Top Democrat: We can win back the House this year

By: Lucy Madison

Play CBS News Video

Updated: 4:53 p.m. ET

(CBS News) Rep. Steve Israel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), says he believes Democrats are "in range" to retake control over the House of Representatives in 2012, telling CBS News' John Dickerson Wednesday that Americans have "buyer's remorse" for sweeping the GOP into power in 2010.

Israel, a New York Democrat, agreed with House Speaker John Boehner's recent assessment that there are a number of competitive House races in play. He contended that if Democrats win a majority of the districts held by a Republican despite the fact that voters there backed President Obama in 2008 and John Kerry in 2004, Democrats will re-take the House.

"I hate to agree with Speaker Boehner, I don't often agree with Speaker Boehner, but when he says that there are 52 competitive districts in play, I agree with him completely," Israel told Dickerson on CBSNews.com's web show "Face to Face."

"It's not like I'm ready to hire him as our communications director, but he has acknowledged a reality that deep buyer's remorse is setting in across the country, there are districts that both President Obama and John Kerry won that have a Republican incumbent, those districts are competitive, and the House is in range," Israel said.

Republicans took over the House of Representatives in the 2010 elections and now hold a 242-190 edge over Democrats. Democrats need a net gain of 25 seats to retake the majority.

Israel argued that 2010 was a "tsunami election" in part because "many of those independent voters supported a Tea Party Republican."

"Now they have deep buyer's remorse. They did not know when they voted for a Tea Party Republican that that Tea Party Republican would spend more time trying to figure out how to shut down Planned Parenthood than how to open up a small business," he said.

Israel also cited the dawn of super PACs as having "changed everything" in modern day politics.

"It's the one thing that does make me toss and turn at night," Israel said. "What's out of our control are these super PACs, these secretive stealth groups that will beam into districts without disclosing where they got their money and say whatever they want to say about candidates."

"They changed the equation in 2010," he added. "John, we did not lose the House to Republicans, we lost it to Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers. We lost it to these super PACs. We didn't have an adequate response to that secret money and that super PAC infrastructure in 2010. I'm told there will be a robust response in this cycle. And I hope there will be."

Lucy Madison
Lucy Madison is a political reporter for CBSNews.com.
Follow on Twitter »

16 Comments +

Add a Comment See all 16 Comments


by involved_indi April 25, 2012 11:47 PM EDT: sure, they can win back the house and I might have a 10 lb 24 carat gold meteor land in my yard too. The only buyers remorse that I know of is that voters didn't also kick out the do nothing, block everything democrats in the senate as well. Thats the real source of many issues we have now.; Reply to this comment

by LeftwingLunatics April 25, 2012 9:28 PM EDT

No they can't.
Obama is the kiss of death to the entire Democrat party even worse than he was in 2010 when they were "Shellacked".
Dream on Rep Israel.
You don't have a prayer

Reply to this comment


by eightsigma April 25, 2012 9:35 PM EDT: Evidence?


by RCRawlings April 25, 2012 9:47 PM EDT: Isn't Obama's and the Dem's pitiful record on solving our economic and high unemployment problems evidence enough for you after they wasted 6 trillion or more in less than 4 years?


by liberalmike April 25, 2012 8:56 PM EDT: O'BAMA IN 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!1; Reply to this comment


by liberalmike April 25, 2012 8:55 PM EDT: Not only wil the repubs lose the house, romney will lose also.
People are having buyer's remorse and they certainly don't want a repub president to bring back the same Bush policies that wrecked the economy and they try to blame O'Bama for it.; Reply to this comment


by Obama4more April 25, 2012 8:25 PM EDT: by DJ332013 April 25, 2012 5:19 PM EDT
Why do you want Nancy do have the Gavel back? She didn't do a good job the first time.
----

Any Speaker that could get the ACA through the House of Hurdling Cats knows what she's doing DJ. I love you...; Reply to this comment


by Smokey75 April 25, 2012 6:43 PM EDT: by sjc_1 April 25, 2012 5:27 PM EDT
$2.4 trillion in debt was borrowed during the 2003-2007 period when Republicans ran the House, Senate and White House.
==========================================================================================================================================

2007-2010 it was over 4 trillion So what is your point?; Reply to this comment


by DJ332013 April 25, 2012 6:29 PM EDT: by sjc_1 April 25, 2012 5:31 PM EDT
Nancy drained the K Street Swamp where Republican lobbyists did their evil deeds in league with the party's Senators and Reps.
------------------------
Did her party introduce any legislation to help the housing or bank fiasco?; Reply to this comment

by Obama4more April 25, 2012 4:48 PM EDT

Weeper Bone-head is already throwing in the towel... Get ready to give the gavel back to Nancy, Johnny Boy!!!!! OBAMA 2012....take back the House!!!!

Reply to this comment


by DJ332013 April 25, 2012 5:19 PM EDT: Why do you want Nancy do have the Gavel back? She didn't do a good job the first time.


by sjc_1 April 25, 2012 5:31 PM EDT: Nancy drained the K Street Swamp where Republican lobbyists did their evil deeds in league with the party's Senators and Reps.

by Smokey75 April 25, 2012 4:18 PM EDT

It is funny hearing democrats make excuses for their land slide losses in 2010. I mean it has to be the super pacs fault or maybe bushes fault or maybe the Arab spring, I mean it could have been the democrats did absolutely nothing the 4 years they had their majority aside from passing an extremely unpopular health care bill and running up trillions in debt.

Obama and Democrats have absolutely no ability to take personal responsibility for anything!!!!!!!!

Reply to this comment


by sjc_1 April 25, 2012 5:27 PM EDT: $2.4 trillion in debt was borrowed during the 2003-2007 period when Republicans ran the House, Senate and White House.


by involved_indi April 25, 2012 11:50 PM EDT: sjc_1 - even if that were true, it kind of pales against the 5 trillion that Obama has added to the debt in 40 months and if ObamaCare gets fully implemented, 5 trillion will be "the good ol days". As a country, we can't afford 4 more years of Obama.

See all 16 Comments

Popular Now in Politics

Latest CBS News Headlines

Top Democrat: We can win back the House this year

Report offensive content:

E-mail this comment to a friend.

CBS This Morning iPad App