[FairOpinion]

"Both parties are aligned on certain causes and get all those votes as part of their base."

That is why it is so important that Bush's base turn out in this election.

[George W. Bush]

That is why it is so important that Bush's base turn out in this election.

The disaffected segment considers themselves to be conservative, not anyone's 'base'.

You may not like it, hundreds of threads with thousands of posts here at FR may bewail and scorn and condemn it. But it won't change.

It's still about a smaller government and lower taxes/fees and less regulation.

If Bush and the GOP want these voters back on board, they have to put some red meat on the plate. That's all there is to it. Otherwise, they need to write off their disaffected segment and campaign to the middle or even to the RINO segment as hard as possible.

You know, Bush may not need that 8% to win. This may be the year when the GOP finally manages to discard the conservative base entirely. This has been the goal of many top party leaders for years.

I have my doubts such a strategy will work for more than one election cycle. It will be interesting to see how Rove plays his hand in this election.