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I caught a comment on Rush Limbaugh's show this afternoon in which he hinted strongly that Landrieu would lose and he had insider info that convinved him. Any thoughts? In Catholic Louisiana, I would think her aiding Boxer and Lautenberg during the partial birth abortion ban debates on the Senate floor would hurt her. But what do I know of Catholics, they repeatedly elect liberal abortion supporters to office.

I heard Rush hinting about that, too. At first I thought he might have seen some internal polling but the more he talked the less certain I was of that. LOL Soon after his program aired today I heard that Dick Cheney will be in Monroe and Lafayette Monday campaigning with Mrs Terrell. That is great news, love Vice President Cheney, but I don't think that was what had Rush excited. The next day Suzie plans to meet with Governor Foster and maybe that will smooth down his ruffled feathers. I thought it was interesting that there was no mention of Gov Foster meeting with the Vice President. I may not be the only one who thinks the Governor's comments were unfortunate and unproductive. They certainly weren't in keeping with the President's example of setting a more respectful tone.

Landrieu has pretty much ignored her base for the past 6 years and now she expects their support. That hasn't gone over well and they are letting her know about it. I don't think there is a chance they won't come around but wooing them will absorb a lot of time and resources. I think her support of Boxer during the floor debates has already hurt her to some degree but not as much as I had expected. Hopefully we'll be able to find an effective way of reminding the Republican base of that. The Governor's remarks about not liking Terrell's negative ads during the primary were not helpful and he handicapped the campaign unnecessarily. Apparently he equates pointing out Landrieu's record as going negative.

I caught a comment on Rush Limbaugh's show this afternoon in which he hinted strongly that Landrieu would lose and he had insider info that convinved him. Any thoughts?

As a commentator, Rush's job is to make comments. I remember in early '96 him saying that the Democrats were in such disarray that they didn't have a chance in the fall. No one would listen to him if he were giving detailed technical explanations of some wonderful election-predicting computer program even if that program were right in 9 of 10 races. He has to be a little "on the edge." I also think he sometimes tries to make self-fulfilling prophecies. If he had been able to persuade enough moderates that the Democrats were in disarray in '96, we might have been spared four years of Clinton. I would love for him to say something that energizes our base for the runoff.

I think what he's really doing is looking at the voting patterns of the state over the past few years. Louisiana is trending Republican, and Mary Landrieu must cast herself as independent-minded and slightly conservative without losing the base on the left. Suzie Terrell is receiving support from across the country, and I doubt that the cross-country support for Mrs. Landrieu is as enthusiastic. The GOP will be sending some big names to support Mrs. Terrell, but support from well-known Democrats would only hurt Mrs. Landrieu. The election isn't a cake walk for Mrs. Terrell. The GOP will have to work hard to mobilize their supporters. I think they'll have an easier time mobilizing their people than the Democrats will, but the runoff cannot be taken for granted.

WFTR
Bill