Rep. Tom Cole: 'Everyone Wants to Take Sarah to the Prom'

http://www.humanevents.com ^ | 09/24/2008 | John Gizzi

[Maelstorm]

The results of my interviews last weekend with the chairmen of both the House and the Senate Republican campaign committees were vastly different from what they had to say about the GOP’s chances in the ’08 congressional races less than three months ago.

Earlier in the summer, both National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Ensign (Nev.) and National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Tom Cole (Okla.) were playing defense. It looked like a dreadful year for Republicans. Ensign had pointed to the fact that there were twice as many Republican senators facing the voters as Democrats. Cole’s excuse for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s fund-raising advantage of seven-to-one over the NRCC was the ongoing revelations of malfeasance by the committee treasurer he had inherited.

“It doesn’t help when you have a treasurer who is a complete crook,” was the much-quoted line with which Cole opened our interview.

But what a difference three months, a debate over energy, and Sarah Palin make.

Last weekend, the chairmen of the Republican House and Senate campaign committees both beamed with optimism about where their parties now stood less than fifty days before the balloting.

In terms of fund-raising, Cole pointed out that the NRCC “is now probably trailing the [DCCC] by four-to-one, which is very different from the seven-to-one edge they had when we last talked.” Ensign told me that “we have $7 million on hand -- we’ve conserved our money and the Democrats spent a lot more of theirs. We planned to bring in $3 million in August and we got $5 million. And we have a lot of new donors.”

But clearly, it was a dose of “Palin-cillin” that both Cole and Ensign pointed to as the fuel that is energizing Republicans at the grass roots level.

“I’d Have Palin Campaign for All of Our Candidates.” -- John Ensign

When I reminded John Ensign that he had told the Christian Science Monitor press luncheon in June that his party would probably have a net loss of three Senate seats from its 49-seat minority in the Senate, the Nevada senator quickly corrected me: “What I actually said at the Monitor lunch was that we’d be lucky to come out of November with a loss of three seats.”

But Ensign is not saying that these days. On Friday, he referred to three Senate races in which momentum was now clearly on the Republican side: “Right now, we have Colorado [Republican Sen. Wayne Allard is retiring] where [Republican] Bob Schaffer is in a dead heat with [Democratic Rep.] Mark Udall; New Mexico [Republican Sen. Pete Domenici is retiring], where [Republican Rep.] Steve Pearce is starting to come up against [Democratic Rep.] Tom Udall; and Louisiana, where [Republican] John Kennedy is in a close race with [Democratic Sen.] Mary Landrieu.”

The NRSC chief also predicted that New Hampshire Sen. John Sununu would win his rematch with Democratic former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen and that Republican incumbents were in strong shape in Alaska, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, and Mississippi (in which appointed Republican Sen. Roger Wicker’s race against Democratic former Gov. Ronnie Musgrave “has moved markedly in our direction,” according to Ensign).

“Momentum is clearly on our side,” Ensign told me, “and it was starting to move our way before the energy issue intensified and before Sarah Palin.”

But John McCain’s tapping of the Alaska governor “clearly fired up our side,” said the senator. He recalled how he joined Palin in Carson City, Nevada for a rally the week before and, in his words, “[I]t was remarkable. Between 6-to-8000 people were there and it was not just the numbers but the frenzy.”

(Over the weekend, I was deluged with similar anecdotal stories about “Palin Power.” Colorado Senate nominee Schaefer, for example, told me of being the “warm-up speaker for a crowd of 15,000 in Colorado Springs before McCain and Palin spoke. Later, when I worked the crowd, I met a lot of people who aren’t the normal types for a Republican rally. They said they were there because of Sarah.” Thomas Klunzinger, chairman of the McCain-Palin campaign in Ingham County, Mich., told me how “people are coming to the ‘victory’ headquarters every day and asking for yard signs but insisting they say ‘McCain-Palin’ and not just ‘McCain.’”)

“I’d have her campaign for all our candidates,” Ensign said of Palin, “Everybody wants her, and everybody would take her.”

“Everyone Wants to Take Sarah to the Prom.” -- Tom Cole

When I spoke to Tom Cole Saturday morning, we talked at length about the fast-breaking developments involving the proposed $700 billion financial bailout that he and his Republican colleagues had been briefed on by Secretary of the Treasury Paulson and Federal Reserve Board Chairman Bernanke the day before.

“This has not been a good week for us, and this economic stuff has not been helpful,” Cole told me, putting on his hat as campaign chief for House GOPers. In emphasizing that lawmakers should not make judgments until the details of the bailout package are public, the NRCC chairman also said that “energy may not be as important an issue now” and the economic uncertainty was “probably helping the Democrats.”

But, Cole quickly added, “the longer we stay in session working on this, the more people are reminded who is in charge here. Democrats would like to get out of town so folks don’t remember who is in charge.” For his part, Cole told me, “[O]bviously it would mean a loss of campaign time, but I prefer to take time to make what I feel will be the most consequential vote of my career.”

Prior to the economic news, Cole said, “[T]he convention and the choice of Sarah Palin caused some pretty dramatic movement for us. And I give John McCain a lot of credit for picking her. We’ve gone from 15-to-18 points behind in the generic poll of whether voters prefer Republicans or Democrats for Congress to between three-to-seven. We’ve got a battlefield situation now, and I credit Sarah Palin for a lot of that. She’s very conservative, an historic figure -- everyone wants to take Sarah to the prom. But more importantly, there’s a sense of authenticity about her and her promise of ‘shaking up Washington.’”

As it was in the Senate races, the anecdotal stories by House candidates illustrate Palin’s grassroots appeal. Former Wisconsin Assembly Speaker John Gard, who is running in the Badger State’s 8th District against Democratic Rep. Steve Kagen, said he was going to meet Palin at a rally in Green Bay that evening and asked whether I would run his picture with her in any story I did on his race. When I asked Republican Tom Rooney, who is opposing Rep. Tim Mahoney (D.-Fla.), who he had coming to campaign for him, he replied without hesitation: “I’m trying to get Sarah Palin!”

[Maelstorm]

Things have improved on the ground for the Senate. Now they need to take Sarah to the prom and start smacking this Bailout and offering a plan for reform so this mess doesn't happen again.

[Slapshot68]

““Everyone Wants to Take Sarah to the Prom.””

I’d rather take her to the after-prom. ;)

[CindyDawg]

No they don’t. Some just want to go to make catty remarks about her gown.

[DJ MacWoW]

I’d rather take her to the after-prom. ;)

You want to take her bowling?

(yes that's what we did)

[Shery]

Go, Sarah, go! And, by the way...when you debate that other VP candidate....Joe, what’s his name?...We won’t mind it if you really knock the wind out of him...whatever means you choose! Hehehe!

[bicyclerepair]

Stand up uh, Sarah!

WE LOVE SARAH!!!!!

[Donald Rumsfeld Fan]

“It doesn’t help when you have a treasurer who is a complete crook,” was the much-quoted line with which Cole opened our interview.

Be wary of corrupt parasites who join successful movements.

An anecdote.

About 20 years ago, I attended a California Republican Assembly political convention. I met many politicians and notables in the conservative movement. The CRA is essentially a social conservative organization.

We had a mixer over cocktails with many movement conservatives. I had conversations with several of them. Bay Buchanan, Duke Cunningham, Gary North etc.

I'll never forget my brief conversation with Cunningham.

Now we conservatives were very excited over the ongoing Congressional hearings over "ContraGate" where Oliver North was the star witness and our hero. So I asked Cunningham what he thought about it. Expecting some kind of acknowledgment of what a great American he was. But instead he mumbled something like what a disgrace he was.

I was dumbfounded. I thought to myself 'this guy is not an authentic conservative'.

And the rest is history.

[Ancient Drive]

you betcha! :)

[Vigilanteman]

. . . “people are coming to the ‘victory’ headquarters every day and asking for yard signs but insisting they say ‘McCain-Palin’ and not just ‘McCain.’”

How about one which just says Palin?

[JillValentine]

Funny & true. Liberal women get jealous so easily. They act like middle-school girls.

I used to get jealous of other girls. I grew out of that around age 13.

[impeachedrapist]

In addition to improved fundraising for the party orgs, I'm sure that translates to more money and more fired-up volunteers down at the individual candidate levels. Unfortunately my thread with all the details is in FR Purgatory right now, but there are a decent number of Dem House seats the GOP has a shot at taking. Many vulnerable freshmen Democrats.

Off the top of my head TX-22, FL-16, IL-14, MS-01, WI-08, PA-10, PA-11, PA-04, PA-07, AL-05, KY-03, CA-11. If the conservative base stays fired up (and given how the media is behaving so abhorrently, I'm sure it will), I think the GOP is gonna pull some surprises on Election Night. Especially if some handwringers will get to work helping out competitive conservative candidates.

And Gov. Palin is scheduled to do about 30 fundraisers before the election, which will definitely benefit some of these races. And I received an E-mail request for donations from her just a few minutes ago.

[impeachedrapist]

You have a very powerful, very accurate tagline.

[mcmuffin]

You FR posters have FAILED !

Mandatory Sarah Pics required!!!

[Toki]

Yours is still better than mine. We sat around and watched Anime.

[DJ MacWoW]

No Monopoly? We played that too. lol

Oh and there wasn't anime in 1968 so, bowling. :-)

[rrrod]

Soooooooooo along comes a normal person with principles, backbone and willing to take a stand and this moron is shocked?

“I’d Have Palin Campaign for All of Our Candidates.” — John Ensign

The GOP toetapping spineless ones had better thank Palin because she is rescuing their worthless careers. Most oF the Senate Republicans are nothing more than sniveling whiners!

[Maelstorm]

Yes they should thank Palin. You know we do have conservatives running to replace the lilly livered types in the Senate. Steave Pearce (NM), Jim Gilmore(VA), Jack Hodgendyke(MI), Jay Wolfe(WV), Steve Sauerberg(IL). Most of these guys are called either too conservative, they have no chance, have sharp elbows. The big money GOP doesn’t want more conservatives in the Senate. They are letting Mark Warner who not only lied and raised taxes 1.4 billion, who is far left on abortion, far left on gay rights, and in line with Obama on nearly every issue get a pass. His success may end up costing McCain Virginia. It makes me sick. We say we want principled Republicans and even our radio talk show hosts and conservative Media are no where to be found. Well CNN knows who it supports, ABC knows who it supports, NBC knows who it supports. Why isn’t talk radio doing more to highlight our Senate candidates this year?

[MitchellC]

there are a decent number of Dem House seats the GOP has a shot at taking. Many vulnerable freshmen Democrats. Off the top of my head TX-22, FL-16, IL-14, MS-01, WI-08, PA-10, PA-11, PA-04, PA-07, AL-05, KY-03, CA-11.

Barletta is looking especially good against Kanjorski in PA-11. After seeing that Barletta was up 9 in a poll of registered voters the other day, I had to kick the guy a few bucks. He may actually help bring votes to McCain in his part of PA, not the other way around.

Another case where it's the other way around is the Colorado Senate seat. Udall has polled ahead of Schaffer with such consistency that it may be the reason that Obama has been doing so well there.

[impeachedrapist]

Why isn’t talk radio doing more to highlight our Senate candidates this year?

That's a damned good question!!! It wouldn't take much for Rush, Hannity and/or Mark Levin to devote an hour to conservative Senate candidates... then maybe the next week do an hour for the House... and an hour for gubernatorial candidates. I bet Wolfe's or Gilmore's numbers would jump 6-8 points easily if just one of those hosts profiled them.

[impeachedrapist]

That’s exactly right. I was promoting Barletta’s race, and Melissa Hart’s, and Bill Russell’s, and Tom Manion’s, as way for conservatives to make a real difference in this election. By increasing conservative turnout in those PA districts, they’d also be helping McCain/Palin and effectively destroying Obama’s White House chances if he lost PA.