LAT: Key Republicans Admit Anxiety Over Campaign

[kskiska]

As President Bush steps up his reelection bid, key Republican officials and strategists are expressing concern about his campaign, saying the White House took too long to engage in the race and lacks a clear strategy for addressing voters' economic worries.

While most Republicans remain confident that Bush will win a second term, there is a growing sense within the party that the battle with John F. Kerry is likely to be closer and harder-fought that many thought just a few weeks ago.

"People are anxious," said David Carney, a Republican strategist in New Hampshire and White House political director for Bush's father. "There's a lot of fretting going on out there."

Much of the hand-wringing stems from recent polls that showed Bush trailing Kerry nationwide. Most Republicans see that as the inevitable result of steady pounding from Democrats who have been campaigning — and bashing the president — for well over a year.

(snip)

Still, the nervousness is a notable shift from earlier Republican bravado, as is the criticism of a White House political team that, until recently, has been widely regarded as perhaps the best in the business.

more…
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-reelect12mar12,1,5130365.story?coll=la-home-headlines

[LeftCoast]

1. Watch for the rats to start leaving the ship!

That will be the sign.

[Vitruvius]

9. But cornered rats are VICIOUS.

They'll bite everything in reach before they leave their sinking ship.

[metisnation]

26. its has already happened

McCain offering the option of Veep.

[mhr]

2. Unemployed 45 Months, At Every Opportunity I Send All Republicans

I know articles about the jobless recovery.

After visiting the offices of my Texas senators and representative (all republicans) last May to discuss the economy and jobs, I vowed to become a one man propaganda machine.

None of my elected representatives even bothered to send a form letter as a reply to my visit.

Some compassion.

Mr. Bush, you and your republican party can go to hell!

[Melodybe]

4. Wow, I'm impressed! Keep up the good work!

Nothing they can do will touch us, we can prove every lie, every manipulation. We can do this!

Now is time to get out there and make friends, talk to people you don't know and let them know America is better than this!

I am so proud to be a democrat!

:kick:

[donco6]

14. If you're a constituent, but from the opposite party . . .

. . . the Repubs feel they can ignore you completely.

[The Zanti Regent]

15. It's not a Jobless recovery, it's a JOBLOSS recovery

AND

All the good paying jobs are going overseas!

[Bandit]

19. I would question the Recovery part also.

:shrug:

[calimary]

25. THANK YOU for this righteous work! Call 'em TOLL FREE and keep

giving 'em hell! Or as Harry Truman once responded to "Give 'em hell, Harry:" "I don't give 'em hell. I tell 'em the truth, and they think it's hell."

Bless your heart. You are noble and courageous to turn your situation into a fiery belly and fiery heart for such a worthy cause. How awful that you've had to learn the hard way what "compassionate conservativism" is all about. Also known as "compassion my ass."

I hope you, and ALL OF US prevail in November.

PLEASE CALL AND GIVE 'EM HELL ON THE HILL, FOLKS!!!!

And those of us who can afford to should chip in a little more for Kerry and MoveOn.org. Any leftovers should go to any Dems running for Congress. If we don't contribute now, we'll be getting it in the shorts later.

[Lexingtonian]

3. translation into American English:

They're shitting bricks.

I love that monoculturalist delusion that it's only a matter of good media coverage. I mean since all the people they consider their friends are white people who think the same way, what could possibly be wrong with that idea?

[Kagemusha]

5. My god, too long to get into the race?

Eight months before the vote?

Incredible, this political era, isn't it?

[leesa]

6. Bush has never stopped campaigning...his whole life has been

one long campaign. I love the way they pretend and the author highlights bashing by the Dems...as though it couldn't be related to any of their destructive, disasterous activities. What a la-la land these losers live in.

[Melodybe]

7. I love that every time I hear about Bush, it is mentioned

that he is at yet another fund raiser. Ha, ha, they can take all their money and shove it, not even repubs believe the network news. The more they make, the worse they look, the more they spend the worse they look.

[Arugula Latte]

21. In the AP article

that I read today started with Bush shoveling dirt for the 9-11 memorial, and the very next sentence (in the same paragraph) said that he left to attend a fundraiser where he raked in $1.5 million. I wondered if that juxtaposition was intentional.

[kodi]

11. that's right. he has campaigned for re-election since january 2001

everything he has done has been related to running for a second term.

[Paschall]

8. "A clear strategy...

...for addressing voters' economic worries."

We already heard it: "Who cares what you think!" GW Bush

[salin]

10. I read recently... that scuttle on the GOP side of the Hill

is that some believe they might fare better if Kerry wins... that they now believe they might lose one side of Congress in this election, and that if they are able to run against a Pres. Kerry in midterms they could take it back, but if they were runnig with Bush in 2006, they fear suffering so big of setbacks as to not only lose all of Congress, but to large enough margins that it would be hard to regain.

The reason this 'scuttlebutt' is significant - is the conventional wisdom for the past two years has been that while the democrats are likely to make some gains - they would not be enough to takeover either side of congress, and that DeLay's TX redistricting shenanigans would provide the margin in the house to ensure safety for years to come. If some GOP are voicing quietly the opposite - that they fear Bush harms THEIR ability to be elected... and bigger bang yet - that a continued Bush presidency might harm them and the party (in terms of controlling congress) for years... then there has been a gigantic shift - borne out of visits back to home constiuencies - over the past 12 months.

[Skittles]

12. oh, they are worried and fretting, are they?

well now they know how the rest of us feel having this dipshit as out "leader".

[PATRICK]

13. Unfortunately

we heard this in 2002 also before Bush unloaded on a prone DLC strategy. But handwringing is good.

Here's one you won't find on any poll. Those donors and Repubs who donate and vociferate publicly on behalf of Bush BUT WILL VOTE AGAINST HIM come November, because of hatred and fear. That is a statistic that cannot be compiled but very imaginable from the scuttlebutt I hear in various places not Dem by any means.

That leaves only the nutty loyal plebes and some way of swaying the masses in the middle in some timely dramatic event or destruction of the Kerry campaign. ordinary stuff will not work only to provide a cover illusion- like Bush's "great" campaigning in 2002.

[Ravy]

16. The white house team may no longer be the best in the business..

... but they are sure the best that money can buy.

[ConcernedCanuk]

17. Kerry's right on the ball though, check out his new blog (Kerry's)

.
.
.

It's called Dbunker

just clik on the image in my sigline, and you're there !!

[4dsc]

18. A unified democratic front

is the reason behind all this. The democratic party is unified and should stay that way until bush is voted out!! We haven't seen this kind of fervor in years..

[BadGimp]

20. Please estimate the GOP Sphincter Factor on a 1 to 10 scale

As of today I am gonna say:

6.1

Which I think reflects the fact they have accepted that they are in trouble, but are firmly convinced they can and will overcome our democratic system.

[yellowcanine]

22. GOP "panties in a wad" factor is at a 7 on a scale of 1-10

I am predicting a 9 if Kerry is more than 8 points ahead on Oct 1. Won't go to a 10 until election night when * concedes.

[sendero]

23. Memo to puke hand-wringers...

... you guys kill me. You fret about the "message" over and over. You worry about a "strategy".

Here's a clue for you - a strategy that is guaranteed to work:

Lead well.

Yeah, that's all. You see, nobody believes your stupid tax cut for the rich is going to help the economy. Nobody believes outsourcing all our jobs is good for the economy. You can buy 5 billion dollars worth of ads, but people see your failures every single day.

People know now that they were had about the pointless war in Iraq. We spent a fortune in money and a treasure in lives and got a Cracker-Jack box toy dictator in return. Great deal. Spend a billion dollars on more TV ads, you will not be able to lie and spin your way out of it.

Swinging hard right on issues like gay marriage and stem cell research probably sounds good to the crowd of delusional people you hang with. But it isn't going to play in Peoria. It must come as a real shock to you that you are not going to be able to use gay marriage as a wedge. Another fatal miscalculation on your part.

There is only one problem with my advice - you cannot roll back the clock and do the right thing now. You guys hitched your wagon to this moron, gave him free reign, so now you can sweat bullets until your inevitable demise.

So long chumps.

[xxqqqzme]

24. a years worth of pounding,

whorporate media coverage of same last 3 months. As the truth leaks out, people awake from their slumber.

[proud patriot]

27. Hee Hee

:evilgrin: