GOP Sends Ralph Reed to Louisiana to Oversee 'Get Out the Vote' Efforts

Inside Politics 'Belway Buzz' ^ | December 2, 2002 | Robert Novak

[ewing]

Robert Novak just disclosed in his CNN Inside Politics 'Beltway Buzz' segment that the Republicans have looked at the dead heat polls today and are sending Former Christian Coalition chair Ralph Reed to oversee 'get out the vote' developments in Louisiana.

[Sparta]

Also, Landrieu is going to see to it free Malt Liquor gets out to the ghetto. Along with a friendly reminder about election day. Also, many black leaders have been reminded kindly that this is going to be their last campaign if they don't deliver the votes.

[ewing]

I can't believe the Dims have lawyers on standby already.

That is an indication of how tight this race is..

[Tennessean4Bush]

This race hinges on the black vote. If Landrieu gets it out she wins.

If the latest UNO poll is correct, I do not care how motivated the black vote is, Landrieu cannot win. Right now, Terrell can reasonably expect to pull anywhere between 64-67% of the white vote on election day. This means her task is merely to get her vote out, and with the Prez, E Dole, Cheney, Guliani, etc. coming down for a visit, that will get them out.

This whole deal about everything hinging on the black vote is predicated on the DemonRAT pulling at least 40% of the white vote. Right now, Landrieu is pulling 31% of the white vote. She is hurting real bad. She had better resurrect 3-4 times the number of dead people the DemonRATs typically do to vote.

I just do not see it happening unless some kind of bomb is dropped exposing Terrell of tax evasion or fraud between now and election day and it has the ring of truth to it or it sticks somehow.

[11th Earl of Mar]

I suspect the dead have already been awakened to vote in the French Quarter.

Which is why they are buried ABOVE the ground.

[deport]

boo... was it you mentioned a GOTV operation up in the Alexandria area?

[Prolifeconservative]

Holy crap, I hope this is the truth!

Landrieu cannot win this race if it is totally on the up and up. However, if dead people are allowed to vote, if Democrats can bus enough people in to the polls, and if they can buy enough votes with cigarettes and wine, then this Senate race becomes a shootout - it's anyone's guess as to who wins. But if this Senate race is decided by legitimate voting and there are no cheating factors involved, Suzy Terrell wins it. Mark my words, Terrell wins if the sleaziness and the New Orleans nasty democratic political machine is held at bay!

Please tell me this is true!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[TatieBug]

REED MACHINE ~ "Come on down!" This is good news. I can't seem to find ANY recent numbers or thoughts from Freepers on this race. Hopefully President Bush will push her over the top if it's "fairly even" but I just don't know. Voting on Saturday...who does that help? Hopefully the R's will be voting before Christmas shopping!

[My2Cents]

My thought exactly. Ralph Reed has proven to be one saavy dude. Plus, I'm glad to see the national Republicans are not leaving the fate of this election up to local GOPers in Louisiana. What a bunch of self-destructing goofs they seem to be!

[ewing]

There was a new local poll today with Landrieu up by 1 point.

So it is as close a race as humanly possible.

[section9]

I fully anticipate a race-baiting Hate Whitey ad to be put out by a front group for the NAACP, itself a front for the DNC.

Instead of George W. Bush dragging James Byrd to his death, it will be George W. Bush and Susan Terrell in full Klan regalia or some such nonsense, complete with an appeal to "not turn back the clock".

Ralph's a good tactician. It may be that he is going to help coordinate the President's media exposure on the local LA news outlets. The President will be a monster presence on local LA tv (he hasn't been down there since he stopped over at Barksdale AFB on his way to Offut AFB on September 11th), and I wouldn't be surprised if he gave interviews with some of the local talking heads. Ralph might be good for whatever ground game work there is to be done, as well. I suspect we already have a ground game plan in place, as the 72-hour Plan was a national effort this year.

Every little bit helps. And you're right, CT, no one really talks to Novak.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[Ligeia]

Too late for that.

Maybe so. It's a shame the GOP in Louisiana waited so long to invite him down. Reed and the Christian Coalition were instrumental here in Virginia in the early to mid-90's in causing realignment to occur. From what I've read on this thread, it appears the GOP has it wrapped up anyway. Lookin' good!

[JohnnyZ]

There are about 10-12 Looosiana threads going right now, including one on a poll that came out today showing Landrieu up 44-43.

One place Ralph Reed could help with is the evangelical Christian community, which has a hard time getting itself to the polls but really responds to Reed.

[Ligeia]

Right, no time to be proud. Get the experts in who know how to win. Remember when Ralph Reed was considered such an extremist by the mainstream media? Now he comes sailing in with trumpet fanfare and Daschle, Gore, Clinton, Hillary! and the "mainstream" Dems can't show their faces. Ah, these are grand times.

[Spyder]

Good thing - I remember a column after her "win" a few years ago about how people were bussed from precinct to precinct to vote numerous times. I think it was a George Will column in Newsweek, so it wasn't just a "rumor." The Republicans shouldn't have rolled over that time and they'd better not let their guard down now.

[ewing]

It may be also that it is too late for the Dims to put out any new attack ads that a national guy like Ralph Reed was brought in to deliver the coup de gras to Landrieu..

[Malcolm]

In the 1992 US Senate election in Georgia, the incumbent Democrat lost to the Republican in the runoff, (a law which has subsequently been repealed), and the Dem got MORE votes in the first election. Since ML got less, (less than the 3 combined GOP candidates), I can't see this as a different situation. Terrell should be the favorite on Saturday.....

[Freakazoid]

This sounds kinda late to me. Not much time for organizing.

[RJayneJ]

I did read before the November election that Bush's stumping visits was raising the percentage points by 5% or 6% for the Republican candidate, but that would last only 4 or 5 days. If Landrieu wins, the Dems will play it as the voters having second thoughts about a Republican majority, thus giving them a reason to obstruct the Bush agenda. If she loses, the Dems will be as demoralized as I have ever seen them.

[ewing]

I saw the same thing, even a Cheney visit was giving about a 3-4 point bump.

[Tennessean4Bush]

I agree, but until this latest independent poll from UNO came out today, we did not know whether the disgruntled pubbie who got 15% would cause Terrell to not get his supporters to vote with her. It appears that most have decided to cast their vote with her and she needs only to maximize her GOTV efforts and she should win.