To: Ken Mehlman From: Jan van Lohuizen Date: March 3, 2006 Re: Bush -- Congressional Republicans
Per our conversation, we took another look at the way voters, Republicans specifically, link President Bush and Republicans in the House and the Senate. There are several points worth making:
1. President Bush continues to have the strong loyal support of Republican voters. Despite slippage in approval ratings among all voters, the President's job approval among Republicans continues to be very high. Most members will be elected with between 80% and 100% of their support coming from Republicans. I don't see that Republicans driving a wedge between themselves and the President is a good election strategy.
2. My read of the current environment is that our problem will be turnout. '06 could become an election like '82 or '84. In '82 Republicans showed up at relatively normal turnout rates, while Democrats, because they were angry, showed up at abnormally high turnout rates. In '94, Republican turnout was elevated, while Democratic turnout was depressed. We have every reason to believe '06 could become the inverse of '82. We don't see signs of a depressed Republican turnout yet, but we have every reason to believe Democrats will turn out in high numbers. Anything we do to depress turnout, by not running as a unified party for instance, could very well lead to serious consequences in November.
3. The President is seen universally as the face of the Republican Party. We are now brand W. Republicans. The following chart shows the extremely close correlation between the President's image and overall ratings of the party.
President Bush drives our image and will do so until we have real national front-runners for the '08 nomination. Attacking the President is counter productive for all Republicans, not just the candidates launching the attacks. If he drops, we all drop.
Screw the Republicans. Vote Democratic in the U.S. House and tell the Democrats to impeach Bush.
Did Pat Toomey drive a wedge between himself and the President?
They will all be scurrying to him come time to drum up $$$ for elections.
RNC Memo Warns GOPers Not To Distance Themselves From BushGee, why would they have to do that?
When the GOP starts acting like Conservative party...
"W Brand Republicans" = Rockefeller Republicans
Why don't they warn Bush to stop distancing himself from the people who elected him?
Why don't they warn Bush to stop distancing himself from the people who elected him?
Uh, yeah, sure. We are usually told this when Bush is trying to sell out conservative positions.
Oh not to worry Jan and Ken, the way I see this illegal immigration sellout shaping up, this child is about to distance (as in, a very long distance) himself from the RINO herd altogether.
The President should immediately stop driving a wedge between his supporters, and his STOOPID POSITIONS on issues such as port security, and illegal aliens.
Thank you.
this guy doesn't have a clue either...best thing pubbies can do is renouce old GeorgeW.
One seat away from controlling the US Supreme Court AND the Congress and The Presidency for the 1st time since 1932 and the Whiners would throw it all away because President Bush and the Congress don't do ONLY what they what when they want it. Throw away 70% good to get 100% bad just at the moment of Conservative victory that been 25 YEARS in the builiding. That is just too politically stupid to take seriously.
You can scream words all you want, actions speak louder.
"...In his second term, President Bush has become a master of the reverse-wedge issue — hot-button issues that divide his political base and get it to feast on itself with charges of sexism, xenophobia and racism. The first was Harriet Miers; then there was the Dubai ports deal; and now comes his guest-worker proposal, making for a trifecta of political self-immolation."
Some "Freepers" here, those who keep harping about tossing Republicans out of office, remind me of that old Foster Brooks routine. He'd be drunk, stumbling in front of his wife with a gun aimed at his own head.
"Don't laugh!" he'd say. "You're next!"
Did ya see the rioting in France??
That is what happens when liberals run the government
Note to RNC. It is you and the President who are doing the distancing and not conservatives.
Too late, Bush and the RNC distanced themselves from GOP voters.
President Bush needs the republicans in Congress more than they need him right now. If he loses the Congress, he will be powerless in the remaining years in office. His only chance to accomplish anything is to support republicans whether or not they support his ill advised policies, particularly his spending and his immigration policies.