Sinking with Obama, Democrats plan political triage

[Geee]

Washington Examiner:

Sinking with Obama, Democrats plan political triage
By: MICHAEL BARONE
Senior Political Analyst
September 7, 2010

When you spot the word "triage" in a political news story, you know someone is in trouble.

Triage is the procedure by which medical personnel screening people injured in combat or disasters separate those who can be saved from those who can't. The first group are given immediate surgery in hopes of recovery. The second are given painkillers to make the end bearable.

So it was a startling to read last weekend in the New York Times that House Democratic leaders "are preparing a brutal triage of their own members in hopes of saving enough seats to keep a slim grip on the majority."

House Democratic campaign Chairman Chris Van Hollen quickly pooh-poohed the story, as any politically savvy person would. But I bet he's already done his triage and that some of the names mentioned in the Times story are to get painkillers only.

For in the last week, the bad news has been flooding in on congressional Democrats. On the generic-ballot question, the RealClearPolitics.com average of recent polls showed that 49 percent said they would vote for the Republican candidate for the House and 41 percent said they would vote for the Democrat.

To put these results in perspective, consider that before last month, Gallup had never shown Republicans leading by more than 6 percent since it began asking the question in 1942. Now they lead by as much as 13 percent in some polls.

And consider also that the generic-ballot question has tended to underpredict actual Republican performance in five of the last six House elections.

[AceRimmer]

Paging Alan Alda! Paging Alan Alda! The House and Senate RATS need to triage their members and they need a liberal doctor!

 

If they've already started culling from the herd, you know they're in real deep trouble...