[RightWhale]

Republican turnout Machine? That's a joke. Voters turn out for elections when they think it is important and they vote R when they see no alternative. They do this on their own. If there are Party Bosses it's not real obvious. In fact, if anybody is running the Republican Party at all it's not real obvious.

[roses of sharon]

I don't need no boss to tell me how to vote, lol.

[Dave S]

Republican turnout Machine? That's a joke.

Dont say that too loud Mehlman might lose his job. The Republicans have their 72 hour machine that they utilize to turn out the vote. It's what enabled Bush to generate a huge increase in voter turnout in 2004. It is a database fool. It's not party bosses giving walking orders.

Republicans use it to focus direct mail, telephone calls, and personal contacts on those most likely to vote Republican regardless of whether they live in typically Democrat areas. It consists of focused direct mail based upon magazine subscriptions (i.e., people in Michigan who subscribe to snowmobile magazines are targeted with messages about how the Dem wants to restrict snowmobile usage). This is done no matter whether the recipient lives in the bluest of blue cities within a blue state. By targeting likely Republican voters in blue areas they can increase statewide Republican vote needed to put the senatorial candidates over the top. Dems cant do this. They lag well behind in developing the database. So they devote their efforts to getting out the vote in traditional Dem areas (inner cities and strong labor areas).

[zbigreddogz]

They do this on their own.

Yahhh...no that's not true. Read up on what we did in 2002 and 2004. If there are Party Bosses it's not real obvious.

That's why it's such a good operation. Silent but deadly.

In fact, if anybody is running the Republican Party at all it's not real obvious.

Yah...you should actually get involved sometime beyond posting on FR.

[LS]

Well, that's just silly. Maybe you aren't involved in a campaign on the ground---in which case you should be---but here in OH, the Blackwell campaign, which actually got started LATE, geared up in the spring by identifying all GOP and Indy voters, then further identifying them by whether they were pro-life. This was followed by a detailed lit preparation for the "generic" Republican, the "pro-life" Republican, and the "pro-gun" Republican. Beginning a month ago, we began seven-day a week phone banks, with five-day-a-week lit drops. I'm amazed at the organization: every GOP house is not only identified, but is marked as to whether they have voted in a) the last election and b) the last FOUR elections. We are hitting every GOP and Indy house, plus every Dem house that voted for Bush that we can identify.

All of this is in preparation for the 72-hour GOTV walks and drops and phones. Now, if you think any of this happens without preparation, without organization, and without leadership, you're demented. And the key is, the Dems have NONE OF THIS. NO ONE has seen any Dem walkers, lit drops, ANY kind of ground game at all. They are still relying on the Moveon.org idiots.

This is why numbskulls believe the polls that are posted here---because many of them aren't actually "in the game."

[festus]

Republicans also show up for work and pay bills and have photo id's etc. without anyone to make sure they do so.

Maybe the Dems need to learn that depending on the non-dependable slacker class is not a good long range plan ?

[webheart]

In fact, if anybody is running the Republican Party at all it's not real obvious.

I get a real chuckle out of that one.