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Karl "The Architect" Rove: The GOP Must Stand for Something
WSJ ^ | May 15th, 2008 | Karl Rove

Posted on 05/14/2008 9:31:24 PM PDT by The_Republican

Tuesday's election results highlighted challenges for both Democrats and Republicans.

Republicans received a hard shot in Mississippi. Greg Davis (for whom I campaigned and who was a well-qualified candidate) narrowly lost a special congressional election in a district President George W. Bush carried four years ago with 62% of the vote. Democrats pulled off the win by smartly nominating a conservative, Travis Childers, from a rural swing part of the district who disavowed Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and hit Mr. Davis from the right.

This blow to the GOP came after two other special congressional election losses in recent months. Republicans lost former House Speaker Denny Hastert's Illinois seat and Rep. Richard Baker's Louisiana seat.

Both of those losses can be attributed to bad candidates. But that only shows the GOP can't take "safe" seats for granted when Democrats run conservatives who distance themselves from their national party leaders. The string of defeats should cure Republicans of the habit of simply shouting "liberal! liberal! liberal!" in hopes of winning an election. They need to press a reform agenda full of sharp contrasts with the Democrats.

Why is it tough sledding for Republicans? Public revulsion at GOP scandals was a large factor in the party's 2006 congressional defeat. Some brand damage remains, as does the downward pull of the president's approval ratings. But the principal elements are the Iraq war and a struggling economy.

Gallup's 2007 report found that fewer voters identify themselves as Republicans now than at any point in the past 20 years – despite the fact that less than a fifth of Americans agree with Mr. Obama's call to rapidly withdraw from Iraq. And while many Americans are concerned about the economy, most are satisfied with their own finances.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Philosophy; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 110th; 2008; gop; karlrove; newmajority; rmsp; values
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To: Walkingfeather

Got a call seeking donations for Mccain, told them exactly your point, that I might as well donate to Clinton or Obama since there was no difference between the three, the poor
woman sounded resigned to continue to hear the same from other calls she was sure to make.


21 posted on 05/14/2008 9:48:02 PM PDT by pennboricua
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To: kingattax
maybe karl will follow newt and make a global warming commercial with dictator pelosi

Yeah, while at the same time suggesting illegal aliens will save Social Security, the credit collapse, willl serve as U.S. Marines and we should trust our leaders and seek their autographs.

22 posted on 05/14/2008 9:48:13 PM PDT by dragnet2
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To: The_Republican

Karl, you ignorant La Raza-headed ho. We stand for the U.S. CONSTITUTION.


23 posted on 05/14/2008 9:48:53 PM PDT by The Spirit Of Allegiance (Public Employees: Honor Your Oaths! Defend the Constitution from Enemies--Foreign and Domestic!)
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To: kingattax
Commercial? Haven't seen it.
24 posted on 05/14/2008 9:49:16 PM PDT by allmost
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To: allmost

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi6n_-wB154


25 posted on 05/14/2008 9:51:29 PM PDT by kingattax (99 % of liberals give the rest a bad name)
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To: The_Republican

I must say, the dimmocrats are onto something here. You get a social conservative, with a shot of populism, and you have a tough southern candidate. We are not that many years removed from Dimmocrat dominance in the south, and many boomers grew up in that environment.

The GOP better get it’s act together.


26 posted on 05/14/2008 9:52:00 PM PDT by lawnguy (The function of wisdom is to discriminate between good and evil-Cicero)
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To: The_Republican

“...And while many Americans are concerned about the economy, most are satisfied with their own finances...”

Satisfied ? How about resigned to the state of their own finances which is sinking by the day.....Even a halfwit WSJ journalist has to admit that rising gas, food and commodity prices is cutting deeply into the family budget and in the meantime it is Happy Hour as usual on Pennsylvania Avenue...The Republicans in Congress need to take off the blinders and start legislating some solutions and make the tax cuts permanent already; get some friggin backbone already or they will be thrown out...The Dems are going to mop the floor in November unless the Reps get busy..imagine a Democratic House and Senate with a Dem President?...what a nightmare...


27 posted on 05/14/2008 9:53:25 PM PDT by billmor
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To: donna

Until Richardson is vp......


28 posted on 05/14/2008 9:56:41 PM PDT by proudtobeanamerican1 (Media -)
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To: lawnguy
The GOP better get it’s act together.

Ya think 2006 rang their bell? No?

They must a thought all that decent and anger was a call to increase their government salaries.

29 posted on 05/14/2008 9:58:11 PM PDT by dragnet2
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To: Biblebelter
Bush’s Brain did not mention immigration and fiscal restraint. Those are two issues this conservative cares PASSIONATELY about.

And because of Karl Rove, those two issues are killing the GOP. Seems Ole' Karl is as good at projection as the Klintoons.
30 posted on 05/14/2008 10:02:40 PM PDT by rottndog (Globull Warming "Science" = garbage in, gospel out.)
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To: The_Republican

No matter it’s explained that a conservative Democrat defeats a conservative Republican, it makes no sense that it should happen, let alone in Mississippi.

If I had an identical twin brother who agreed with me on every issue, but he ran as a Democrat, I wouldn’t vote for him. It’s baffling that voters in these conservatives districts don’t attach the needed importance to the fact that, no matter how conservative, these Dems. will be caucusing with Pelosi and all the leftist whacko Dems. in the House. Their vote was also a vote for Pelosi and all those whackos who’ll retain the majority and the chairmanships of all committees. It makes no sense.


31 posted on 05/14/2008 10:06:00 PM PDT by Will88
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To: kingattax
‘They need cleaner forms of energy’. I don't disagree with that. What am I supposed to dislike about this?
32 posted on 05/14/2008 10:07:27 PM PDT by allmost
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To: The_Republican
I can't help but wonder what the history books will say about the outcome of this election.

What will future generations be saying about us.

33 posted on 05/14/2008 10:07:34 PM PDT by R_Kangel (`.`)
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To: R_Kangel
What will future generations be saying about us.

in what language ?

34 posted on 05/14/2008 10:11:02 PM PDT by kingattax (99 % of liberals give the rest a bad name)
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To: kingattax

That is unknown at this time.


35 posted on 05/14/2008 10:12:08 PM PDT by R_Kangel (`.`)
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To: R_Kangel

care to take a guess ?


36 posted on 05/14/2008 10:13:07 PM PDT by kingattax (99 % of liberals give the rest a bad name)
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To: The_Republican
Mr. Obama leads Mr. McCain 61%-32% among Jews.

That's a shocking statistic for me!
37 posted on 05/14/2008 10:17:19 PM PDT by parisa
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To: The_Republican

Gee, Karl, thanks a bunch. Too bad you didn’t have this epiphany when you were nudging GWB to support Lincoln Freaking Chafee, Arnold Schwarzenkennedy and Arlen Specter!


38 posted on 05/14/2008 10:21:24 PM PDT by L.N. Smithee (Barack Obama is a secret Wright-winger)
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To: The_Republican

Rove:

You helped create this mess when you and George Bush started ignoring the base.

You and George’s sensitivity BS and triangulating to the center opened the door for a centrist liberal lover to grab the mantle.

Thanks a lot.

btw....I’ve read your views on running a high road issues campaign on Obama....if you really believe that then you must be dumbs as rocks or just poisoned with beltway political correctness.


39 posted on 05/14/2008 10:22:12 PM PDT by wardaddy (Obama is for the Deliverance Was A Documentary crowd)
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To: parisa

not very flattering stat for the world’s most intelligent “race”


40 posted on 05/14/2008 10:24:12 PM PDT by wardaddy (Obama is for the Deliverance Was A Documentary crowd)
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