WP: The GOP Leans on A Proven Strategy

[kskiska]

White House Courts Conservative Base

Wednesday, October 25, 2006; A01

Beset by discouraging polls and division within ideological ranks, the White House is accelerating efforts to woo back disaffected conservatives and energize the Republican base in a reprise of a strategy that succeeded in the last two campaign cycles.

President Bush and Vice President Cheney have given multiple interviews to conservative journalists, senior adviser Karl Rove has telephoned religious and social activists, and the White House has staged signing ceremonies for legislation cracking down on terrorism and illegal immigration. Two weeks before Election Day, Bush aides invited dozens of radio talk show hosts for a marathon broadcast from the White House yesterday to reach conservative listeners.

The message that Bush and others are sending to alienated supporters is that, no matter how upset they have been about various policies or political missteps over the past couple of years, life would be far worse under the Democrats. They name liberal lawmakers who would take charge of key committees and warn conservatives that taxes would go up and protection against terrorists would go down. And they cite, in particular, the confirmation of two conservative Supreme Court justices who might have been blocked by a Democratic Senate.

(snip)

Some conservatives said it is too late. "They honestly need a baseball bat against the head," said Republican pollster Frank Luntz, who helped Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) take over Congress in the 1990s. "Because if they don't change the lexicon immediately, as bad as this election is going to be, they're going to lose the presidency in 2008. I've given up on 2006. They've already made so many mistakes, there's no way they can fix it in two weeks. But I'm worried now they're going to lose all the marbles."

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/24/AR2006102401563.html

[stopbush]

1. First rule in marketing: even the best campaigns fatigue over time.

Apparently, the "genius" Rove musta missed that first day of class in business school, so he's busy rolling
out the Hummer ads from two years ago.

What a great campaign idea, Karl, "They're worse than us!"

Fucking asshole.

[NJCher]

5. One-trick ponies

I have visions of Cheney packing talcum powder into envelopes and sending it to the LA Times.

Effing assholes indeed. Same old same old.

This time around, though, nobody's skeeered.




Cher

[Demeter]

8. They Cried Wolf Too Often

too bad these thugs never had the benefits of a classical education....Paging Bill Bennett!

[bluedeminredstate]

2. What was all that noise about

Clinton & Gore using the WH as a politcal base of operations? Is it me or does having hoards of only CONservative radio shows broadcasting from the WH front lawn appear a bit unAmerican? Isn't that OUR house too? This truly offends me.
They are so blatant in their contempt- almost to the point of bullying - of half the population of this nation. It's just unbelievable at times...
:wow:

[Ignacio Upton]

3. Nj Gay Marriage ruling could help this strategy

n/t.

[greeneyedboy]

4. no need for us to repeat their sound bites and "conventional wisdom"

[aquart]

6. No, it really couldn't.

Gay marriage is a phony issue for federal legislators. It's a state issue.

We are no longer so safe and satisfied and prosperous that we can waste our votes on phony distractions.

[badgerpup]

7. Ya know, I was thinking about "Tax and Spend!" today...

and people who grouse about it, and want MORE tax cuts and bitch about how their taxes ALL go to welfare and foodstamps...
...and I remembered that just on a local level it's TAXES that pay for the things like the fire department that shows up when you dial 911, and the cops, and schools.
Well, so you've got no kids in school, you're healthy, in a good neighborhood and your house never burns down. Lucky you.

How about this? It also pays (here at least) for those big trucks that come out at four in the morning to plow and sand the roads when there all snowed under and icy as hell...you DO drive, do you not?
How about those other big trucks that come around once a week and pick up the stuff you threw away? You know, the garbage trucks?

Didn't your neighborhood used to be on septic tanks? They've got the sewer lines in now, right? And there's that roadwork they did downtown, widening the street...sure made the traffic easier at rush hour.

You like baseball, right? How about that baseball field where they've got the Little League all the way up through city teams playing most every night during the summer? Or that community swimming pool that's chock-full of kids during the hot weather? Or the public parks? Or how about that really attractive new skateboard park? It not only gives those skateboard artists somewhere they can practice their craft, both the park and the boarders can make for a dynamic work of art. Yeah. They're that good.
Yep, Your Tax Dollars at work.

This is just stuff I've looked around at and seen in my city.