Posted on 11/10/2005 4:02:20 AM PST by johnny7
All politics is local.
GW Bush won re-election nationwide just 1 year ago. Since then gasoline has risen to 2+ dollars a gallon. People care about their pocketbooks -- but local elections don't turn on gasoline.
No one knows or cares who Libby is and Rove has not resigned. This affected 0 votes in Virginia.
The Iraqis are building up their forces and we will start to draw down soon. It will be a clear victory. This will affect 0 votes in the mid term elections next year because . . . all politics is local.
In 18 months GW Bush will resume former popularity. This also will affect zero votes.
"Kilgore didn't even take the pledge not to raise taxes. No wonder he lost."
I was so caught up with the social issues on the radio, I didn't even stop and consider the Reagan Formula. Gads. It's a learning moment, isn't it?
Know the feeling. Steve Largent in 2002 gave us the RAT Governor we have in OK because of a louzy run campaign and I think Largent is great. His choice of campaign consultants was really bad and he ran the same stupid ad over and over again and nevered answered the attacks.
VA went for the Dem Governor in 2002 and they kept it Dem with a Republican legislature -- how can we lose a seat we didn't have to begin with?
I think some Republican campaign consultants should find a new line of work. There have been some badly run campaigns in Republican states in recent years. Almost like RINO consultants tank some conservatives with their ideas! If I were running for office, I would ONLY hire a conservative Republican consulting firm.
I'm just a dispassionate outsider, and from my perspective Kilgore tried to blur the issues. We win* and we win big when we follow the Reagan model
*with the possible exception of the liberal northeast, and perhaps the goofy left coast.
Wow! Albo's district is America. Immigration is hurting conservatism.
Thank you for your take. The ads I heard were clear-cut social-conservative. But that, alone, isn't enough. Fiscal is just as important, I think. FRegards....
It wasn't Bush that brought the ticket down, it was Kilgore alienating his base. If the Republican party doesn't re-solidify their base and do it soon, the party is going to suffer much worse defeats across the nation.
Mike
It does take both. It takes the fiscal conservative wing and the social conservtive wing to fly.
I think there are a lot of tax-and-spend republicans on the local level. Up to now, they've been able to hide from the Information Age. But that will change soon.
Really surprised to see this in the Washington Times. The Governors race was a big loss to be sure but I think you can lay most of that at Kilgore's feet. He was a bad candidate who ran a terrible campaign. Republicans did well in the other state wide races so I think its pretty clear the revolt wasn't against Bush or the party, but against the candidate.
If a liberal Hillary-clone from NoVa like Leslie Byrne had won the LG's office in Virginia, that would have been a sign of the apocalypse.
She should have lost by as much as Kerry did.
Because his loss paints a big target on his back for 2007.
Why are you surprised to see it in the Washington Times?
the truth of this story - from all the press I've read- is that a bad campaign was run by Kilgore, but President Bush still went to help him. That is more than has happened in Congress. The congress, because they are in safe seats, don't need the help of the party or the President. Take a look at all the crap in bills like the artic or the bridge to nowhere- these pass against the wish of the President. But he still goes out and tries to help the party.
Because the Washington Times is a conservative paper, and this sounds more like an MSM piece.
The authoress provided sources for the quotes...that in itself keeps it out of the MSM genre.
I agree with you 100%! They are the ones whining about people like Dr. Coburn too -- they cannot stand him and others like the VA Senator George Allen who want to cut pork.
Do believe the moderate fiscal Republicans better be thinking about retiring from their seats as the Republican grassroots is growing in their support for candidates who are for lower taxes, less Government, and stronger border control. We elected Dr. Tom here in OK over the establishment candidate who had the money and support of most of the elected officials by becoming a strong grassroots organization organized from the precincts up. It can be done but it is going to take a lot of work and good candidates for the grassroots to get behind.
Proud member of the Oklahoma Republican grassroots movement and want to see it spread across the Country.
So here's a question, just who is a popular Rat politician??
It's the candidate, stupid.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.