teabaggers know in their heart of hearts that the disaster they are watching everyday unfold in the Gulf of Mexico is the result of lack of corporate regulation and, more importantly, it has made "tree-huggers" now look like prophets...and saints. And even the dumbest American knows that one party historically has been the bigger champion for the environment than the other: that would be the Democratic Party.

And Americans know that one party has historically ridiculed environmentalists in speeches, in their conventions, on the radio, on television and in the printed media. The Republicans have been proud of themselves and their mocking of environmentalists for decades.

And, yes, while there are still too many corporate, oil-huggers within the Democratic Party, they have been a minority and the American People know this intrinsically. And American voters know that Big Oil means the Republican Party. Americans voters know that the Bush Family is Oil. And they know that the Cheney Family is Oil.

Fox News can not change what Americans know in their DNA. The Democrats are more Green. And that will have an impact this November. Polls already show the Democrats gaining steadily since the BP Disaster.

Bill O'Reilly's so-called "No Spin Zone" will have to turn up the rotations on the spinning he does to warp speed to try to change what Amerians know...and even that will still fail.

The GOP may make some gains in the Deep South, but the rest of the country will not turn the Congress over the Republicans in November.

The oil has changed the tide. And the tide has changed in American politics. The Democrats are ascendant now. Let's not be foolish and forget that they do need reminding, though.

Finally, seeing Southerners so distraught about the pelicans and dolphins drenched in oil is heartening to me. Why? Because they are acting so Californian now. And that's a good thing. I know that Southern environmentalists who have taken the brunt of abuse from the rightwing for decades are now able to say "we told you so" to their neighbors.

The Oil Spill changes everything. Why? Because I know that even in the most Ruby Red states, it is very hard for Republican moms and dads to explain to their children why the horror that is happening to the marine life in the Gulf happened in the first place.

America's red states are becoming greener and that is not a good thing for the Republican Party this November.

[RandySF]

1. I wish I could agree, but

1. Oklahoma elected to the Senate a man who, as an OB-GYN, sterilized a woman without her prior consent.
2. Kentucky will probably elect a senator who wants to repeal parts of the 14th Amendment.
3. The absolute poorest states in the country gave George Bush and John McCain their biggest margins, including Louisiana post-Katrina.
4. A Scientologist who wants to ban alcohol in Nevada, can't give a straight answer on the Civil Rights act, wants to provide saunas to prisons and supports armed insurrection still has a very good chance of beating Harry Reid.

I can go on and on, but you get the picture.

[alstephenson]

2. And then there's Arizona...

[David Zephyr]

5. This is why I wrote the OP

and why I said even the dumbest...because there is simply a lot of dumb out there and I know what I wrote is counter intuitive at this moment, but the polls are trending our way. Something is up...

And Harry Reid will be the victor by a large margin in November.

[Laelth]

3. Interesting. I hope you are right.

Cognitive dissonance is very strong, though. It's seen as a positive attribute by some. Many will find a way to blame the spill and the damage on people of color and Democrats.

:dem:

-Laelth

[NNN0LHI]

4. Up north here we know without the tree huggers that gusher could be in the bottom of Lake Michigan

The politicians who used to be for drilling in the Great Lakes are running scared right now.

Don

[David Zephyr]

8. That's great news.

The term "tree-hugger" is a badge of honor now.

Perceptions have changed. Your news is good news.

Just look how quickly Barton applied the back pedal to his BP butt-kissing.

The Gulf has changed things...to our favor.

[NNN0LHI]

10. I swear I was using that term in a positive way discussing this with some Republicans last week

The term "tree-hugger" would have been a pejorative in that same restaurant a few months ago. Now when people say it up here they puff their chests out with pride.

I am serious.

This was an eyeopener.

Don

[leftstreet]

6. I'm not sure people look at an oil catastrophe and think of politicians

:shrug:

Wages, the price of groceries, healthcare...yes.

Both parties will no doubt attempt to use the catastrophe for political gain, as they tend to do, but that says more about politicians than it does about us.

[FBI_Un_Sub]

7. Watch Next Week's Special Election in CA's 15th Dist

(San Luis Opisbo to Santa Cruz) where republican Sam Blakeslee -- a retired Exxon-Mobil petroleum geologist -- is running against Dem John Lind for an open seat. It WAS close.

[David Zephyr]

9. Thanks for the heads-up. I will be watching.

:)

[KamaAina]

12. Minor quibble

the 15th actually extends as far north as south San Jose. It was quite carefully gerrymandered to pick off only the wealthy, repuke-leaning areas up in the hills, while leaving the rest of the county divided among three safe Dem districts.

Also, its next State Senator is John Laird.

Note that at one point in Monterey County, it narrows to just about the width of the strip between Highway 1 and the beach.

[FBI_Un_Sub]

13. Thanks.

[William Z. Foster]

11. I have tio object

I find it unseemly that you have taken this catastrophe and run it through the partisan meat grinder.

The most certain way to prevent your prediction coming true would be if the general public could read what you wrote here in this post.

Heartening to see people distraught? There are a lot of strong leftists in the South, much stronger than I ever find in California.

FDR didn't waste any time trying to pin things on Republicans. He didn't need to. Besides, he was going after the wealthy few, Wall Street and the "new economic royalty," not the other political party. He was successful because he helped working class people, not because he placed the blame on the other party, and certainly not by taking the haughty and condescending attitude you have taken here.

WTF value is it to b able to tell people "I told you so?" I think there is a very real danger that the general public will see the attempts at pinning all of the blame on the other political party as an attempt to distract attention from what the Democratic party is doing in response.

[NNN0LHI]

14. So we shouldn't remind voters of the Drill, Baby, Drill!, stuff coming from the GOP in the past?

The value of doing that would be so we hopefully never have this happen again. This is not a case of I told you so. Its a case of we warned you.

See the difference?

Expect to see a lot of political ads with Republican politicians chanting Drill, Baby, Drill!, in the near future.

Don

[malaise]

15. I don't see how they make gains in the South unless

people are totally stupid.

He is the ranking ReTHUG on the Energy and Commerce Commitee - would the citizens of the Gulf of Mexico want this bought man in charge of an oil committee? That is how Dems must sell his sell out.