Washington Post's Dan Balz Lists 'Insidious' Pitfalls for Bush and the GOP in 2006

Don't let the title of the article by Washington Post staff writer Dan Balz fool you. Though the title reads: "Bush's Midterm Challenge--Rebuilding Public Support May Bolster GOP Candidates," one comes away after reading the piece thankful that the elections are not till November.

Still, one cannot help but feel anything but optimistic if one depended on such as the mainstream media for its cues.

Balz opens the piece in typical Bush-bashing fashion, a hallmark of liberal writers and observers, stating that the State of the Union Address to be given by the president on Tuesday is "eagerly anticipated by Democrats and fraught with worries for Republicans, whose hopes in November may depend in large part on how successfully Bush can turn around his troubled presidency."

Throughout the piece, Balz recounts numerous polls, past presidential races, current crises facing the GOP--as if Democrats have no problems of their own--all pointing to disaster for President Bush, and the GOP.

Though Bush is not running again, he is the head of a GOP in power since day one of his presidency, as it has been a party primarily in the ascendancy. It is why this piece from Dan Balz seems a bit over-zealous in its doom-sayings for Republicans, and over-the-top in its buoyant optimism for Democrats.

"Any reasonable reading of the trends would suggest that Democrats can expect significant gains this November," said Paul Harstad, a Democratic pollster. "That includes historical patterns, Republican scandals and a growing realization of the insidious cost of unchallenged Republican rule."

Was anyone using the word "insidious" when Democrats ran the country for over 4 decades? Somehow, I doubt it.

Balz saves the best for last, making anyone remotely hopeful regarding the GOP in November feel foolish for ever having hoped at all:

"In the latest poll, Bush received negative marks for his handling of Iraq, the federal budget deficit, ethics in government, prescription drugs for the elderly, the economy, immigration, health care and taxes. Only on terrorism did the poll find that more than 50 percent of Americans approved of his performance."

That's just about everything there is, gang. We have all heard this before, starting with the 2002 midterm elections. It is always "The GOP is headed for a fall" according to the elite media, yet it never seems to transpire.

The maxim here is President Bush, who is continually underestimated, and who will be so yet again. It is why we see, and will see many more articles to come, on why the GOP shouldn’t even bother going to the polls this year, as it is a lost cause.

To Dan Balz and the liberal media: If only that were true.