From Bad to Worse

Things really can't get much worse for the GOP right now. The war in Iraq was bringing down Bush... until Katrina hit and the government, with a lot of help from FEMA, didn't react fast enough. No matter how hard they tried to blame others, some of the egg ended up on their face. Then Senate Majority Leader Frist came under scrutiny because of stock dealings (the case sounds a lot like insider trading). And now Tom DeLay, who is an asshole, was indicted on corruption charges (they've got a fantasier name, but it was corruption).

So now, the GOP the parties that loves family values, looks like a party of do nothings and criminals. Although Roberts was confirmed today to be the next Cheif Justice, that isn't much a victory considering that everyone pretty much assumed that was going to happen.

So what's next? The mid-term elections are still a little more than 13 months away. Things should probably get a little better for the GOP. But still, Iraq (or at the very least the hangover from Iraq) will still be felt. Katrina will be more of an after thought, but what if a year from now there is another bad huricane and it brings back the bad memories from Katrina? Then what?

The GOP have one thing going for them though... basically every state has been gerrymandered to the point where there aren't many competive House races any more. While both parties are guilty of doing this, something needs to be done soon about it. The gerrmandering that has taken place is not democracy, in fact it has more in common with the Soviet Union than it does with the United Kingdom or France.

Even though the GOP are licking their wounds, they don't have too much too fear. Sure the Senate might go to the Dems in 2006, but that's unlikely, odds are they'll pick up three or four seats tops. And the chances of the House going to the Dems is nil to none at this point because of the gerrmandering. The race for the White House is still three years away. In other words, as bad as things are right now, they could be worse.

It could be late September of 2006.