"Where to From Here?"

With one week to go in the 2008 elections, it seems like the pressure has finally really gotten to the RNC and to high ranking members and candidates within the party. The problems continue to mount for Sen. McCain and the Republican Party. Gov. Palin has been accused in the media of “going rogue,” and according to McCain advisers has been labeled a “diva.” According to CNN “Sarah the Diva takes no advice from any of us,” and they claim that “She is playing for her own future and sees herself as the next leader of the party. Also, the latest polls show that Sen. Obama is still anywhere from 5-7 percentage points ahead of Sen. McCain. On Wednesday evening, Sen. Obama is airing a 30 minute address on several national broadcast and cable television networks that his campaign has purchased air time for. There is no telling how this will affect the polls, but with the kind of war chest the DNC currently has it does not bode well for the numbers. The question the Republicans should ask is; “Where to From Here?”
With limited spending available and time running out the question many in the RNC should ask is, Should Republicans cut Bait? Chris Cillizzas’ blog features an article from former Pres. Bush’s speech- writer David Frum who suggests that maybe it is time for the RNC to cut funding from the McCain campaign and to concentrate their spending on saving some of the closely contested House and Senate races where Republicans could still possibly retain their seats. This is a very good point although it may be too little too late.
Currently the Democrats hold a majority in Congress. The house has 233 seats and the Senate has 51 seats. Needed for a majority are House ( 218), and Senate (51). Most neutral observers estimate that the Republicans will possibly lose another 20 House seats and 8 Senate seats. If this happens the Republicans could wind up holding no real power whatsoever for at least the next two years. Surely the thought of a Democratic president, House and Senate has most in the GOP feeling rather ill at any point.

The Republican party has more problems than just losing the White House, or more Congressional seats. They really should be concerned on how they fell so far from where they were when President Bush took office. This is a president whose approval ratings were excellent and who after two years had control of the Congress. Polls at the time and at the time of the 2004 election had Pres. Bush rated very high in all areas of moral standards. Whether people agreed with his policies or not, he was someone who a majority of the citizens trusted. The same polls taken recently do not reflect the publics trust in either Pres. Bush, or the GOP in general.The question in my mind the Republicans should be asking each other is, “How Do We Get Back From here?"