No exaggeration there. While we appreciate the deeper meaning of winning a PVI +10 R district in terms of what it means for November, so do they. There's no writing off our analysis. Check out the headlines:
Newsmax: GOP Loses Congressional Election, Faces Bloodbath in Nov.
Hot Air: Disaster: Democrat beats Republican in Mississippi special
election; Update: Panic time, say Boehner, Cole
Red State: Clean House at the NRCC
RCP: GOP Stunned By Loss in Mississippi
NRO:We Are Totally Frakked [Mark Krikorian]
Add this to the mix:
Politico: Cole issues surrender declaration following Mississippi loss
This whole statement is an admission by Cole that he does not now how House Republicans can win in November as a group, so each member better protect himself or herself. To his credit, Cole has been warning his members that they need to run as outsiders this fall, but beyond that general admonition, the Oklahoma Republican can't show them a path to victory. It's an extraordinary statement by the head of a national campaign committee, but it is not one that's going to inspire any warm feelings from his GOP colleagues.
MSNBC: Why GOP’s Mississippi House loss resonates
Stunning? Only if you haven’t been paying attention in recent weeks.
Sickening? Yes, if you are a Republican.
US News: Mississippi Burning
The message is clear: Voters are angry with the Bush-Cheney administration, and some punishment is forthcoming. The economy, the war in Iraq, and the president's bull-headedness on the environment and energy are all in play
First Read: House GOPers Stomping Mad Over Prospects
House GOP leaders huddle at 11 a.m. today. That will be watched closely for any possibility of a coup or insurrection against leadership in the wake of this third consecutive loss of a GOP seat.
Imagine that... a consensus. The MS-01 special election bodes disaster for the GOP in November. Couldn't happen to a nicer minority party.