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Newt didn't "diss the base", he said that you can't win elections by simply turning out your base.

Newt didn't say one thing about adopting moderate positions to appeal to other voters. He believes that focusing on ISSUES will appeal to the other voters.

Rove didn't focus on issues, he focused on organization getting out the people who voted for us before.

That only works if you have enough people who voted for you before, and who still want to vote for you.

It does you know good if you make a dozen phone calls, and get a dozen people to show up, but 5 of them vote for your opponent.

And when independents think you are only focused on getting your own base out to vote, they tend to not be interested in that. An independent doesn't vote against the democrats, they vote for what they think is right for america.

In the absense of the republicans standing strong for conservative principles, the independent had a choice between voting against all the things the republicans had done, or voting against the democrat party.

And while I don't think they liked chosing between negatives, the democrats at least were discussing issues, not party.

If we take nothing else from this election, it has to be to bury the notion that a majority of americans hate the democrats.

The majority of Americans don't hate the Democrats because the majority of Americans aren't taking enough notice of politics to know who the Democrats are. And waaay too many Americans still get their news from the MSM.

You can't win elections only with your base, but you can't win elections without them, either. And you can't win elections if you let your opposition define you without responding. I think that's been the biggest problem of Bush 43's presidency. He won't fight back and won't use the bully pulpit. He won't articulate a consistent message for the people who don't follow politics rabidly like us. And since he allows the media and the Dems to frame the debate, he loses the debate every time.

"And while I don't think they liked chosing between negatives, the democrats at least were discussing issues, not party."

The main issue I could see from them is they hate GWB, and they want to surrender in Iraq.