Posted on 01/19/2019 3:57:27 PM PST by yesthatjallen
Former White House political strategist Karl Rove warned Senate Republicans in a meeting this week not to become overly reliant on their conservative base as they head into what could be a tough 2020 presidential election.
Rove, who served as former President George W. Bushs top political strategist, was brought in by Senate GOP leaders to speak to the 22 Republican incumbents up for reelection at an all-day planning session Thursday hosted at Nationals Park in southeast Washington, D.C.
GOP lawmakers are getting nervous about next years election as polls show President Trumps approval rating dropping during the 28-day government shutdown, with economic experts warning that the standoff could dampen economic growth significantly.
Rove advised lawmakers at the meeting not to rely too much on the conservative base, which is solidly behind Trump in the stalemate over funding for a border wall, and to remember the importance of expanding the GOPs appeal, according to Republicans familiar with his remarks.
He talked about politics being about addition and multiplication. You want to continue to bring people in who support you and the ideas that youre presenting to help the country move forward in a productive way, said a GOP senator who attended the meeting.
Polls show that while Trump has strengthened his standing with Republican voters during the shutdown, he is losing ground with independents and non-college educated white voters, another key demographic.
An NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll published Thursday showed the president has seen his approval rating drop by 9 points and his disapproval rating climb by 9 points among suburban men.
A GOP source familiar with Thursdays meeting said Rove talked about his column published in The Wall Street Journal the previous day that warned a base-only strategy is a perilous bet for 2020 and advised the party that realizes this first may gain the edge in the coming presidential contest.
Rove in his op-ed argued that while Democrats have refused to compromise, the White House should consider publicly announcing an offer to end the shutdown by asking for border wall funding in return for legal status for Dreamers.
A Quinnipiac University poll published Monday showed that registered independent voters found the arguments of Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) more believable than Trumps by a margin of 48 percent to 33 percent.
Rove also discussed the problems that GOP candidates had appealing to suburban voters in the 2018 midterm, according to a Republican senator who heard his remarks.
CNN exit polling from the last election showed Democratic and Republican House candidates splitting the suburban vote evenly, 49 percent to 49 percent. It was a troubling development for GOP candidates as suburban voters have leaned more Republican over the last two decades.
In the 2014 midterm, by comparison, Republicans performed 12 points better than Democrats among suburban voters.
Rove sounded the alarm about the eroding support for Republicans in the suburbs shortly after Election Day.
Senate Republicans have a much tougher map to defend in 2020 compared to 2018, when Democrats had to guard 26 seats and wound up losing four incumbents.
Does he not realise it is the base that is driving this movement?
Besides Trump is hated by the other groups of people so much that even the most blatant of pandering won’t win many of them over.
Turd Blossom? People still listen to that Bush buttboy?
Rove wants Republicans to water down Trumps' message and he thinks Republicans will win.
This guy is serving his masters.
Rove: Scuse me while I whip this out.
(Karl take out his whiteboard).
I don’t know anyone who listens to him but people keep giving him a platform and he won’t shut up.
So says a RINOs best friend.
Rove is a magnificent bastard... for the RINO’s. You cannot bring him into a conservative conversation. He’s a NeverTrumper and will espouse that opinion.
These Rinos make me sick.
In their minds, we all should be one big Uniparty.
For example, this morning NeverTrumper Cavuto had NH Governor Chris Sununu (son of John) on regarding the shutdown, et.al.
Sununu only focused on reopening the government and didn’t even mention how vital border security is.
Also, Lisa Murkowski took to the Senate floor and droned on and on about the plight of her constituents trying to survive while not saying a word about the border crisis.
Rove, just sit down...
Your thread the needle politicking would have given us a Jeb or a Hillary...
Its past time for that crap...
If the Republicans wont stand up for America First, they will lose, period
Rove’s a POS. Another corrupt establishment politician, the quintessential Swamp Critter.
Karl, please ride off into the sunset. The American people don’t want to listen to your BS anymore.
Rove warned Senate Republicans in a meeting this week not to become overly reliant on their conservative base
Riiiiight. Republicans need to go back to being good Democrats, right Karl? Better to just sit back and keep voting in favor of the enemy's agenda, right Karl? Stupid bastard.
No need to read past that.
Rove, the chief adviser of the GetAlong Gang.
"FUKR"
No Trump base, no ore Republican party. It’s that simple.
Rove is everything we hate about the GOP.
Trump doesn’t care about 2020... he’s just in this to fix as much as he can.
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