Posted on 09/14/2004 11:01:56 AM PDT by Cableguy
Cook's opinion is that the Bush campaign was been very well run and that the Republican convention was very well planned. When asked about Zell Miller, Cook thought it was the single most effective moment of the convention. A friend of his had compared Miller to Col. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. But Cook felt that it was an effective way of penetrating the skulls of the undecideds and grabbing their attention. He quoted Lee Atwater from 1998, when Atwater said of Dukakis, "We're going to strip the bark off that son of a bitch."
Cook feels that the Kerry campaign has been overconfident. The Democrats should have attacked Bush on his weak points: the economy, health care and the deficit. Instead, they focused on Kerry's military past. Barack Obama's speech was terrific but didn't move ball forward at all for Kerry and was a waste of airtime. The Swift Boat attacks have been devastating for Kerry and he took too long to respond. As Cook put it, Kerry lost three pints of blood and you can only lose five before death. Kerry's campaign also looks a bit like Noah's ark, with everything in pairs: two consultants, two experts, etc. In contrast, Karl Rove can make a decision while shaving in the morning and have it executed before he pulls out of the driveway. and lastly: While the undecideds are not looking as ugly for Bush, the election isn't over. This is a big election and it's going to be close. Cook forecast the biggest turnout in 30 years, with 57-59 percent showing up on Election Day. And of course, the quiche was delicious. Full report after the jump.
(Excerpt) Read more at wonkette.com ...
Charlie is right: It's a long time until election day. In politics, 24 hrs is a lifetime.
Did Cook have anything to say about House, Senate, and gov races? He has been pretty accurate in the past about predicting those.
Looks like no one expects Dems to regain control of the House. So there. ;-) But I am still worried about the Senate. Too many GOP seats are vulnerable, and not enough open Demo seats are expected to switch parties.
I don't think the turnout is going to be that great. The 'rats are dispirited and consider Kerry a loser. If the polls show Bush clearly ahead in November, many 'rats won't vote, IMO.
I agree. We all still need to be Broken Glass Republicans...
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