Buoyed by Resurgence, G.O.P. Strives for an Era of Dominance (Adam Clymer Alert)

New York Times ^ | May 24, 2003 | ADAM CLYMER

[Dog Gone]

For 20 years or more Republicans have been selling ideas that the public likes.

It must have nearly killed him to admit that.

[William McKinley]

CLYMER ALERT!

They have built their strength in the South by appealing to white resentment of civil rights policies, and sometimes by discouraging voting by blacks, as they did last year in Louisiana's Senate runoff, which the Democratic incumbent, Mary L. Landrieu, won anyway by a margin of four percentage points. When it comes to hard-hitting campaign advertisements, they have used everything from Willie Horton's image to the suggestion that Senator Max Cleland, who lost both legs and an arm in Vietnam, was unconcerned about national security.

BS, Clymer. How about the Gore folks getting on the highway and driving slow to cause traffic jams to discourage voting? And how about the cynical ads showing pickup trucks dragging chains? Or the 'leaked' drunk driving story? Or the mole in the debate prep? Where is Clymer on the nefarious Democrats?

[Dog Gone]

Apparently he is going to give us his spin on the Democrats tomorrow.

[William McKinley]

Of course! Which day of the week has the lowest readership?

Saturday.

Which day has the greatest?

Sunday, where his love letter with some hand-slap advice will be placed.

[Catalonia]

So what's the scoop on this Clymer guy? Anybody have a 'dossier' on him. Background, education, political affiliations? I'd like to know the particulars of Clymer's indoctrination, for future reference.

[Dog Gone]

This sidebar runs with the story.

---

		G.O.P. VOICES Republicans Explain Why the Party Appeals "I want to make sure the dollars that we are taxed are being spent properly. I like George Bush's stance on social spending and funding of some of the Democratic strongholds. I feel that he's putting pressure on the Congress to really come to task and be responsible in their social spending. Because of the budget deficit, I feel that the Republicans are the best party to be able to bring a balanced budget back to the United States." TIM CHRYSLER Computer consultant, Woodbury, Minn. "Republicans believe in the sovereignty of our country. The Republican Party consistently stands with our capitalistic system. They believe in free enterprise; they believe that we have the best country in the world. They take a lot less shots at what really makes this country great. The Republicans are for smaller government." JOHN NICHOLAS Associate pastor, Gentryville, Ind. "It seems like the Republicans are little bit more conservative, and I tend to run more along the conservative line: not spending money so freely, that type of thing. I tend to think that the Democrats tend to raise taxes more and spend money a little more freely than I would like them to. The Democrats just seem a little more freewheeling, like Clinton." SHEILA SCHAEFFER Computer aide, Fort Wayne, Ind. "The Republican Party just agrees with the way I feel compared with the Democratic Party, which is right now almost a communist party. You have to go some way or the other. I happen to think the Republicans are much more conservative. The Republican Party is trying to make the country so that the people are relatively self-sufficient and not living on welfare, which is paid for by the government and the people who are actually earning money." RICHARD WIBALDA Retired serviceman, Las Vegas

[MEG33]

Fair and Balanced by Clymer standards!

[Dog Gone]

I'd like to know the particulars of Clymer's indoctrination, for future reference.

You've apparently missed one of the more interesting anecdotes of Campaign 2000, when Governor George W Bush thought he was off-mike and referred to Adam Clymer as an asshole, and Dick Cheney agreed, "big time."

"Clymer" has become a synonym for that coarse word here at FR, but he's retiring from the NY Times in a couple of months.

[HostileTerritory]

Of course! Which day of the week has the lowest readership? Saturday. Which day has the greatest? Sunday, where his love letter with some hand-slap advice will be placed.
I wouldn't put anything past the New York SLIMES... but this article was posted to the web one hour ago, which means it will appear in the Sunday print edition. All those New York RATS will get to read it tomorrow, on the day of greatest circulation.

[Balding_Eagle]

Clymer made it sound like he actually was there!

[Catalonia]

Ah yes, I remember that. I didn't realize it was Clymer Bush was talking about. Thanks.

[Dog Gone]

Adam Clymer

[William McKinley]

Heh, you are right. And if you look at the URL, it even says 5/25, which is tomorrow. Sonofagun.

[Kuksool]

Ping!

[Maynerd]

Clymer's analysis of the Republican tsunami congressional takeover in 1994 is curious. No mention of Bill Clinton and their national healthcare fiasco, which in my opinion were the keys to victory.

[Dog Gone]

I'll give him some credit. He did accurately describe the desperate straits the party was in after Watergate. We were on the ropes, and there was little hope for recovery.

Nobody in the world would have predicted the situation we have today. I'm hoping for the dominance Clymer fears!

[Dane]

You've apparently missed one of the more interesting anecdotes of Campaign 2000, when Governor George W Bush thought he was off-mike and referred to Adam Clymer as an asshole, and Dick Cheney agreed, "big time."

A talk radio host for a local radio station WKBN-AM 570, Youngstown, Ohio, played the clip for a long time in 2000, and with the Stars and Stripes Forever, playing in the background, one could hear the exchange between Bush and Cheney.

It was hilarious to hear the NYT rightfully skewered, but the liberal press at the time thought those words were beneath a Presidential candidate and made a big stink, regardless of the liberal press corp enabling and excusing Monica.

[Dog Gone]

Sept. 5 — Republican presidential candidate George W. Bush is not apologizing for an off-color remark he made about a New York Times reporter.      Talking to running mate Dick Cheney before a Labor Day speech Monday in Naperville, Ill. — in which he talked about the need for “plainspoken Americans in the White House” — Bush was pretty blunt himself. The Texas governor used an expletive when referring to the New York Times’ Adam Clymer, one of the reporters who has been covering his campaign.
     Unaware he was speaking into an open microphone, Bush leaned over to Cheney and said, “There’s Adam Clymer, major-league a------ from the New York Times.”      Cheney responded, “Oh yeah, he is, big time.”
     The two candidates for the highest offices in the land did not know their remarks were being broadcast to members of the audience and to the press corps. The comment has been replayed on network, cable and local news shows.
     But when Bush was asked later on Monday if he would apologize for the comment, he said only, “I regret that it made it to the airwaves.”

Clymer ‘Disappointed’
Clymer told The Associated Press on Monday, “I’m disappointed in the governor’s language.”
    

New York Times reporter Adam Clymer says he is “disappointed” by Bush’s language.(AP Photo)

Bush spokeswoman Karen Hughes later said the remarks were “a whispered aside to his running mate. It was not intended as a public comment.”
     Hughes also indicated that Bush was unhappy with numerous articles Clymer has written.
     The New York Times’ executive editor, Joseph Lelyveld, defended Clymer in today’s editions of the paper, saying the reporter’s “work is both fair and accurate. The Times has never heard from the Bush campaign about Adam. If they have a complaint, they should convey it to us and we will review it as we do all serious complaints about our coverage.”
     Cheney refused to discuss the matter.
     “The governor made a private comment to me,” he told reporters later Monday in Chicago. “It was a private comment, and I don’t plan to say anything about it.”

Democrats Enjoy Gaffe
But Bush’s Democratic opponent, Al Gore, quickly picked up on the gaffe, publicly praising the press corps during a speech Monday in Pittsburgh.
     “I want to thank the working press corps who are working on Labor Day,” Gore said.
     At a White House briefing this morning, President Clinton and his chief of staff, John Podesta, had some fun with Bush’s remark.
     “Is this mike on?” asked Podesta at the start of the news conference. “You can never be too careful these days.”
     Clinton, laughing, told the assembled journalists, “We like all of you.”

[Alas Babylon!]

Looks like old Adam could use one of Kramer's Man-Bras.