Click the Play Button to see what Jack and our viewers had to say. (PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES)
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
"There is no district that is safe for Republican candidates," according to the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Representative Chris Van Hollen. He tells the Washington Post that "no one could have imagined the tsunami that just crashed on Republicans in Mississippi."
That's where a Democrat won a Republican-held congressional seat in the northern part of the state yesterday. This is a district where President Bush won by 25 points in the 2004 election, and the former Republican congressman won reelection with 66% of the vote in 2006.
It's the third special election the GOP has lost this spring, including a House race in Louisiana that had been Republican for more than three decades and the seat of former House speaker Dennis Hastert in Illinois.
Seems to have set off some warning bells. The head of the National Republican Congressional Committee is calling on all GOP candidates to "take stock of their campaigns" and get ready for "challenging" races in the fall.
Democrats say these races are a sign of what's to come in November. They say they're going after the Republicans' strategy of tying Democrats to Barack Obama, a strategy that has failed twice now in the Deep South.
Meanwhile, a new Gallup poll shows Congress' approval rating has dipped below 20% for only the fourth time in 34 years. Only 18% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing. That ties a record for this survey.
Add in the fact that 82% of Americans think the country is headed in the wrong direction, and it's no wonder so many incumbents in Congress are opting not to run for reelection.
Here’s my question to you: Was yesterday's race in Mississippi a sign that congressional Republicans should start packing their bags?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Mark from Kalamazoo, Michigan writes:
Not necessarily, Jack. But they will need to give us a reason to vote for them other than just their party. If Barack is teaching us anything, it's that the old divisions are becoming obsolete. Our nation’s leaders for the next generation must be able to reach beyond old categories of race, gender, or party. If Republican (or Democrat) incumbents can do that, we'll listen. If not, they're out!
Shawn writes:
When the Republican Party turned its back on the conservative principles of smaller government and controlled spending, we turned our back on them. The RNC has offered no vision, no agenda, and nothing to get excited about. And we're supposed to get behind John McCain, Mr. Democrat-Light?
C. writes:
Not if the Democrats hand the GOP something to rally against like a polarizing candidate of Hillary Clinton. So, don't count the Republicans out yet. We all know the Democrats have a way of self-destroying. The current primary is a good example.
Douglas from Rochester, Minnesota writes:
Yes, they should start packing. Republicans should also be required to undergo an exit interview, accounting for their time, efforts, and voting record on various legislation that could have prevented our country from being in the mess it is in now.
Jerry from Simpson, West Virginia writes:
They might as well pack, otherwise they will just be spectators as a filibuster-proof Democratic Congress legislates whatever policies they choose. What gridlock?
John from New Jersey writes:
The Mississippi campaign was less a sign for Republicans and more a sign for incumbents. Republicans are branded BUSHED. But let’s not forget Pelosi and her posse promised us some serious changes and frankly, it got worse not better.
Erin from North Carolina writes:
No, don't over-estimate the intelligence of the voting public, Jack.