GOP Pollster: Craig scandal like a pipe wrench to the head

Senator Larry Craig officially announced his resignation today following a long week of negative publicity for the Republican Party on news shows.  The scandal itself -- although it played out right before Labor Day, one of the lowest-rated news cycles of the year -- caused significant damage to any hope the GOP has of picking up House and Senate seats in 2008.

After having their lunch handed to them by the Democrats last member, one GOP pollster described what the Craig scandal did:

"It's always darkest right before you get clobbered over the head witha pipe wrench. But then it actually does get darker," said a GOPpollster who insisted on anonymity in order to speak candidly.

Another GOP operative put it in layman's terms:

"About the only safe Republican Senate seats in '08 are the ones thataren't on the ballot," a GOP operative with extensive experience inSenate races said. "I don't see even the rosiest scenario where wedon't end up losing more seats."

However, some political strategists say the Republican party still has a glimmer of hope: Hillary Clinton:

As of June 30, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had$20.4 million on hand, while the National Republican SenatorialCommittee had $5.8 million in its bank account.

"If Republicansare investing significant money in Idaho, that means they are losing atleast five seats in 2008," Gonzales said. "If Idaho ends up the firewall, they are in deep trouble."

Fisher conceded that fundraisinghas been difficult in the current political climate, but she said therace for cash is picking up. And she predicted that if Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) secures the Democratic presidential nomination, Republicans will come to the polls in droves.

Will Democratic primary voters figure that out?  I surely hope so.

UPDATE (7:04): Here is the video of the Larry Craig resignation.

Comments

[Jon]

Its nice to see the republicans sweat for a change but I really wish Hillary(and her supporters) wouldn't do this. Its not even like shes a candidate for change, if she was I would support her. So far she hasn't shown that she can overcome her negative ratings. For instance I don't care for her policies and stances and we're supposed to be on the same team...

[granny]

Hillary Clinton is an "old school" politician, playing the game the traditional way with new technology thrown in; and the sum of that is = it's all about her winning, period. No one with that frame of reference sees themselves losing the national "election". The focus now is get the nomination, at all costs.

I think there's a lot to considered in the predictions being made about the consquences of Hillary Clinton on the ballot.

I was there for the "women's movement", and I saw over and over again, women climb over each other to the top and then kick the ladder out from under other women coming up. I'm not sure it's only Republicans that will go to the polls in droves ... and once in the ballot box, no one but the voter knows what they really voted.