WP,pg1: GOP Leans on A Proven Strategy, Courting Conservative Base

[DeepModem Mom]

The GOP Leans on A Proven Strategy
White House Courts Conservative Base
By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 25, 2006; Page 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.

"The White House strategy is to remind us who would be in leadership in the House and Senate" if Democrats win, said Gary L. Bauer, president of a group called American Values and a Christian conservative who sends a daily e-mail to 100,000 supporters. "The idea is that that's going to be enough to get out most of this vote."

Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform and a close Rove associate, said the White House team is blanketing the conservative circuit. "They're out there, they're talking to people, they're at our meetings," he said. "This is a full-court press." Norquist dismissed conservatives who are threatening to stay home on Election Day: "They're not doing anything other than whining."...

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

[longship]

1. Do they mean that ever shrinking base?

I don't think that this strategy is a good one for the Repukes this year.

[WCGreen]

2. Like a ball sack in freezing water....

[Eurobabe]

3. HAHA, Let em try, their CONservative base has all but deserted them

Been fucked over one too many times.

[NanceGreggs]

4. The $64,000 Question ...

"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."

And their 'alienated supporters' are asking: "How it could get ANY WORSE than it is right now?"

[Rageneau]

5. Maybe they should unleash Rev. Moon.

Considering that he considers himself the Messiah, it should be no trick for him to gather in the faithful.