WP: White House Upbeat About GOP Prospects (Repugs panicking)

[grytpype]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/14/AR2006101401051.html

White House Upbeat About GOP Prospects
Self-Assurance of Bush, Rove and Others Is Not Shared by Many in the Party

By Michael Abramowitz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 15, 2006; A04

Amid widespread panic in the Republican establishment about the coming midterm elections, there are two people whose confidence about GOP prospects strikes even their closest allies as almost inexplicably upbeat: President Bush and his top political adviser, Karl Rove.

Some Republicans on Capitol Hill are bracing for losses of 25 House seats or more. But party operatives say Rove is predicting that, at worst, Republicans will lose only 8 to 10 seats -- shy of the 15-seat threshold that would cede control to Democrats for the first time since the 1994 elections and probably hobble the balance of Bush's second term.

In the Senate, Rove and associates believe, a Democratic victory would require the opposition to "run the table," as one official put it, to pick up the necessary six seats -- a prospect the White House seems to regard as nearly inconceivable.

...

The official White House line of supreme self-assurance comes from the top down. Bush has publicly and privately banished any talk of losing the GOP majorities, in part to squelch any loss of nerve among his legions. Come January, he said last week, "We'll have a Republican speaker and a Republican leader of the Senate."

The question is whether this is a case of justified confidence -- based on Bush's and Rove's electoral record and knowledge of the money, technology and other assets at their command -- or of self-delusion. Even many Republicans suspect the latter. Three GOP strategists with close ties to the White House flatly predicted the loss of the House, though they would not do so on the record for fear of offending senior Bush aides.

...

Anyone remember Mad Libs?

"Bush and Rove inexplicably upbeat about <________>"

The midterms
Iraq
The economy
Just about anything

[MADem]

1. Hmmm......almost inexplicably upbeat

.....almost inexplicably .....

I suppose if you have Diebold in your pocket, that might make you upbeat....

Or if you planned another terra alert, or had wind of something bad happening soon, that might do it....

Of course, they could be idiots who have chugged all the koolaid, or lousy actors and the press is unable to see through their lame performances....

[KittyWampus]

3. Will Jenna be wearing green shoes this election night as well>

[seafan]

19. Hey, whatever works!

November 2, 2004

[KittyWampus]

2. "Based on Rove's...knowledge of the... TECHNOLOGY... at their command

"based on Bush's and Rove's electoral record and knowledge of the money, technology and other assets at their command -- "

YO, technology, huh?

Technology?

Hmm, what do they mean by technology in this article.

Is the journalist tacitly admitting to knowing that Rove & GOP uses technology to STEAL ELECTIONS?

[leesa]

5. Yeah...technology jumped out at me too. I know they have the soldiers

votes overseas sewed up. One of their buddies purchased the entire contract. They are so unbelievably corrupt. What are they going to do?

[bluestateguy]

4. Here come the replies about Diebold conspiracy theories

"Oh, oh, there's a secret computer in the White House to manipulate the results!".

"Evidence? You mean I need evidence before I pimp conspiracy theories?".

[spindrifter]

6. I say it's chemicals.

They are downing them right and left. Tried 'em on Pickles first. Remember the funny faces, as in photos of her and Prince Chas. Well, those faces are appearing more and more often on Chimpy.

[lumberjack_jeff]

7. It's part of that "sunny nobility" thingee. n/t

[David Dunham]

8. They know they will find Bin Laden a week before the election.

[aquart]

22. Which will mean absolutely nothing.

Al qaida has metastasized because of the Iraq War. Making a martyr out of bin Ladin will simply make things worse.

And where would we hold the trial?

Bush doesn't want to touch bin Ladin in the worst way.

[rwenos]

9. This is the Corporate Manager Way

I've worked for (yech!) about six major big corporations. It's always the same thing -- "assume the sale." This means, in the business world, assuming you will close the deal until the time they physically throw you out of their office, or the security guards arrive.

Bush is projecting "self-assurance." This is what corporate CEO's DO. It's much admired on Wall Street.

On the other hand, the phoniness makes me want to puke. I simply can't work for big corps no more.

[Rose Siding]

10. LOL! The Sunday WP: Is the president delusional?

"The question is whether this is a case of justified confidence -- based on Bush's and Rove's electoral record and knowledge of the money, technology and other assets at their command -- or of self-delusion.

:rofl:

[rwenos]

11. One Can Easily See

How quickly this particular "aura of confidence" can descend into delusion.

Life can be a dream / on Thorazine.

Also apparently on the Apostle John.

[NewJeffCT]

14. The Cavuto Mark! "George W. Bush - Delusional?"

George W. Bush - Insane?

[global1]

12. Read 'Armed Madhouse' by Greg Palast ......

maybe that will be a clue as to how they feel they have it cinched. Here's a sampling of Rove's technology:

"Caging lists, fake felon purges, forged registration forms, evidence tampering, black arts surveillance ops, disappeared absentee ballots, cracked computers,etc,etc,etc."

[boobooday]

15. I can't help but wonder

What if these guys are so out of control that they are losing control of the accomplices?

What if the rank and file GOP criminals were getting tired of the clumsiness of the Rove/Cheney machine?

[C_U_L8R]

13. Nero Bush Fiddles

[Boo Boo]

16. "...money, technology and other assets at their command..."

Erm... I'm gonna say "technology."

[Human Torch]

17. From a thread I posted earlier today...

...THIS is the smirk I want to see wiped from Junior's face. That self-satisfied, "I always get away with ALL of it and I'll KEEP getting away with ALL of it" smirk. So by all means, I hope that Bush and Rove remain "upbeat" when they get their asses handed to them.



:patriot:

[WCGreen]

18. Just like they were sure of the WMD's....

[AlCzervik]

20. what i get from this article is A) Rove has to look confident for the

candidates, he's not going to tell them "Look you fools are going to lose big" and B) Rove's big mistake, like there aren't many but imo any manager should be telling his people"Prepare for the worst".

Last thing, Rove doesn't care at this point, he's thinking about Bush's legacy and more importantly his part in the Bush legacy, it's all about Rove as far as Rove is concerned. Oh yeah Bush is just frigging insane so i'm not surprised he has no clue as to whats going on, he lives in a bubble and i'm sure thinks his poll numbers are still in the 90's.

[BenDavid]

21. Flash Back to 94

Oh and I hate to do this but all this clamor is so like those elections. The dems were running away from clinton and clinton and all his folks were saying the same as bush and his folks are...If the dems cannot take control of congress this go round, then the dems are dead as a party and need to disband and form another.....

[KingFlorez]

23. Of course they are, no politicians admit there is trouble

This doesn't mean they have anything up their sleeve, their bluffing to save face.