Playing Defense in A Recession - Reagan 1982 vs. Obama 2010 (Congress, Iraq, party)

[juppiter]

Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball » PLAYING DEFENSE IN A RECESSION

The concept of perseverance was summed up neatly in the GOP’s three-word slogan: “Stay the Course.” As a line of argument, it was not compelling enough to hold many of the economically pinched, blue-collar “Reagan Democrats,” who had been an instrumental part of the GOP’s broad and victorious coalition in 1980. But it did help activate much of the party base. While the Democratic House vote increased by more than 6 million votes from 1978, the Republican congressional tally in 1982 also rose by more than 3 million – helping the GOP to hold down the size of their losses.

Maybe a slogan in the vein of “Stay the Course” would not work for the Democrats this year, given its recent identification with President George W. Bush and the defense of his Iraq war policy.

But in 1982, it did underscore the need for Republican voters to stay loyal to their president and their party in order to avoid a debilitating landslide loss that might compromise the future of both. For the Democrats this year, the challenge is similar.

[juppiter]

Basically, the strategy for Democrats is clear. There is increasing talk that the Democrats are gonna abandon letting the tax cuts expire. If they do so, no way will they get their own voters to turn out on election day and counter-act the surge of Republican energy.