Posted on 01/19/2005 3:10:59 PM PST by RWR8189
Contact: Brian Jones
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President George W. Bush: “Ken Mehlman Has Served The Republican Party And The Administration With Honor And Distinction. As Campaign Manager, He Helped Us Achieve Our Historic 2004 Election Night Gains.” (Republican National Committee, “President Bush To Ask Republican National Committee To Pick Ken Mehlman As New Chair,” Press Release, 11/15/04)
Senior Adviser To The President Karl Rove: “It Struck Me At The Time That He Was Very Well Organized, Very Able And Very Focused. When You Meet Him, It’s Clear He Is Someone Who Is Going Places.” (Julie Mason, “Rove Protégé Key Force Behind Bush 2004 Drive,” The Houston Chronicle, 5/23/04)
Bush-Cheney ’04 Media Adviser Mark McKinnon: “[Mehlman Is] Really Kind Of A Combination Of [2000 Campaign Manager Joe] Allbaugh And [Karl] Rove … He Is Really Doing What Karl Did Last Time, But Karl Was All Strategy, And Allbaugh Was Day-To-Day. Ken Is Really Combining A Lot Of Those Things In One Person.” (Ken Herman, “Rove Recruit Holds Hopes For Bush ‘04,” Austin American-Statesman, 11/10/03)
Bush Adviser Mary Matalin: “‘He’s Got Everything It Takes To Do This Job … He’s Got Incredible Brain Power, Extraordinary Energy And Most Importantly A Deep Commitment To Bush. ... He’s Also One Of The Few Guys In Politics That Everybody Likes.’” (Laura Sullivan, “Pikesville Native To Lead Republican Party,” The Baltimore Sun, 11/16/04)
Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX): “[Mehlman Is A] Great Strategist [Who] Never Let Anything Drop. … He Worked For Me For Nearly Three Years. … After Six Months, I Said, ‘I Will Read About You In The History Books.’ I Knew He Was Destined For Great Things.” (E.J. Kessler, “Bush Campaign Manager Sees Virtue In Taking No Prisoners,” Forward, 7/9/04)
Illinois RNC Committeeman Bob Kjellander: “Ken Mehlman Never Sleeps … He Is The Most Tenacious, Hardest-Working Person I’ve Ever Been Involved In Politics With.” (Bernard Schoenburg, “GOP Chair Leaving In January,” The [Springfield, IL] State Journal-Register, 12/11/04)
Democrats:
Former Clinton Chief Of Staff John Podesta On Who The DNC Should Pick As Chairman: “Well, You Know, I Think That We Might Borrow A Little Bit, In This Case, From Our Republican Friends. I Think That Putting In Ken Mehlman, Somebody Who Really Can Make The Party Work Again At The Grass Roots Level…” (CNN’s “Capital Gang,” 11/27/04)
Democrat Strategist Jenny Backus: “It Seems To Me Watching From The Outside That Ken Not Only Has The Trust Of Rove, But Of The President, And He Is Not Seen Anymore As Rove’s Guy.” (Julie Mason, “Rove Protégé Key Force Behind Bush 2004 Drive,” The Houston Chronicle, 5/23/04)
Former Kerry Campaign Manager Jim Jordan: “He’s The Second Most Important Person In A Very Tightly Structured, Hierarchical Organization That Simply Doesn’t Make Many Bad Moves … You’d Have To Give Him A Fair Amount Of Credit For That.” (E.J. Kessler, “Bush Campaign Manager Sees Virtue In Taking No Prisoners,” Forward, 7/9/04)
The Media:
U.S. News And World Report’s Michael Barone: “If Karl Rove Was The Architect Of George W. Bush’s Re-Election Victory, Mehlman Was The Structural Engineer Who Turned The Plans Into Reality.” (Michael Barone, Op-Ed, “Bush Looks To Master Strategist To Build On GOP Momentum,” Chicago Sun-Times, 11/23/04)
National Review’s Richard Lowry: “The Tone Here, As In So Much Else, Was Set By Mehlman, Who Never Betrayed Discouragement Or Pointed Fingers. (Says Gillespie, In A Comment That Would Get Near-Universal Assent From The Bush Campaign: ‘Ken Was Never Turf-Conscious. It Was Never About Him. I Can’t Tell You What A Top-Quality Guy He Was -- He Was Tireless, Principled, Selfless, A Great Manager.’)” (Richard Lowry, “Bush’s Well-Mapped Road To Victory,” National Review, 11/29/04)
CNN’s Al Hunt: “If Karl Rove Was The Architect Of That Impressive Reelection Campaign, Then Ken Mehlman Was The General Contractor. He Really Put Together A New, Different And More Sophisticated Kind Of Campaign.” (CNN’s “Capital Gang,” 12/25/04)
The Economist: “Karl Rove May Have Been The Architect Of Mr. Bush’s Victory—The Man With The Grand Strategic Visions And The Sweeping Sense Of History. But Mr. Mehlman Was The Mechanic Who Translated Those Strategic Visions Into Reality.” (“The Organisation Man,” The Economist, 12/18/04)
The Baltimore Sun: “A Disciplined Workaholic Who Can Spew Statistics On Demand …” (David L. Greene, “For Campaign Manager, Race Is At Frenetic Pace,” The Baltimore Sun, 6/28/04)
The Houston Chronicle: “Those Who Know Him Will Tell You: Mehlman Is Organized, Mehlman Is Brilliant. He Is Driven, Disciplined, And Tireless.” (Julie Mason, “Rove Protégé Key Force Behind Bush 2004 Drive,” The Houston Chronicle, 5/23/04)
Austin American-Statesman: “A Sit-Down Session With Mehlman Is An All-Consuming Experience During Which He Seems To Challenge Basic Biological Tenets Concerning Breathing While Talking. Mehlman Does Not Do The Dramatic Pause. He Does Not Do Doubt.” (Ken Herman, “Rove Recruit Holds Hopes For Bush ‘04,” Austin American-Statesman, 11/10/03)
Christian Science Monitor: “‘On Message’ Is His Middle Name. But He Is Remarkably Agile In Turning Reporters’ Questions Into An Opportunity To Deliver The President’s Message Of The Day.” (David Cook, “Memorable Meals With Newsmakers,” Christian Science Monitor, 1/3/05)
I hope any bashing of this guy can cease and desist here on FR. Ken delivered in a BIG way in '04. Mehlman has done America a great favour by helping re-elect G.W. Bush.
Seen this?
Who was bashing this guy????...He ran a great campaign, has great strategic thinking, knows the numbers......he is a mini-Rove
I love the guy. If he was responsible for the overwhelming turnout of volunteers then I don't know how anyone can bash him. The difference between the 2000 and 2004 campaigns was night and day for anyone on the ground. The only reservation I have is that I volunteered because of the President not because of the organization. It will be interesting to see if the organization can sustain itself in 2008.
what are "they" saying about the Abortion-loving witch Davidson who they also elected today? I'll tell you what I'M saying: "Shame!"
Wonder what Bob Shrum thinks of Ken?
Well-said. You are a light unto the world. All of your insights greatly enlighten us. I just hope and pray to God that the RINO Christian haters get professional help. The only therapy they're getting for their self-esteem problems is to beat up on pro-life Christians.
"I just hope and pray to God that the RINO Christian haters get professional help."
Good point, the "professional" help is not of this world.
The party is made up of thousands, nay millions of individuals, and I am one of them. I am strongly pro-life, and I know I'm not alone.
Going third party only weakens the pro-life faction in the GOP. Staying in the party and fighting for the unborn is the best way to make yourself strong in the body politic. Going third is to Naderize oneself.
Great. Let's keep it that way. Enough character assassination has gone on about KM.
He was a "take no prisoners" sort debater against the lunatics on the tube. They could not get away with their lies while he was around. Excellent choice and exactly the one I wanted.
I'll bet YOU were a tremendous Bush supporter.
As a financial supporter of the GOP I have told them they will not get a dime if Davidson stays in this position. I suggest that you do the same.
IN the meantime I pray for her and await her conversion...plenty of others out here have seen the light and so it is possible for her too.
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