Posted on 11/05/2004 9:30:27 AM PST by ElephantsForever
On Nov. 2, an elephant charged across the U.S. electoral map -- an elephant named Ronald Wilson Reagan.
To be sure, President George W. Bush and his chief strategists, Karl Rove and Matthew Dowd, deserve enormous credit for engineering the first presidential campaign in 16 years to capture more than 50 per cent of the popular vote. But to understand the magnitude and method of their achievement, it is necessary to examine how two Reagan-induced forces -- a "rolling" realignment and values-based communications -- coalesced to help produce Mr. Bush's victory.
In February of 1980, Mr. Reagan asked me to serve as his chief strategist and pollster.
(Excerpt) Read more at wyntonhall.com ...
Certainly gives us hope, but is Wirthlin correct?
I think so.
I agree with Ann Coulter who recently pointed out that had W hammerred harder on 'Values' and 'Moral Issues' in PA and MI, he would have carried them as well. As it stands, he lost both by one percent.
Didn't GWB also come out with his support of civil unions a few days before the election?
Yeah, I'm still pretty angry about that one.
Be mindful that the democrats follow the propaganda playbook. Steal words, give them adjusted meanings and then claim ownership.
Pelosi: "We will defend America". Translation: Iraq did not attack us. The Taliban is defeated. Time to stand down.
Democrat: "We support education for all children." Translation: All illegals are welcome. Education into socialist principals is mandatory for all.
Democrat: "We support health care for all." Translation: If you want free health care you must give up freedoms.
Democrat: "We support judges who are pro-choice." Translation: We can't pass a law acceptable to Americans so we demand the judges mandate from the bench.
Sorta. But Bush and Rove won this election, not Ronald Reagan. Bush did more for pro-life causes than Reagan ever did, and took on the gay lobby with his support for a constitutional amendent.
IOW, Bush went far beyond Reagan's "values" statements.
He's right. However the looming spectre in the closet is the Northeastern liberal influence that is the traditional Republican Party.
If these type are allowed to gain any power, or hold back any of our progress, our gains will reverse.
We have to hold fast to conservatism and beat back the Rino's. The Democrats will have a few more losing cycles ahead before they figure out that Americans are not liberal socialists. They will get it someday however. Republicans were historically the party of progressivism. If those days to return the power will shift again.
I have no problem with Bush's stance on civil unions.
Yep.
He OUTLAWED Partial-Birth-Murder.
Libs are so scared, they don't even won't to mention it.
If F'ing was opposed to it, then why didn't he promise to reverse it?
Cowards!
They hide their true values, especiall during election years and try to fake out everyone.
Fortunately, at least in this cycle they did not succeed.
If these type are allowed to gain any power, or hold back any of our progress, our gains will reverse.
So, you want to start shrinking the tent?
Those "Northeastern RINOS"-- as you call them-- vote reliably with the GOP and Bush 99% of the time. And, a conservative Republican would not be elected in a state like Maine.
The Republican Party is growing. Let's keep it growing. The Democrats are in the shape they're in because they insist on litmus tests.
It's a state matter, just as abortion should be.
Institutionalizing sexual perversion and legitimizing the murder of children are not matters of local preference or interest only.
State jurisdiction rather than judicial legislation would be a step in the right direction, but murder is murder and should be illegal throughout the land.
Non-sequitur. If they vote with us, they are not Rinos. It is their defacto opposition to us through their votes that defines Rinos.
I highly doubt there will be any Republicans (re)elected in the Northeast, next cycle.
I agree, but murder is also a state issue.
I think they will ALL be re-elected. Snow, Collins, Chafee(if he remains a Republican) have a constituency.
He is right in that President Reagan laid the foundation upon which we have won President Bush's re-election. What he never mentions is Ronnie always knew that while he could jump start the GOP, he lacked the time to propel it forward to its full potential. That he had to leave to the rest of us. It took us a while to get going, but get going we have. Newt Gingrich understood this in 1994, but the wolves nipping at his heels took him down before he reached his full potential.
President Bush was hobbled by the attacks of 9/11, and by the flagging economy left to him by President Clinton. Now he has the opportunity to carry the Reagan Revolution forward. He made those intentions very clear yesterday.
And the Dems are trembling at his approach.
Be of good cheer and join our Merry little ban of watch dogs and leaders. The Reagan Wing is on the job and will soon begin formal organization. Please read and start following the series. It could make for a joyous Holiday Season indeed.
They might, but their influence has been reduced within the party.
I think the influence of this type will prevail again within the party in the future, though. Eventually the liberal interest groups and money will flow to Republicans, just like Rockefeller money did in the early 1900's. When that happens the party will become marginalized again.
Reagan communicated great ideas that reached across the political divide. If the ghost of Nelson Rockefeller rises again, the gains will flow back to the Democrats or to whatever arises as the most prominent embodiment of the Reagan ideal. It would be easiest to keep this ideal burning brightly within the party so the tide of history would be toward more freedom and less government, with less pain getting there.
History is cyclical, however and the best of men can be brought to ruin by forgetting idealism for the sake of poularity or money. This can happen again.
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