Earlier this month at a friend’s blog, I highlighted how the Democrats are using Bush in their November election campaigns while the Republicans are trying to steer away from George “The Decider” Bush. Remarkably, I haven’t blogged anything about it here. So, I’m glad to repeat the same thing here: the Republicans are screwed.
Almost three weeks later, things haven’t changed and the New York Times is still running the same scenario over and over again, probably with their editors smirking. I know I’m smirking. At the NYT:
“As the Iraq war gets more unpopular, the environment for Republican candidates erodes,” said Mark Campbell, a Republican strategist who represents several Congressional candidates, including Representative Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania, who is fighting for re-election in one of the toughest races.
“Only in an election year this complicated can Republicans be happy that Mark Foley knocked the Iraq war off the front page,” Mr. Campbell said.
A senior strategist familiar with Republican polling who insisted on anonymity to share internal data said that as of midsummer it was clear that “stay the course” was a self-defeating argument.
At that point, the strategist said, Republicans started trying to refine their oratory or refocus the debate back to discussing terrorism, where Republicans continue to say they wield the stronger hand and where candidates are running advertisements that Democrats describe as effective.
Democrats, seeing similar data in their polls, advised candidates to confront Republicans aggressively, in the view that accusations that Democrats would “cut and run” would not blunt Democrats’ efforts to mock Republicans as wanting to “stay the course.”
“For the first time in modern memory, Democrats are actually on the offensive when it comes to national security,” said Matt Bennett, a founder of Third Way, a moderate Democratic organization that has been briefing Democrats on discussing the war and national security. “It is really stunning.”
Damn, I love this: “Only in an election year this complicated can Republicans be happy that Mark Foley knocked the Iraq war off the front page”. It really shows something.
Talking about election, at The Caucus, the readers want to see Al Gore and Barack Obama running together for the 2008 presidential election. Oh yeah baby. I’m all for that baby. That’s the ultimate dream team, baby!
For those that are unfamiliar with Obama, he was of course the star of the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004. Some even would like to see Obama to run for the Presidency itself in 2008. The Time has an article on Obama.
As for me, I’d just like to say, “Run, Barack, run!”
p/s – let the finger pointing fest begins!
WASHINGTON, Oct. 19 — Tax-cutters are calling evangelicals bullies. Christian conservatives say Republicans in Congress have let them down. Hawks say President Bush is bungling the war in Iraq. And many conservatives blame Representative Mark Foley’s sexual messages to teenage pages.
With polls showing Republican control of Congress in jeopardy, conservative leaders are pointing fingers at one other in an increasingly testy circle of blame for potential Republican losses this fall.
Things are starting to look really bad for the Republicans.
