RNC Chairman Says 'Sky Is Not Falling'(Dean Easy to Beat & Rice for Pres?)

[Khephra]

NEW YORK -- The incoming Republican Party chairman sought to assure rank-and-file activists that "the sky is not falling" on President Bush's poll ratings.

Ed Gillespie circulated a memo to Republican National Committee members Thursday as the 165-member group met at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. "To be clear," he wrote, "the president's poll numbers are essentially the same today as they were the day before Operation Iraqi Freedom commenced on March 7."

snip........

Former Vermont governor Howard Dean, a physician-turned-politician, was named by several RNC members as the Democratic presidential candidate who would give Bush the easiest race.

"He's way out there to the left on just about every issue," said Mitchell Lowe, executive director of the Arkansas GOP.

snip.......

Many mentioned her as a potential GOP presidential candidate after Bush runs out his string. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, who addresses the RNC Friday, also received several plugs as did Bush's brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge.

MORE....................

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-gop-sky-not-falling,0,2121699.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. Ok didn't they say the same

About Clinton?

Unknown quantities usually give those goons
tummy aches....

[Khephra]

2. If they're stupid enought to think that Dean is way out to the Left

and that Rice would be a good choice for Pres...well, then I hate to tell this GOP this--the sky IS falling for you.

[Papa]

8. They probably are that stupid

These guys are so far to the Right that it's amusing to hear him try and paint Dean as some wacko liberal that's far out to the left. Like they are centrists.

I did have a horrible thought however just now that maybe the Rethugs know something we don't, like they have some dirt on Dean. I hope they are just scared.

[revcarol]

10. Welcome to DU, Papa.

Come in and set a spell. Enjoy some refreshment in the Lounge.

[lkinsale]

22. It's what they did to Gore

They just keep saying it and saying it and saying it, until it doesn't matter if it's true or not, it sticks.

[Julien Sorel]

12. They're starting the smear campaign now.

In some ways, Dean supporters should be happy, because it means the Repubs think he stands a good chance of winning the nomination. At the same time though, should Dean win the nomination, he's going to have to be a great campaigner to overcome the smearing. Bush's side is likely to fight dirty as hell in the election; with his record, they have few choices. Dean supporters should get used to this stuff.

The stuff on Rice is just pandering to women and minorities on the part of Republicans, as far as I'm concerned. If I remember correctly, they did the same thing with Powell around 1999.

I'd feel remiss if I didn't point out that there's one potential candidate out there who would laugh at attempts to smear him as a 'far out' liberal. ;-)

[Journeyman]

15. Let us hope the sky isn't falling for the Republicans. . .

but is instead falling on them and their dreams.

[Alexander]

3. What about Sharpton, Moseley-Braun, and Kucinich?

I'm sure Bush would have an easier time defeating them.

I think they're being way too defensive about Dean for him to REALLY be the easiest-to-beat candidate. Sounds more like some Republicans are thinking "Bush drops in polls" + "Dean gains momentum" = "Dean beats Bush in 2004"...

[Demobrat]

4. They're really scared of Dean.

They've all obviously been faxed the talking points, but it won't make any difference. They can call him all the names they want, but when people hear him speak they'll make their own decisions. And something tells me that when the smear campaign starts up in earnest, Dean will be ready for them.

[Maple]

5. Interesting

how they keep mentioning Dean.

I mean, if he's such a pushover, why bother mentioning him at all?

A lot. All the time. By name.

LOL

[TrueBlueDem]

20. Yeah, they specifically say DEAN would be easy to beat, AS IF....

--Sharpton presents a roadblock.

--Edwards sends shivers through their bones.

--And all the other single-digit candidates would be harder to beat than Dean, who is now, officially, in the double digits.

By repeatedly singling him out, I think they protest too much.

[progressivebydesign]

6. Killing two people in Iraq does not a victory make!

I'm sorry.. but don't you all find it wierd that we found those guys and killed them right when Bush was facing his worst ever slump? Where he was FINALLY going to have to answer for his deceit? It was all over the papers.. NOW what's there instead? Gruesome, sickening photos of two dead guys.. and Bush is getting a hard on because of it..

The RNC think that blowing these guys up will make Bush unbeatable.. Obviously they're forgetting Osama Bin Forgotten and Hide the Saddam.. both of which appear to be very much alive. AND.. it's STILL the economy, stupid! Wasn't it a hoot to see some people reporting that the stock market surged on news of the killings? Right when I checked it yesterday, it was down. If it posted any gain yesterday, it was modest.. and it's down again. Probably on the news of further US military deaths today. So.. we killed those guys, posted their photos, said piss on the Geneva Convention, and Bush didn't even get a market bounce.. nor will his ratings be raised because of it.

Dean has Bush quaking in his poseur cowboy boots!!

[kainah]

7. "the sky is NOT falling"

doesn't it just warm your heart to know that Ed Gillespie is having to use that phrase??? What Gillespie doesn't say is that *'s poll numbers shortly before the war were not all that much better than they were pre-9/11 when he was in A LOT of trouble.

[stevebreeze]

9. you never know the GOPers might realy think Dean is the weakest

On the other hand many of Carol Mosley-Bruan's supports cheared when Fitgerald was the GOP nominee. For those not in IL Fitgerald won the race.
:kick:

[Rose Siding]

11. Oh, here's a brilliant idea

On the very *day* that Bush supporters use a picture of his Operation Land On A Carrier stunt for fund raising:

"If I were in the White House, I would have suggested that we go on the offensive rather than be so defensive," said RNC member Morton Blackwell of Virginia. "We've got to start expressing moral outrage at Democrats for playing politics with Iraq."

They are in a world of hurt :party:

[diplomats]

13. Gillespie is right

Bush's numbers are where they were before the Iraq war - but they were in the 50s then, too, and probably would've dropped into the 40s in a matter of weeks if the war hadn't happened. So Bush has lost all his postwar bounce even faster than his father did. How can the GOP see that as a good thing?

[yellowcanine]

14. sky must be falling

evidence the sky is falling

-the 16 word defence....pathetic - this scandal's equivalent of '3rd rate burglery"

-all the talk about wanting to run against Dean - they seem to be trying to raise his visability so the other candidates gang up on him - I think he scares them the most because he was a successful governor, is a fiscal conservative, is not vulnerable on the gun issue, and is willing to take on Bush on the war and the lies about WMD. He really is the 2004 equivalent of the 1992 Clinton - without the personal baggage - so the "character" issue works against them this time because of all of the wmd lies.

Story line about the 16 words changes almost daily - we are now in the find a willing scapegoat stage - problem is the only credible scapegoat at this point is Condy Rice - and I doubt that she is willing - she wants to preserve her political future - they thought they had Tenet but those dastardly memos put the hex on that; Hadley is too low level to be credible - and if forced out it is doubtful that he will keep his mouth shut. Bush could still try to accept the blame on himself, but that would raise some prickly questions, not the least of which would could be impeachment - Oh what a tangled web.....

[young_at_heart]

21. Dean's biggest asset.......he said no to unilateralism in Iraq

That alone makes me want to vote for him.

[leesa]

16. Their technique is to paint moderate as 'far left'

so their radical right agenda seems moderate. Dean is hardly far left.

[gulliver]

17. I don't think Gillespie will last long.

He's just not the slick operator Racicot is, IMO. Why did the pubbies replace Racicot? Was it Enron? If so, they're going to have to replace Bush too, I would think.

[Aaron]

19. I think Racicot is running GW's 2004 campaign or something like that

Also, is Rice pro-choice/pro-affirmative action? That'd seriously crimp some of their base wouldn't it?

[enki23]

18. that's not a memo. it's an ad.

.

[goforit]

23. LOL!!!...Notice not another candidate was mention/ Dean scares them!

You know.......

it is so easy to read their agenda!!!

I can't wait till the games begin!!!

GO DEAN or KUCINICH!!!!!