Reply #25: No choice [View All]

[Tims]

Anything less than running Bush would be an admission of guilt to all the accusations leveled at, him, his administration and, by extension, the whole of the Republican party. The Republican campaign machine is not even in first gear. They won't spend too much effort early on damage control because they know voter's memories are short.

We can speculate about an Osma capture for an October surprise, which may or may not happen, but rest assured, they have SOMETHING already planned. They will use whatever they can to save his butt, but they are not stupid. If late in the game they begin to believe Bush can't win, simply look for the Republicans to begin distancing themselves from him. Look for a shift of RNC money going from Bush to local campaigns. They will focus on trying to keep the House and Senate in Republican hands. Look for a lot of Republicans, quietly and "off-the-record" expressing their disappointment with Bush.

It's too early to tell, but the Republicans have done such a good job of demonizing the Democratic Party, that even many moderate Republicans may still be willing to live with Bush rather than vote for a Liberal. Our best bet is that an unenthusiastic, Republican base will stay at home and an invigorated Democratic base will get out and vote.