[GraniteStateConservative]

[Sonny M]

I would much rather have preferred either Reed or Newt in this post, Reed has a lot of potential and is an awesome strategy guy in the Lee Atwater mold, with alot of Karl Rove thinking to go with it, while Newt, may not be the best politician, but he's a good pundit, a skilled debater and an excellent strategy guy for geting the base to come out and appealing on "kitchen table issues".

[GraniteStateConservative]

EDWARD W. GILLESPIE

Ed Gillespie is a founder and principal of Quinn Gillespie & Associates, a bipartisan public affairs firm that provides strategic advice, public relations services, and government representation to corporations, trade associations and issue-based coalitions.

Though only three years old, QGA has been ranked by both Influence and National Journal magazines as being among the top 10 most influential firms in Washington. Its client roster boasts major corporations like Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Daimler-Chrysler, Citigroup and Sony, and includes powerful trade associations like the American Hospital Association, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and the National Association of Realtors.

Gillespie is one of the most prominent and successful strategists in the Republican Party. In 2002, he was general strategist for Elizabeth Dole’s senate campaign in North Carolina, in which Dole garnered the biggest margin of victory of any Senate candidate in the state in over 25 years. Dole and former Clinton chief-of-staff Erskine Bowles combined to wage the most expensive senate race in the country last year, and the Dole campaign has been cited by numerous political analysts as one of the best of the election cycle.

Gillespie’s political work on behalf of President George W. Bush is well known, ranging from his management of the highly regarded convention program in Philadelphia in the summer of 2000 to his service as senior communications advisor in Austin to his aggressive spokesman role during the historic recount in Florida, to serving as communications director for the President’s inauguration in January of 2001.

In 1996, Gillespie served as Director of Communications and Congressional Affairs for the Republican National Committee under then Chairman Haley Barbour. Prior to that, he served for over a decade as a top aide to former House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX). He was a principal drafter of the now famous “Contract with America,” which in 1994 swept Republicans to control of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. Gillespie edited the paperback book Contract with America, which climbed to number two on the New York Times’ bestseller’s list in February 1995.

The 41-year-old New Jersey native is a graduate of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. While at CUA, he began his career on Capitol Hill as a Senate parking lot attendant. He is married to the former Cathy Hay, executive director of U.S. Rep. Joe Barton’s political action committee (the Texas Freedom Fund). The two met playing softball in the Capitol Hill League. They have three children: John Patrick, Carrie and Mollie Brigid.

Before forming QGA with former Clinton White House Counsel Jack Quinn, Gillespie was President and CEO of Policy Impact Communications.

[rs79bm]

I don't know this fellow myself, but who is in charge of appointing these people. Should it be the RNC Members?

[xm177e2]

Racicot is a good guy, an inclusive, liberty-minded man... the more influence he has, the better.

[savedbygrace]

Bring back Haley Barbour. His image can be rehabilitated in short order. Haley was the most effective RNC leader in decades.

Bring back Haley.

[CedarDave]

The first problem he may have to solve is how to get W on the ballot in those states which have ballot candidate deadlines prior to the September 2004 Republican convention.

[Contra]

I thought J.C. Watts was suppose to be in on this.

[EternalVigilance]

Hmmmm...Racicot is still to be in a position of great authority...which from my perspective is a victory for the forces who would have us sounding and governing like Democrats. A recipe for a dispirited base to some extent--one that just as easily could be highly motivated.

Ed Gillespie is an apparatchik...a pretty capable one, but we'll see...

[PhiKapMom]

Why did you change the title of the article when this is NOT a done deal? No decision has been made!

Original Title at the Link you posted:

Party leader Racicot expected to move to Bush's re-election campaign

[AlbionGirl]

Anything that allows for more Marc Racicot visuals is fine by me. Smooth, smart, vigorous and fit; he's a major league turn on.

[RAT Patrol]

This might make me very happy. Hmmm...

[montag813]

GOOD RIDDANCE RATICOT, YOU SOB.

What a waste of a tenure. Tell us again Marc how coddling to gays was more important than defeating Max Baucus and adding to the slim GOP Senate majority, which polls show he would have done by 15 percentage pts. Go ahead Raticot, we're curious.

[Reagan Man]

Marc Racicot was a smart choice, coming at the right time. Ed Gillespie is another solid pick, who understands the in`s and out`s of politics and public diplomacy. As PresBush and the GOP enter into the reelection campaign and onto the general election phase, Gillespie's experience will be put to good use.

[jagrmeister]

First, Racicot was one of the most eloquent spokespersons either political party has had in the recent past. Very smooth, extremely convincing, and eminently reasonable. By and large, the GOP has these semi-articulate jokers who can't hold their own with their Democrat counterparts. Which brings me to Gillepie. I have not been impressed with this guy from whatever I've seen and read of him. He seems fine as a behind-the-scenes power-broker but we need a charismatic, effective spokesperson. That person would be Ralph Reed.